By Ali Slagle
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes, plus 10 minutes resting
- Rating
- 4(319)
- Notes
- Read community notes
For juicy pork tenderloin with a sweet, smoky and spicy glaze, coat it with honey and harissa before searing and roasting it. The two-ingredient coating caramelizes and chars in spots, developing a sticky glaze that’s much more complex than the work that went into it. Because pork tenderloin is such a lean meat, it’s easy to overcook, despite good instructions and intentions. If you find the sliced pork is not as juicy as you’d like, stir together a little more harissa and honey and spoon it on top. Eat the pork with yogurt sauce or a juicy citrus or tomato salad.
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Ingredients
Yield:2 to 3 servings
- ¼cup harissa paste or 1 teaspoon harissa spice powder
- 2tablespoons honey
- 1pork tenderloin (1 to 1¼ pounds), silver skin removed, meat halved crosswise and patted dry
- Salt and pepper
- 2teaspoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)
222 calories; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 352 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the harissa and honey. On a plate, season the pork all over with salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt). Rub a thin layer of the harissa-honey mixture all over the pork and reserve the rest.
Step
2
Heat the oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add the pork and cook until very browned on two sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Decrease the heat if the pork is burning; hold onto the plate.
Step
3
Turn off the heat and return the pork to the plate. Rub the pork all over with the remaining harissa-honey mixture. Remove any burnt bits from the skillet, then return the pork to the skillet and roast until a thermometer in the thickest part registers between 140 and 145 degrees, 8 to 12 minutes. (The thinner, tapered piece of meat may be ready first, so check both pieces and remove them as they’re done.)
Step
4
Transfer to a cutting board to rest at least 10 minutes (the meat’s internal temperature will continue to climb), then slice and serve with the juices poured over.
Ratings
4
out of 5
319
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Allanah
Great method, the pork was very tender and moist! We substituted garlic instead of harissa so it was more kid-friendly, and it was very delish. Can't wait to try it with harissa as well!My only note--it wasn't completely clear to me which way to cook it in step 2 vs step 3. But I went with browning it on the stove for 2-4 mins each side, re-seasoning, and then putting it in the oven to roast for 8-12 mins. I think that's what's intended in the recipe, and it worked perfectly!
esther
Turn the oven up to 425 and skip the stove top browning.
Janet
Very good. I was lazy and didn’t sear, slathered on harissa and put straight into oven, cooked to 138. Covered on cutting board with foil for 10-15 mins. Tender and juicy with a nice flavor.
Lauren
I don't usually like pork, but this was perfect. So juicy and flavorful. I followed the recipe exactly, except used maple syrup instead of honey, because that's all I had. I served it with basmati rice and a sauce of yogurt, sumac, lime and mint. It was an amazing weeknight dinner. Will definitely make again.
bonnie
I followed Esther’s method and it was delicious. Slathered hoisin sauce on pork tenderloins then roasted them at 425 about 20 minutes. Took them out of the oven and rested another 10 minutes. That’s all! Simple, tender and juicy. Thanks for the idea.
Bellaverdi
The harrisa/honey sauce motivated me to jump into this recipe, reading other’s notes, I changed the cooking procedure a bit,. The browned meat was transferred to a sheet pan, given it’s final cost of sauce, then sent to oven to finish cooking.I used the original pan, with the browning bits, to quickly sauté some cut up bell peppers. Yummy!!A definite repeat.
ldkno
This was great! I had my doubts about using harissa since I wasn't sure of our guests' tastes, but it was perfect. I would not hesitate to add a bit of mashed or finely chopped garlic in addition, next time, and like other commenters, felt that this recipe lends itself to adaptation (maple syrup instead of honey, mayonnaise--which makes a great coating for roasting food--and so on). Some of us drank red wine (dornfelder), some drank riesling, as an accompaniment, and everyone was happy.
Anne Mahoney Kruse
This recipe is so delicious and so simple I wouldn't change a thing. That being said, it is also a springboard for so many creative opportunities. If, for some reason, you have any left over it works great in Mexican food. I have an old Gourmet recipe for a Cherry Salsa that I really want to try with it as an entree. So, make this recipe, enjoy it then run with it and have fun.
John Golden
Confused about how to cut the pork. Is it cut down the length of the pork ?
WendyK
For the harissa, I have a dry seasoning that I like a lot (Frontier brand). On the bottle it indicates to make a paste combine 1Tbsp. seasoning with 1 Tbsp. water and 1 Tbsp olive oil. I double it for this recipe. Another excellent brand, comes in a tube "Le Phare du Cap Bon Harissa" (Amazon?).Many grocery stores, Whole Foods included carry harissa paste in a jar too.
John
There must be more than one type of harissa. They type that I am used to getting in a tube, in France, would blow your head off if you used this much.
John Golden
Now I understand what it means to cut in half crosswise. The tenderloin is thinner at one end and you actually have two pieces of the roast. Why not have said that in the beginning like “cut the thinner end if the roast… “
Molly Ward
How would this do on the grill? Would the honey burn too quickly?
Lisa
Great weeknight main. Perfect as is and so fast.
soraya
too sweet for me
Ted
I too was lazy and did not sear the pork. It still was juicy, tender, and bursting with flavor. It's amazing how much flavor comes from just the harissa and honey. Delish.
cmgc
yum! the sweet-salty-hot combination is scrumptious
Kim
This totally doesn't work at 6000 feet elevation. It also doesn't work with harissa powder and a really sticky honey. How in the world does it spread? My cooking time took 17 minutes to get to 140 degrees.
cmgc
liquify the honey and spice powder in your microwave first - about 20 seconds. Pour over the pork, twirl the pork in the hot honey sauce.
Noah
Honestly pretty bland using New York shun Harissa (their spicy version) might be better to use powder.
meinunich
My harissa doesn’t have coriander nor garlic. So I added a teaspoon of coriander powder and grated garlic. Delicious especially with the garlic sauce recommended.
naeemwnm
Our journey through the best honey in Pakistan diverse honey varieties continues to unveil extraordinary flavors and benefits, from the menthol-infused freshness of Eucalyptus Honey to the luxurious touch of Saffron-Infused Honey. Each honey type is a testament to Pakistan's natural richness and cultural diversity, offering something special for every palate.
Jill
quick, easy, delicious. definite keeper! Made the tomato salad and the yogurt sauce; a little naan. Used harissa powder. Cut the recipe to serve two- worked perfectly.
ldkno
This was great! I had my doubts about using harissa since I wasn't sure of our guests' tastes, but it was perfect. I would not hesitate to add a bit of mashed or finely chopped garlic in addition, next time, and like other commenters, felt that this recipe lends itself to adaptation (maple syrup instead of honey, mayonnaise--which makes a great coating for roasting food--and so on). Some of us drank red wine (dornfelder), some drank riesling, as an accompaniment, and everyone was happy.
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