Pressure cooker Pork tenderloin, unbelievably tender and succulent, flavored with 12 ingredients giving this loin an incredible back drop of Asian meets comfort cooking goodness!

Pressure cooker! I have to be honest, I have never used a pressure cooker before. My daughter Alexa and her husband Rod gave me one such beast for a gift one year along with many other great gadgets, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. The pressure cooker has been gracing the hanging pot rack for quite a while. It was not until Nicoletta and I stumbled upon a cooking competition show on Gusto TV that I was inspired to use it and I have to say I love the technique and look forward to using it again. Today we are creating a most comforting delicious dish of Pressure cooker Pork Tenderloin.

Inspiration

So to explain our inspiration for this dish, I am going back to a show we discovered on Gusto TV. The show is called "My Kitchen Rules" (MKR). It is a cooking competition where groups of two home cooks, whether it be marriage partners, mother and son or daughter, friends, sisters, and brothers, etc, compete to win the title of MKR. They start by doing a pop up themed restaurant in their personal homes. Given a certain amount of time to gather and shop for ingredients, prepare, cook, and serve three courses to their competitors and guest judges, an entree, main, and dessert. After the meal, the host home cooks are judged on creativity, appearance, and taste. The competition has stages from pop up restaurant, to battles in the MKR arena, and finally a battle between the two best groups, for the title of MY Kitchen Rules Champion with a nice grand prize and acclaim. Nicoletta and I were hooked, recording the show when we were away. Booking that time slot so we could not miss a show. It became a part of our regular evening routine from Monday to Friday. Excessive, maybe, but we really enjoyed it and we could relate to these people, the frustrations, triumphs, emotions. I think it was the realism of the shows, the invitation into each competitor's homes and how we could really get to know them and their cooking techniques. Also, Pete and Manu along with other judges really added a great element to the show. Their sincerity and gestures were spot on.

Pressure cooker

To make a long story short, a lot of the home cooks used pressure cookers to prepare their proteins. The final products looked so juicy and flavorful that I was inspired to dust off the pressure cooker and give it a whirl. A bit hesitant I was as a bit of fear in the backdrop thinking I hope the pressure cooker doesn't explode, not knowing how it works and all. I took it off the pot wrack and was pleased to see it had a pressure relief valve that would let the pressure building in the cooker escape. So, no boom!

On occasion, I take my parents to a place called Costco. A warehouse retailer where people can shop bulk as members of the establishment. It is huge and never a day without crowds of people. Well on this particular excursion my parents purchased a huge pork tenderloin probably around 5-6 kilos. My dad usually cuts it up into sizable portions ready to use when pork loin is on the menu. Well, we were the proud receivers of one portion of the tenderloin. You have to love shopping at Mom and Pop's store, the prices are great (free) and the quality is good, lol. Already in my mind creativity was flowing and the picture of that pressure cooker kept creeping in and so there you have it the story of how Pressure Cooker Pork Tenderloin came to be.

From marinade to grill

I guess you can call me a spice addict. Our spice rack is full of international spices ranging from Italian to Indian, Asian to Canadian comfort. The spices I used for this wonderful tenderloin were basil, oregano, parsley, coriander, paprika, thyme, bay leaves, all mingling with some hoisin sauce, red wine, apple cider vinegar, and vegetable stock. The steps, pretty easy. Mix up the marinade and pour over pork loin, cover and set into the fridge overnight. Place tenderloin in a hot saute pan searing all sides, then in a pressure cooker with marinade, and a mirepoix (chopped carrots, celery, and onions). Pressure cook for a bit, then out of the cooker and onto a nice hot grill to seal and caramelize the surface of the pork tenderloin. It is very important to let the tenderloin rest for a bit prior to cutting and serving. This allows all the juices to go back into the meat making it so succulent and moist. The sauce left in the pressure cooker is put into a pan and reduced to a nice thick rich jus poured over the beautiful slices of the pork tenderloin at serving time. We served the loin with Nicoletta's specialty, oven-roasted veggies: onions, peppers, potatoes, and zucchini, and also some first blanched then sauteed long green beans from my parents garden. They have such a wonderful garden, there is nothing like eating things that you have contributed time to growing and also knowing where they came from.

The pork tenderloin was cooked perfectly. Just that little bit of pink in the center, and the meat so tender juicy and succulent. Each mouthful melting on your tongue, taste buds alive and awake to the richness of the jus in its Asian meets comfort sort of way. The coriander, basil, thyme, paprika, bay leaves, all reduced nicely in that red wine, hoisin, apple cider vinegar, etc, dancing on your palate in delight. This dish is great for a meal served family-style. So get that pressure cooker out of the closet or cupboard, and try this wonderful recipe Pressure Cooker Pork Tenderloin.

I have this vision of a beautiful rambling bungalow with a post and beam weathered cover deck in the front. There is a steel triangle hanging from one of the supports a bit rusty with a mallet hanging from it. Triangle is ringing and a voice shouts out. Come and get it! Family is coming out of every barn, crevice, field rushing to the table to share a beautifully prepared meal.

Enjoy!