Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin - made July 24, 2020 from Simply Happy Foodie

With all the concerns in the last few months about a meat shortage, there was a time when Costco was limiting purchases of beef, pork, chicken, etc to 3 per customer. That never bothered me since it takes me awhile to get through even one Costco-sized pack of anything so I never buy three things in the first place. Chances are the second and third items would get freezer burn before I could get to them.

When I bought this pork tenderloin, even though it was the smallest I could find at Costco, I still had to cut it in half to even fit into my freezer. I cooked the first half in some random cooking experiment that I didn't document and tasted well enough but wasn't anything memorable. I used the second half for this recipe.

Out came the Instant Pot, of course. Sear the pork first then add the rest of the ingredients. I didn't have a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature and I was a little queasy at the thought of only putting this on 0 or 1 minute to cook after the instant pot comes to pressure. Especially since my Instant Pot doesn't have a low or high pressure setting. It's just pressure. And pork is not something I want to eat undercooked.

So I set it for 4 minutes then let it rest to naturally release for 25 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, you can be more scientific but my adjustments worked well enough. The pork was tender but still had a good chewy texture. The sauce was tasty but I would recommend cutting back on the cornstarch slurry by 1/3 to 1/2 as it thickened just a little too much. Otherwise, this was a great recipe and easy to make.

1 pound pork tenderloin (not pork loin roast)

Dry Rub
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary

Sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup honey

For browning the pork
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter

To thicken
3 tablespoons cornstarch (try using half this amount if you don't want the sauce to be too thick)
4 tablespoons cold water (cut in half if you're cutting the cornstarch in half)

1. Prepare the pork: mix the dry rub ingredients together and coat the pork tenderloin on all sides. Set aside.
2. Make the sauce and slurry: In a bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until the honey is fully dissolved; set aside.
3. Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, stirring until the cornstarch is dissolved; set aside.
4. Brown the pork: turn the instant pot onto the saute mode. When hot, add the olive oil and butter. Add tenderloin and sear the pork on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
5. Add the sauce to the instant pot and stir, deglazing the brown bits from the bottom. Turn off the pot and place the pork inside. Coat with the sauce.
6. Close the lid and set the lid to the Sealing position. Set on High Pressure for 1 minute. If you don't have a high pressure setting, set on Manual for 4 minutes. When cook cycle has finished, let natural release for 15 minutes (20-25 minutes for larger tenderloin). Vent any remaining steam and remove lid.
7. Check temperature of pork. It should be 145 degrees to be done. If less than 145 degrees, replace lid and let rest for a few more minutes. Remove tenderloin to a baking pan and cover loosely with foil. 
8. Turn oven to Broil setting.
9. Turn the Instant Pot to Saute mode. When the sauce begins to simmer, add the cornstarch slurry, stirring until sauce thickens. Turn off instant pot.
10. Remove foil from tenderloin and spoon some of the sauce over it. Broil for several minutes until sauce is caramelized. Serve hot.