Porchetta Pork Tenderloin
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Porchetta Pork Tenderloin is an Italian savory and tender boneless pork with traditional spices of rosemary, fennel, thyme, and garlic. Wrapped in bacon and served over mashed potatoes, it makes such a special dinner — the leftovers also make excellent porchetta sandwiches too!
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This Porchetta Pork Tenderloin is… scrumptious. Truly… incredibly delicious and special enough for any holiday or gathering.
Origins of Porchetta
Porchetta originated in central Italy, near Rome, where it is considered a celebratory dish. Yet, it’s also a popular street food served in Rome stuffed inside Pizza Bianca. The dish is also prevalent in Sardinia.
In the early 20th century, Italian immigrants brought Porchetta to American shores and became popular as an Italian pulled pork. Often sold in markets during the holidays, it’s a special treat you won’t want to miss.
This Porchetta is made with tenderloin rather than the more traditional rolled pork belly to make it easy and accessible on any day of the week!
How I Developed This Recipe
Do you have a favorite meat market? I’m guessing you do. As do I. When I’m in Portland, Oregon visiting family, I find my way, almost daily, to Zupan’s Markets. The meat and produce departments rival the best of the best.
It was there I encountered the recipe below. Served in sample size plastic bowls they layered mashed potatoes and several slices of this Porchetta Pork Tenderloin. It smelled wonderful and I gladly accepted a sample as I made my way through the meat department.
Seconds later, I was back and asking all kinds of questions about the recipe. It was so delicious… it stopped me in my tracks.
The following recipe is theirs and I’m so excited to pass it along to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
They can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Yes, I’d reduce the amounts by about half. But do try making this at least once with fresh herbs as it really makes the dish!
More Pork Recipes You Might Like
- Easy Skillet Pork Chops with Red Cabbage
- Simple Roast Pork Tenderloin with Pear Sauce
- Easy Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Orange Ginger Sauce
- Easy Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast
- Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Brown Sugar
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Zupan’s Porchetta Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
PORK TENDERLOIN MARINADE
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- freshly ground black pepper
PORK TENDERLOIN
- 1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin
- 4 slices bacon uncooked
ITALIAN SALSA VERDE
- 2 teaspoons oregano minced
- 3 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons capers minced
- 1/2 orange juice and zest
- 1/2 lemon juice and zest
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, chili flakes, zest, salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl or into a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Marinade
- Rub the herb mixture over the tenderloin and refrigerate at least an hour before cooking and up to 24 hours before cooking.
Tenderloin
- Wrap the bacon slices around the tenderloin, tucking the ends underneath the pork so that the bacon stays in place. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the top.
Roasting
- Roast in a preheated oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F; about 35 to 40 minutes. When the pork tenderloin is done and the juices run clear, transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Italian Salsa Verde
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Notes
SERVING IDEAS:
Serve over smashed potatoes, polenta, roasted potatoes rice, or quinoa. Top with Italian salsa verde.PORK TENDERLOIN TEMPERATURE:
I like my pork tenderloin well done. But if you don’t mind seeing a little pink in the tenderloin, cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 to 145 degrees. (The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145 degrees). Begin checking the temperature at 20 minutes.Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I found this recipe a month ago to make for Christmas dinner. At the time it gave me the option of tripling the recipe so I could see how much of each ingredient I’ll need. Now that is gone and I’m freaking out lol. Any help is appreciated!
Hi Ashley, I’m sorry about that. I switched the “recipe card” section because I thought it was easier to read on mobile. I have switched it back! Hopefully that helps! Happy Holidays!
Are you using a pork LOIN or a TENDERLOIN? I’m worried about cooking tenderloin for 45 minutes – 1 hour. All tenderloin I’ve found is about 2-3″ in diameter and would seemingly overcook. Thanks for the clarification!
Hi Brenda! I am using a pork tenderloin in the recipe. Thank you so much for your question as it gave me an opportunity to clarify temperature in the post, which I updated this morning. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Many people prefer a temperature of 140 degrees. In both cases, you will see a link pink inside the tenderloin. I prefer mine a little more done, thus the longer cooking time. Here’s where I updated the cooking time. Begin checking the internal temperature at 20 minutes, that will give you an opportunity to decide how much longer the cooking time should be. Hope that helps!!