Rosemary Garlic Pork Tenderloin

This is a great quick weeknight meal, but also my go-to meal if I have guests. Everyone loves it, but it is fast and easy.

This makes 4 servings, but is very easy to double because the sale pork tenderloins are usually two to a package. Wait for a sale. I expect to pay less than $3 per pound.

1 Pork Tenderloin (about 500 g or 1 lb)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 475F.

Heat a large, ovenproof frying pan over high heat. I use my large cast iron skillet. Add salt and pepper to the pork and place in the frying pan to brown. As each side browns, turn over. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes.

While the pork is browning, chop, press or grate the garlic. Roughly chop the rosemary, to get rid of any large pieces. Combine the garlic, rosemary and olive oil.

When the meat is brown, spread the oil mixture over all sides of the pork. Place the meat in the hot oven and cook about 10 more minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F. The meat should have just a hint of pink. The meat should rest before cutting.

Health Canada and the USDA both say that pork should be cooked to 160F to be safe. I am generally big on food safety, but you want to be really careful not to over cook the pork. It doesn't have a lot of fat and if you overcook it it will be dry. To follow the safety guidelines I would consider taking the meat out of the oven at 150F and tenting it with tinfoil for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting the meat. That should be enough to bring it up to the required 160F. The consensus seems to be that meat will go up from 5 to 10 degrees while it rests.