Adobo Pork Tenderloin and Glazed Carrots

I admit it. I’ve been slacking on the dinner meals.

It’s just so much easier to make a quick baked good or salad nowadays. Then I’ve felt like I’ve cooked, so I can slack for the rest of the week.

Well, that stops this week. I’m going back to at least one dinner a week.

Promise. (Or at least I will try my very, very best.)

So I saw these recipes several weeks ago, and they completely caught my eye. I’m usually not a pork person, but it looked so delectable at Sweet Caroline’s Cooking that I had to give it a try.

And bonus! It had built-in yummy side-dishes, too (though I only used one.)

The Recipes:

Adobo-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, adapted from Sweet Caroline’s recipe

2 T smoked paprika

1 T sweet paprika

1 T black pepper

1 T salt

1 T chili powder

2 T brown sugar

16 oz. pork tenderloin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Trim silver off tenderloin. In a small bowl, mix paprikas, black pepper, salt, chili powder and brown sugar.

Thoroughly rub both sides of pork tenderloin with dry rub. Preheat skillet or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat and pan-sear pieces until golden brown on both sides. Transfer tenderloin piece to rack on cookie sheet and place in oven. Cook until done, about 6 to 8 minutes for each inch of thickness–about 25-30 minutes total.

Glazed Carrots, from Sweet Caroline’s recipe

5-6 carrots, stems removed

3 T butter or margarine

Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash carrots to remove dirt. Cut off tips of the carrots. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and season with salt and pepper. Toss with tongs until evenly coated and sizzling, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

The Results:

Okay, I have to give my husband credit this week. He saved me from a couple near-catastrophes while I was making the pork.

First off, I had no clue what “silver” was. Or how to remove it.

(I don’t think I’ve mentioned this, but this meal was my first ever attempt to cook pork – hot dogs don’t count, right?)

Anyways, he gave a quick tutorial on what silver looks like and how to thread your knife under it to skim it off. (Knife facing away from your body – always a good tip!)  He might have tried to take over and just do it for me, but I held strong and did it myself.

And then I kinda forgot something that should be ingrained in me…oil in my skillet.  My pork immediately started smoking because the spices were burning.  I froze for a moment, but Hubs calmly suggested removing the pork, adding oil, and putting it back on the stove.  That helped me re-focus and start again.

The pork needed to be cooked a little longer than the suggested time, and Hubs recommended letting it “rest” for about 5 minutes before serving.

It was quite divine when finished – the crust was amazing and the inside was still moist and flavorful.

As for the carrots, they were simple and easy – and oh, so tasty!  How did I not know of this 3 ingredient decadence?

garden-fresh carrots

The meal was a hit, but I do wish I’d made the potatoes, too.

 Next time for sure.

definitely needs a little something else served with them