Oh, now that autumn is here…
Smoked and Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Cornbread-stuffed pork loin was my father’s favorite meal. The last time I made it for him was on his 80th birthday, just a few months before he passed away. Since then, it’s been difficult to make it again, but discovering pork tenderloin and using our smoker has made it feel different enough that I can enjoy cooking it again.
Stuffed and Smoked Pork Tenderloin
My favorite holiday dish updated!
Ingredients
- 1 tbs butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 3 cups cornbread stuffing mix
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 /2 cup apples, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup dried apricots or dried cranberries
- 1 tsp sage
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin or pork loin Note differences in preparation. Pork tenderloin is more difficult to stuff.
- spice rub See note below
Instructions
- Prepare the stuffing mixMelt butter and sautee the onions until translucent. Add the apples and cook to soften them. Add the cider, the dried fruit, and sage and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer. In a separate bowl, measure out the stuffing mix. When the cider mixture is cool, enough, stir in the stuffing mix and set aside.
- Ok, here is where things can get tricky!A pork loin is easy to butterfly and stuff – you can put most of the stuffing into the pork loin. A pork TENDERloin is a much smaller tenderlion and is more difficult to butterfly. If you decide to do this, know that you will only use a small amount of stuff and most of the stuffing will be served as a side dish. There will also be differences in smoking times. Regardless, both pieces of meat need to reach an internal temperature of 145℉.
- Prepare your smoker and set to smoker to 225℉. Smoke for approximately 90 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 145℉. At about 130℉, you can glaze with the preserves or glazes of your choosing. I like to glaze if I don't do a rub and I like mixing apricot preserves wtih a bit of barbecue sauce.
Notes
Spice Rub
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 can cranberry jelly (without whole cranberries)
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup port wine
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!