Hello, I have a beautiful boneless pork tenderloin which I cut in half for two meals before I found out my son is coming over for Easter dinner, yay! So now I want to cook it all.
The two halves together are 4.40 pounds.
I have to work between twelve thirty and four thirty in the afternoon, and my son is going to show up around five.
So, since I want to put the roast in before I go to work, and have it pretty much done when I get home, what temperature should I roast it at, and when should it go in?
It should go in while you are at work. 4 hours is much too long to roast that. With the halves seperated it may not take more than an hour to cook. Stick them back together and you’re at around 2 hours tops. 4.4 pounds sounds more like a small loin or portion of one, not a tenderloin, but it could be a very large tenderloin. What are the approximate dimensions of this piece of meat?
I agree with **TriPolar **- if it’s really a tenderloin - and 4.4# for 2 does sound very large for tenderloin - 4 hours is WAY too long. I brown and cook normal-sized (1.25-1.5#) pork tenderloins in less than 30 minutes.
I suspect from the description that it’s really a pork loin roast. And even so, it probably won’t take more than a couple hours at most to cook. I’ve made this recipe before, and can highly recommend it.
With either cut, the trick is not to overcook them. They’re lean and mildly-flavored, and overcooking will result in tough, bland meat.
If I were you, I’d prepare everything before you go to work, and pop it in the oven when you come home. In the meantime, play a game, color some easter eggs, have some appetizers. Trying to do this while you’re at work is going to ruin your roast.
It’s about 24" x 8". Must be a loin roast, not a tenderloin.
So, there’s no way I can cook it long and slow at, say, 200 or 175 degrees? We do all like our roast well done.
Athena: That recipe sounds delicious. But the instructions, while I could handle them with my eyes closed, may be a bit much to erxpect from my potential-helper-who-might-be-home. I believe I will use the spices, though.
So: If I can get somebody to put it in the oven for me (my son can’t stay long, alas!)
it would be, like, 325 degrees, at 3pm?
If you get it all ready the night before (like, put the rub on and all that) and put it straight from the fridge into a 325 degree oven at 3pm, and take it out when you get home, I think that would probably be OK. It’ll be a bit dry, but given your restrictions, I think that’s the best you can hope for. It’ll be done all the way through, though, and will probably still be tasty.
Do you have a meat thermometer? Might be worth checking it when you get home - it should be 135-145 degrees or higher when you take it out.
Just because it’s called a pork “roast” does not mean you have to roast it. Of course, a pork roast when roasted can be delicious. However, getting the most out of it as far as flavor can be difficult to do when roasting. You also run the risk of drying it out. Here’s what I do with them…place in a crock pot with 2 cans of cream of mushroom, a bit of water to thin it to gravy consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook for 12 hours. It will fall apart. Also make some mashed potatoes and use the gravy from your roast to put on them. Trust me, you will be much more satisfied with the outcome than if you were to roast it in the oven. Plus you don’t have to worry about it at all. Its easy and yummy which is an excellent combo for a working person.