Chipotle Pomegranate Glazed Roasted Pork Tenderloin; pork tenderloin is glazed in the most deliciously smoky-sweet chipotle pomegranate glaze.
I have since made this recipe two different ways.
Once I marinated the tenderloin for just under an hour in some of the glaze and brushed the reserved glaze on before roasting. The second time I omitted the marinating step, yet I still brushed some on before and during the roasting process, but this time I saved the remaining glaze to top the tenderloin medallions after they were plated. Guess which method I chose? Yup, the second one. Both methods yielded delicious results, but the second was a whole lot easier and looked so much prettier on the plate!
Needless to say I’ve had lots of time to find uses for my pomegranate juice. And today I am thrilled to share with you this deliciously smoky-sweet pork tenderloin recipe aka heaven on a plate.
To Make This Chipotle Pomegranate Glazed Roasted Pork Tenderloin You Will Need:
- garlic cloves
- chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- reserved adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers)
- tomato paste
- unsulphured molasses
- dark brown sugar
- dried mustard
- pomegranate juice
- juice of half a lemon
- pork tenderloins
- bacon fat or olive oil for searing pork
The makings of this glaze are pretty standard pantry ingredients. I’m mean who doesn’t always have a can of chipotles on standby?
Smash, peel and mince 2 garlic cloves, you know the drill.
Open the can of chipotle peppers and remove three good size peppers. I think three is the magic number here. I tried it with two and the smokiness was lost. So definitely three, more if you want it hotter. But three gives the glaze just the right amount of heat to warm your mouth, but safe enough that my six year old handled it just fine.
Give it a good rough chop.
Then add them right back in the bowl with one to two teaspoons of the adobo sauce.
In a 2 quart sauce pan, heat up some olive oil over moderate heat. You want about 2 teaspoons, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer.
Add in the minced garlic and cook just until it’s soft.
Watch carefully, they shouldn’t be golden or brown and definitely not black… just soft.
Next add in the 3 minced chipotles and the 2 teaspoons adobo sauce along with the 2 tablespoons tomato paste.
Also add in 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard.
Lastly add the 2 tablespoons molasses and 1 cup of pomegranate juice.
Give it a good stir.
Heat the glaze over medium heat until it starts to simmer.
Reduce by a third to a half or until slightly thick about 15 minutes.
Remove and kill the heat. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon… just watch out for the seeds.
Set it off to the side and get working on the pork.
Pork tenderloin marinates well and is pretty easy to cook and in a relatively short period of time. If you are going to marinate; the thing to know is to be careful not to do it for too long a period of time. Especially if you are marinating in citrus or acidic marinades. Why? Well I guess it can get mealy and mushy or something. But just keep it under an hour and you’ll be good.
Then pat it dry with some paper towel.
Next, heat up a heaping tablespoon of some of that bacon fat you keep in your fridge. If you aren’t a bacon fat hoarder like myself then just use some olive oil, but there is something about the way this pork smells when it hits the hot bacon fat… maybe it’s just me… the bacon fat hoarder.
In a large skillet heat the bacon fat or olive oil over medium/ medium-high heat.
Then sear each side of both tenderloins adjusting the heat accordingly so you don’t burn the meat.
Next after you have seared the pork tenderloins on all sides; place them on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Foil just helps with easy clean up… and the fewer dishes I have to wash the better. Amen.
Then slather the pork tenderloins with some of that chipotle-pomegranate goodness, roast in a preheated 425 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Next, remove and repeat with some more of the glaze, and place it back in the oven for 5-10 more minutes or until an instant thermometer reads 145-155 degrees.
The National Pork Board suggests cooking to a final internal temperature of 160 degrees.
I like mine at 145 degrees, I then let it rest for 5 minutes because the temperature will rise several degrees during the resting stage. But hey… do what you want.
Finally, slice and top with some of the remaining glaze then serve! I promise this pork will not only please the ladies but the gentlemen as well.
It’s sweet, smoky and the pork is deliciously moist.
Enjoy! And if you give this Chipotle Pomegranate Glazed Roasted Pork Tenderloin recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Chipotle-Pomegranate Glazed Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and minced
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, from chipotle peppers
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1¼ pound pork tenderloins
- bacon fat, or olive oil for searing pork
Instructions
- Heat oil and garlic in a skillet on medium heat until the garlic is softened.
- Add chopped chipotle peppers and adobo, tomato paste, dark brown sugar, dried mustard, molasses and pomegranate juice into the pot with the garlic. Mix together to combine all ingredients.
- Simmer and let reduce for 10-15 minutes, or until it reduces to your liking. [I let mine get pretty thick, because I like a thicker sauce, but you can leave it a little runnier, especially if you would like to use as a marinade]. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
- Heat some bacon fat in a large skillet over medium/ medium-high heat and sear each side of both tenderloins. Remove and place on a foil lined baking sheet, brush with some of the glaze and roast in a preheated 425° oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove, brush again with more glaze and roast for 5-10 minutes more, or until an instant thermometer reads 145-155 degrees. Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. Top the tenderloin medallions with remaining glaze and serve.
- Refrigerate any unused sauce for up to 3 weeks.
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Looks wonderful! I love anything with POM! 🙂
Wow, this looks awesome! Pork tenderloin can be so bland, but it works SO well with chipotle. Love the smoky-sweet flavor combo!!
Thank goodness I do always have chipotle peppers for when my guy gets a hankering for that Chipotle Spiced Beef Macaroni and Cheese on my blog. Maybe this could be added to his chipotle pepper rotation. Sounds so yummy!
Hi Laurie! It's been a while since my last visit and I am glad that today was the day … I have a little pork loin in my fridge and everything but the Pom juice … easily rectified. This looks soo delish! I can't wait for dinnertime!
oh wow! that looks so good Laurie – yumm 🙂 And are those new pots and pans I see? love it!!
That looks like an AMAZING dinner! I am really excited about that glaze, I need to try that
I love when recipes call for chipotle and brown sugar. Heck, the whole meal looks amazing!
This looks AMAZING. Oh my gosh I'm hungry!
Beautiful photos of a fabulous pork recipe…thanks!!!!
this looks delish! i haven't prepared much pork tenderloin in the past…but i will definitely be trying this one out! yumm.
This looks sublime! I freeze my leftover chipotles and am looking for a way to use up the last few. Thanks for sharing! : )
Fantastic recipe, going to bookmark it. You've made my mouth water so much. Congrats on the top 9 today!
OH MY GOSH! I just looked through your last 50 posts. Everything you do looks exquisite. Your combination of ingredients is perfect, and your presentation is really thoughtful.
Holy yum! I bet I could use that half used bottle of pomegranate syrup in my pantry for something like this! Thanks for the idea!
Looks amazing! this recipe is officially printed and will be made for dinner this week for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds delicious! Great photos too 🙂
This sounds so delicious! I love all of the flavors here:) When you get a chance, stop by and pick up a couple of awards at my blog:)
I have been dying to try some pom in my cooking. This looks wonderful and I am a fan of a great pork tenderloin.
I just posted my pork tenderloin recipe. I went for a wild blueberry red wine sauce.
I love chipotle, never tried using pomegranate, a good option to try out.
HAVE to try this recipe!
My Father-in-Law was notorious for cooking pork tenderloins. The only downfall to this was he would make a gravy with it all the time! After he passed away, I wished I had asked him how he cooked his tenderloins, since I had never cooked one before. The day I saw this post I was soooo excited. Let me tell you; this was the BEST tenderloin I have ever had. It was moist, juicy and the flavors
This one is a big hit in our house – although I admit I went 4 chipotles this time and got a little resistance from our 10 year old. It's my favorite way to make a pork loin, and the pictures help me a lot since I am a novice cook. Thanks friend!
I made this glaze tonight for dinner but made salmon instead of pork. Oh, my gosh– it might have been one of the greatest things I've ever tasted! Thank you so much for sharing!
I have made this for pork tenderloin and for chicken. Amazing on both!!! Thanks for the recipe.
So my friend Laurie, a yummy afterburner for this fab meal is using the leftover chipotle sauce as the base for flatbread pizzas. I used Trader Joe’s whole wheat pitas, grilled some onions with leftover red wine (scandelous, I had leftover wine) and some shredded grilled chicken breast (more leftovers). Add some cheese and baked until melted. Eat. Sing your praises.
Trying this recipe right now!!! Looks so yummy. The boy and I love sweet and spicy sauces. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I made this last night and it was really easy! The flavor was tasty and they came out perfectly cooked.
Oh good Kelli! I’m so glad 🙂 <3
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As a lifelong cook myself, I have to admit that I am thoroughly envious of you for having developed this fabulous recipe! I made this today for lunch and it really was perfectly delicious! I only used honey instead of molassess, which I did not have. Definitely will make this lots more. Thank you!
Thank YOU, Camila! Your kind words mean so much!