Pork tenderloin
Sus scrofa domesticus · Meat
Top 10 pairings
Pork tenderloin is the long, slim muscle (the psoas major) that runs along the inside of a pig's spine beneath the loin. Doing almost no weight-bearing work, it is the leanest and most tender cut on the carcass — fine-grained, mild and pale pink — and is sold whole, sliced into medallions, or cut crosswise for the French filet mignon de porc.
Picking a good onedrag
Freshly cut, greyish-pink, firmOff: tacky or slimy, smelling sour
Counter freshEveryday bestRoast, grill or braise. Mince needs 160°F (71°C). Don't rinse; that splashes bacteria.
ColourPink, a shade duller under lights
Touch the surfaceFirm and moist, nowhere tacky
SmellMild and clean, nothing sharp
These cues are Pork's, and hold across its cuts; where this one differs, its own page says so.