Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

I had never made tenderloin before this recipe, so I was unprepared for how amazing it was. After we took the first bite, my husband and I looked at each other with surprise and delight on our faces. After it melted in our mouth and we swallowed, his first words were, "This is amazing!" followed closely by, "How much did this cost?" Both very appropriate reactions and exactly what I was thinking. This tastes expensive. The meat is so tender it really does melt in your mouth. I felt like I was eating at a fancy restaurant. And I don't remember what it actually cost at the store, but it couldn't have been too crazy expensive or I wouldn't have bought it. So in the end, I would highly recommend this. Make it for a special occasion, like a Valentine's, Anniversary, or birthday dinner for a loved one. Or for Sunday dinner like we did. Just remember NOT to overcook it. You will RUIN this meat if you cook it until it's well done. It will be pink pink pink on the inside and it will be perfect. (We made this again at Christmas and regretfully overcooked it - not nearly as good.) Enjoy!

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

For the spice rub:
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total)
2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic
1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes, until an instant-read themometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.