Pork the right way

I just have to weigh in on one subject tonight and if I do my job you will never have dry pork again. I was making my standard issue pork tenderloin for Mark and I am always careful to make sure the pork is medium. That is right. Medium. Not gray. Not tasteless. Not tough. Medium.

This is exactly the way pork tenderloin is supposed to look. Rosy. I remember serving this to Bunny, my mother-in-law, once and she looked at it skeptically and just ate a few bites. But I will not back down from this.

In the olden days, of course, everyone was afraid of trichinosis. Those are worms. Obviously nasty. Unless you want to lose a lot of weight and then you  might consider them. Just kidding. Back in the day, hog farmers fed pigs just about anything that was around, hence the term “slop.” When I was a child, a properly cooked pork chop was one that you could throw against the wall and it would actually make a dent. No wonder nobody liked them. Poor piggies. Off to slaughter for nothing but disgusting remarks from children all across America.

But now pigs are fed controlled diets and it is absolutely fine to eat pork the way God intended it. I know He’s up there with an apron on right now, digging into some medium pork tenderloin.

So how do you do it? First off, you trim the tenderloin of the silver skin. Then you apply your favorite rub. I have many, but my absolute go-to for this is Steven Raichlen’s Java Rub. As usual, I discovered it during a cheap moment when I was buying fifty percent off at a grilling store. It is sensational. You need to get some. Give that pork a good rubdown and then heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil’s hot, add the tenderloin and start browning it on all sides. Once it’s browned, you start testing for doneness.

Poke it with your finger. It’s O.K. Poke it! Is it really soft? Not done. Give it a few more minutes. Poke it again. When the meat just “gives” slightly, it’s done. Take it out of the skillet. Put it on a cutting board. Cover it with foil and let it rest ten minutes.

Chow down. Enough said.