On a busy weeknight, one of my favorite things to cook is a cherry-glazed pork tenderloin. They are easy to season, go great with all kinds of sides, and cook quickly. This recipe for cherry-glazed pork tenderloin makes you feel like you are in a 5-star restaurant without the long wait or hefty price tag!
Pork tenderloin is versatile, quick to prepare, and impresses at the dinner table. With minimal effort and some delicious seasoning, this dish will shine in any meal plan.
How to Make Cherry-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
For this cherry-glazed pork tenderloin recipe, you will need a total of 3 pounds of pork loin. In a small dish, mix together 1 1/4 teaspoons of Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix that together and then rub it into all sides of the meat.
Step 1: Browning the Pork
In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium to high heat and grill the pork for about 8 minutes. Turn it so all sides are browned.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
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Step 2: Roasting the Pork
Once the pork has browned, place each loin into a bread loaf pan or glass dish. I use a bread tin because I like to catch the juices to use later on during basting.
Roast the pork tenderloins at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 135 degrees.
Crafting the Cherry Glaze
While the pork is in the oven, you will want to start working on the AMAZING cherry glaze!
Step 3: Reducing the Wine
Start with a small saucepan and your favorite red wine! I would suggest using Port, Merlot, or Malbec. I used Menage a Trois Merlot; it is my favorite red wine to cook with. As I always say, never cook with wine you wouldn’t drink!
If you don’t like to cook with alcohol, you can substitute chicken stock instead.
Pour 3/4 cup of the wine into the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Cook this for about 10 minutes so the alcohol burns off and the liquid reduces to about 2 tablespoons.
Step 4: Making the Glaze
Once the wine has reduced, stir in 1/2 cup of cherry preserves (you can find these in the jam section at the grocery store) and let it heat through for about 45 seconds. Then remove it from the heat immediately and stir in 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme.
Be careful not to heat the preserves longer than 45 seconds on the stove. The jelly will liquefy, and your glaze won’t stick to the pork.
Step 5: Glazing the Pork
Remove the pork loin from the oven at the halfway point and generously brush on some of the cherry glaze. Pop the cherry-glazed pork tenderloin back in the oven for the remaining 10 minutes.
Once the cherry-glazed pork tenderloin is finished cooking, brush on the remaining glaze and then let the meat sit for 10 minutes before cutting.
Don’t skip this step! Letting the meat rest retains moisture inside the meat. If you cut it too early, all the juices will run out, resulting in a dry pork tenderloin.
Serving Suggestions
Remember how I told you I like to cook the cherry-glazed pork tenderloin in the bread pan? You’ll see in the picture how I kept some of the cherry glaze for dipping with the meal.
I served this cherry glazed pork tenderloin with easy roasted red potatoes and steamed broccoli. The potatoes can cook at the same temperature as the pork, so I often use them as an easy side.
I had dinner on the table in just over 30 minutes! Mom victory!
Does this look like a dinner you might like to try? If so, save this recipe for later. If you do try it, drop me a line in the comments and let me know what you thought of it! Happy cooking, y’all!
Cherry-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder and rub it into all sides of the pork. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the pork on all sides, about 8 minutes.
- Place each tenderloin in a loaf pan or glass dish (a loaf pan catches the juices for basting). Roast at 425°F for about 20 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 135°F.
- Meanwhile, bring the wine to a boil in a small saucepan and cook about 10 minutes until it reduces to about 2 tablespoons.
- Stir in the cherry preserves and heat for just 45 seconds, then remove from the heat and stir in the thyme. Do not heat longer or the glaze will liquefy and will not stick.
- At the halfway point of roasting, brush the pork generously with glaze and return it to the oven for the remaining 10 minutes.
- Brush on the remaining glaze and let the pork rest 10 minutes before slicing so it stays juicy.
