Thick-Cut Pork Tenderloin Medallions
From Cook's Illustrated:
We wanted a pork tenderloin recipe that would be fast enough for a weeknight dinner and still offer maximum flavor. Cutting the tenderloins into 1 ½-inch-thick medallions and tying the medallions or wrapping blanched bacon around them, fastened with toothpicks, allowed us to create a beautiful sear on all sides of these neat packages in the time it took the meat to reach an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees. The searing process had the extra benefit of producing enough fond to create several easy, flavorful pan sauces for our pork tenderloin medallions recipe.
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2 pork tenderloins (1 to 1 ¼ pounds each), trimmed of fat and silver skin, cut crosswise into 1 ½-inch pieces, and tied; thinner end pieces removed and tied together (see below)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil |
Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add pork cut side down and cook, without moving pieces, until well-browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn pork and brown on second side, 3 to 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium. Using tongs, stand each piece on its side and cook, turning pieces as necessary, until sides are well browned and internal temperature registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer pork to platter and tent lightly with foil; let rest while making pan sauce, then serve.
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Turning the End Piece Into a Medallion:
After cutting the tenderloins into symmetrical 1 1/2-inch medallions, you will inevitably have a few irregularly shaped pieces left over. The tapered end pieces of the tenderloin can be scored, folded, and tied into medallions (as shown here). Tie any remaining smaller pieces together into a medallion shape, making sure top and bottom surfaces are flat.
After cutting the tenderloins into symmetrical 1 1/2-inch medallions, you will inevitably have a few irregularly shaped pieces left over. The tapered end pieces of the tenderloin can be scored, folded, and tied into medallions (as shown here). Tie any remaining smaller pieces together into a medallion shape, making sure top and bottom surfaces are flat.