How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in Oven without Searing (4 delicious tricks)

In this brief article, we will be answering the question of how to cook pork tenderloin in an oven without searing. This incredibly delicious piece of meat is absolutely irresistible; however, the searing process might burn the spices grazed on it.

How to Cook Pork Tenderloin in an Oven without Searing?

Let us share with you four exciting ways to cook pork tenderloin in the oven without searing it. However, searing can increase flavor. In a study, cooked loin was evaluated with and without previous searing. Searing resulted in a higher hardness value, higher palatability, better appearance acceptability due to the extent of browning on the surface. Moreover, pre-seared loins exhibit a higher flavor intensity compared to non-seared, but no differences were observed in tenderness and juiciness between them (1). 

Simply Roast it in the Oven

Here’s what you need to do for this method:

• Cover the tenderloin with foil and roast for about 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil a little, pour some more sauce over the tenderloin, and roast for around another 30 minutes or till the pork’s interior temperature is 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Take out the pork from the oven, leave the foil cover, and let it rest for around 15 minutes.

Grill it before Roasting it

You can also grill the pork tenderloin and finish it off by roasting once the skin has browned adequately.

The one possible disadvantage of this method is accurately determining the time the pork will take to cook under heat. However, an oven thermometer will help you keep track of things.

Cook Using An Outdoor Grill

If your indoor oven does not have a grill, you can also use an outdoor grill. The main principle is the same as above – roasting the pork tenderloin and grilling it to finish it off.

But in this case, you’ll need to transfer the pork tenderloin to the outdoor grill from the oven. Also, outdoor grills aren’t good for roasting meat all the way through, but this method works well because your tenderloin is already pre-roasted.

Use Cooking Torches

Cooking torches can also be used to cook tenderloins, but they will probably burn off the spices. Nevertheless, it still works if you want to prepare your pork tenderloin traditionally without searing.

Just make sure you take enough time with the cooking torch to brown the pork tenderloin properly. Only then will the cooking torch form a perfect crust after which you can roast the pork tenderloin like normal.

Moreover, you can roast the pork tenderloin and finish with the cooking torch. 

How Nutritious is a Pork?

As per the USDA, 100 grams of cooked loin from pork contains: 

Is Searing Pork Tenderloin Necessary?

The searing process is not only required for creating the traditional crust on the surface of the pork tenderloin, but also increases flavor and overall acceptance, due to higher browning (1). This also occurs to other types of meat. When comparing oven-cooked steaks and pre-seared cooked steaks, both scores of overall flavor and roast meat flavor were significantly higher than those of oven cooking. In the searing-cooked steak, the reducing sugar, which is a reactant of the Maillard reaction, was lower and Maillard-reaction products were higher than oven-cooked steak. Searing does not improve juiciness of the pork loin or steak, but improves their flavor due to higher levels of Maillard reaction products (2). Maillard reaction is a non-enzymatic browning reaction. Caramelization is induced when sugar is dry-heated at high temperatures . Both caramelization and Maillard reactions affect not only the color of the food, but also the aroma and flavor (2).

How Do You Add More Flavor to Pork Tenderloin?

Pork tenderloin is an extremely lean, low-fat cut of meat, and is also quite low on flavor. For a truly flavorsome pork tenderloin, it is best to marinate it or season it heavily. 

Let the pork marinate for about 30 minutes, or for best results, up to 24 hours.

How to Tell When a Pork Tenderloin is Done?

Medium-rare pork tenderloin is cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. It will remain somewhat pink but is cooked and safe to eat (3).

However, you can also cook it to 155 degrees Fahrenheit, but remember that the tenderloin continues to cook even after it comes out of the oven.

Always follow the given cooking time (15-20 minutes). After slicing into the thickest part, the pork should appear light pink and quite juicy. If undercooked, cook it in the oven for some more minutes. 

Conclusion

In this brief article, we answered the question of how to cook pork tenderloin in an oven without searing. Simply choose the method that suits you best and enjoy your pork tenderloin just the way you like it. 

If you have any more questions or comments please let us know.

References

1. Cho, Dong Kook, et al. Comparison of quality characteristics and palatability between sous-vide cooked pork loin patties with different searing treatments. Food Sci Anim Res, 2021, 41, 214.
2. Yoo, Ji Hyun, et al. Effects of searing cooking on sensory and physicochemical properties of beef steak. Food sci anim res, 2020, 40, 44.
3. Fresh Pork from Farm to Table. United States Department of Agriculture.