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Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin Recipe

The Food Lab

Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.

J. Kenji López-Alt

Sous vide your way to the juiciest pork tenderloin ever.

Published: Last Updated:
Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin Recipe

[Photographs: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Small enough to cook relatively quickly, but large and elegant enough to make a centerpiece roast, pork tenderloin is the kind of dish to pull out when you're feeling extra fancy on a weeknight. Sous vide is the most foolproof way to get it on the table with consistently great flavor and a buttery, ultra-tender texture.

Why It Works

  • Slow, precise cooking gives you perfectly even results.
  • Searing over high-heat gives the pork loin a nice crisp crust.

Read more: The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Extra-Juicy Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

  • Yield:Serves 2 to 3
  • Active time: 20 minutes
  • Total time:1 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours
  • Rated: 5

Ingredients

  • 1 whole pork tenderloin, about 1 pound (450g)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 to 8 sprigs fresh herbs, such as fresh thyme, oregano, or rosemary, divided (optional)
  • 2 garlic cloves, divided (optional)
  • 2 small shallots, sliced, divided (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) unsalted butter

Directions

  1. 1.

    Using a sous vide precision cooker, preheat a water bath to the desired finishing temperature according to the chart below.

  2. 2.

    Season pork generously with salt and pepper. Place in sous vide bags along with half of herbs, garlic, and shallots (if using) and distribute evenly. Seal bags and place in water bath for time recommended in chart above.

  3. 3.

    To Finish: Turn on your vents and open your windows. Remove pork from water bath and bag. Discard aromatics from bag; reserve liquid from bag if making optional pan sauce (see note). Carefully pat pork dry with paper towels. Add vegetable, canola, or rice bran oil to a heavy cast iron or stainless steel skillet, place it over the hottest burner you have, and preheat skillet until it starts to very lightly smoke. Lay pork in skillet, using your fingers or a set of tongs. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on most sides, about 2 minutes total.

  4. 4.

    When pork is mostly browned, add butter and reserved half of garlic, shallots, and herbs (if using) and cook, tilting pan and using a spoon to baste pork with the flavorful butter, until pork is well browned on all sides, about 30 seconds longer.

  5. 5.

    Transfer pork to a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and pour the drippings on top. Allow to rest for 1 to 2 minutes, then slice and serve.

Review: The Best Immersion Circulators
Review: Why Baking Sheets and Cooling Racks Belong in Every Kitchen
This Recipe Appears In
The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Extra-Juicy Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

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J. Kenji López-Alt Chief Culinary Advisor

J. Kenji López-Alt is a stay-at-home dad who moonlights as the Chief Culinary Consultant of Serious Eats and the Chef/Partner of Wursthall, a German-inspired California beer hall near his home in San Mateo. His first book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science (based on his Serious Eats column of the same name) is a New York Times best-seller, recipient of a James Beard Award, and was named Cookbook of the Year in 2015 by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Kenji's next project is a children’s book called Every Night is Pizza Night, to be released in 2020, followed by another big cookbook in 2021.

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