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Marinated Pork Loin (or tenderloin) with pink peppercorns

Marinated Pork Loin (or tenderloin) with pink peppercorns

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This marinated pork loin with pink peppercorns is a delightful dish that combines the sweetness of orange, the tanginess of balsamic vinegar, and the subtle heat of pink peppercorns.

Update: February, 2024: A new recipe has been made, based on this one, using pork tenderloin. You will find the recipe at the end of the post.

Enjoy either recipe with your favorite sides for a memorable meal!

Marinating the pork loin image

What’s the difference of Pork Loin and Pork Tenderloin?

Pork loin is a cut of meat that comes from the back of a pig. It is a large, boneless piece of meat that runs along the back of the animal, extending from the shoulder to the leg. The pork loin is typically a lean and tender cut of meat, with a mild flavor that lends itself well to various cooking methods.

pork loin with the bone image

Pork loin can be further divided into two main cuts: the pork loin roast and the pork tenderloin.

  1. Pork Loin Roast: This is a larger cut of meat that includes both the back and rib bones. It is often sold as a bone-in roast, boneless roast, or center-cut roast. Pork loin roast is commonly used for slow roasting, grilling, or braising. It can be seasoned with herbs, spices, or marinades to enhance its flavor.
  2. Pork Tenderloin: This is a smaller and more tender cut of meat that comes from the muscle that runs along the backbone. It is boneless and cylindrical in shape. Pork tenderloin is known for its tenderness and is often used for quick cooking methods such as grilling, pan-searing, or roasting. It is also frequently marinated or seasoned before cooking to add flavor.

Both cuts of pork loin are versatile and can be used in a wide variety of dishes, from simple weeknight dinners to more elaborate meals for special occasions.

After seeing the announcement for the next the Royal Foodie Joust, hosted by Jenn, The Leftover Queen, I was puzzled what to prepare.

The Leftover queen, who holds this monthly competition where foodies all over the world, join in a “cook-off event” using three ingredients. The three ingredients have been chosen by the previous winner, Heather, of Gild the Voodoolily, who won last months joust and who chose pork, citrus and red or white peppercorns.

For vegetarians pork may be substituted by barley as the third ingredient.

When reading the announcement, I had no idea what to prepare with pork, pink or white peppercorns and citrus.  Frankly I did not know what pink peppercorns were.

How I came up with the recipe for Marinated Pork Loin with Pink Peppercorns

I began by searching the web to see what pink and white peppers were as I had never heard of them. I did have ground white pepper at home which I use in recipes where I do not want the black pepper to be noticed in the dish but to be frank it never occurred to me that it came from white peppercorns.

I then read about the pink peppercorns when I saw them in the small grinder, a relative of mine had sent me in a package which contained other spices as well such as cardamom pods, coriander seeds etc., among them was one with mixed peppercorns: black, green, pink and white.

The pink ones looked like red to me and it never occurred to me to learn more about them.

I searched the web but most of the recipes I found were pork chops with pink peppercorns and had already bought pork loin for Sunday diner. I decided to make this recipe based on a similar dish I had prepared a few weeks earlier for a T.V. show (hopefully I will find the time to blog about it soon) but would change some ingredients following my instincts. I had oranges at home and I would just pick as many of the pink ones from the bottle grinder.

The only mistake I made was that I marinated the meat without first cutting it into slices, but I did cut them soon after taking the pictures.

After the marinating time was over I strained the meat and I dredged it into flour with salt and sautéed it.

I removed it into a platter and when both batches were fried I scraped the pan to remove whatever had stuck on the pan and then poured the marinade it.

I put all the meat back into the frying pan and covered it with a lid and simmered it for 20 minutes.

Again I removed the meat and stirred the marinade. I added a tablespoon of flour from the one which remained from dredging and then I added some milk to make it creamy.

Whilst I was trying to take a few pictures of the dish I prepared, my husband and children were so eager to try it that they could not wait for me.

I hurried to catch up with them and forgot to take a picture of the platter and the sauce.

This is my first entry for this month’s Royal Food Joust. If you want to participate and vote just go here and vote during the first five days of the next month. However, there is still plenty of time for you as well, if you are not a member, to join up, get cooking and soon we will be voting for you as well!

Marinated Pork loin with pink peppercorns image

Marinated Pork Loin with Red Peppercorns

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours

This marinated pork loin with pink peppercorns is a delightful dish that combines the sweetness of orange, the tanginess of balsamic vinegar, and the subtle heat of pink peppercorns. Enjoy it with your favorite sides for a memorable meal!

The recipe has been updated, using pork tenderloin.

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo boneless pork loin

For the marinade:

  • 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp thyme honey
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup orange liqueur
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp crushed pink peppercorns
  • ¼ ground mixed peppers
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin

To Fry:

  • All-purpose flour for dredging
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup extra olive oil for frying

For the sauce:

  • All the marinade
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • ¼ cup of milk

For decoration:

  • 1 orange
  • 2 roasted red bell peppers
  • A few pink peppercorns

Instructions

  1. Combine garlic, balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, liqueur and salt to make the marinade.
  2. Cut the meat into thin slices 1cm thick and marinate for at least 2 - 3 hours in refrigerator.
  3. Place the bell peppers in a small baking tin, wet with a teaspoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place in a preheated oven at 180oC for half an hour.
  4. Remove and place in a plastic bag for 10 minutes and then remove skin and seeds and set aside to cool.
  5. Orange Sauce: Remove the pork from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Drain meat and then dredge pork slices into flour with salt and sauté on both sides.
  6. Remove to a platter and pour the marinade in the skillet.
  7. Stir constantly, scraping the pan.
  8. Place the meat back in skillet again and simmer for 20 minutes.
  9. Remove to a platter and add the milk.  Mix until the sauce thickens.
  10. Decorate platter with the red roasted peppers and slices or orange.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 757Total Fat 43gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 31gCholesterol 134mgSodium 1304mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 2gSugar 16gProtein 49g

"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

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Cris

Wednesday 5th of March 2008

This looks sooo good!

Ivy

Sunday 2nd of March 2008

This is a great compliment coming from a Chef. Thanks African Vanielje.

african vanielje

Sunday 2nd of March 2008

Well done for coming up with such a great recipe with unknown ingredients.

Ivy

Monday 25th of February 2008

Thanks a lot Heather, you gave us nice ingredients.

Heather

Monday 25th of February 2008

Great use of the ingredients, Ivy! Good luck in the joust. :)

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