This Pan-Roasted Pork with Rhubarb Sauce Is the 30-Minute Meal I’m Making All Spring

Right on cue in late March and early April, spring whets my appetite for the bright, tart flavor of rhubarb. When its acid-green and ruby red stalks start popping up in markets, I grab all I can find, and churn out rhubarb pies and compotes to satisfy my sweet tooth. But rhubarb’s tart flavor is also right at home in savory meals.

In this quick supper recipe developed by our Birmingham-based test kitchen colleague Elizabeth Mervosh , we celebrate rhubarb’s savory side by simmering it with sweet orange marmalade and an array of aromatics to create a jammy sauce, and pair it with pork tenderloin for a satisfying seasonal meal. Elizabeth's pan-roasted pork with rhubarb sauce is savory, sweet, bright, and perfect for a spring supper. Plus, it takes only 30 minutes to cook, making it a great weeknight dinner option.

The Pan Sauce

The first step to ensure a rich, flavorful pan sauce for the pork is to add gelatin to the stock or broth before using it. This technique has been used in many Serious Eats pan sauce recipes, such as culinary director emeritus Kenji’s pan-roasted chicken and pan sauce recipe. Whether you’re using homemade chicken stockor store-bought chicken broth, adding a few teaspoons of powdered gelatin to the liquid gives the mixture a boost in richness to ensure a really nice, glossy sauce that will cling to every bite of the pork.

Cooking the Pork

Next up: the pork. We here at Serious Eats love to reverse sear larger roasts like beef tenderloin (where you start by gently heating up a large cut of meat in a low-temperature oven until it's evenly cooked, then finish by searing it over high heat to give it a browned crust); but for a lean, thin tenderloin, the technique is a nonstarter. As Kenji learned when developing his pork tenderloin recipe, reverse-seared pork tenderloin inevitably dries out because the cut is lean and relatively small.

Instead, searing this lean pork roast at the beginning, then cooking it through in the pan, is the way to go. To further promote browning on the exterior of the meat, the seasoned pork tenderloin is dredged in cornstarch before going into the skillet. The cornstarch also adds a great rough surface on the pork for the glaze-like sauce to cling to. Think of the cornstarch as the layer of primer you apply to a wall before you paint it.

Once the pork is browned all over and set aside, attention is turned to the sauce. It starts with sautéing some minced shallot and garlic in the residual pork fat. Next you'll whisk in the chicken stock and gelatin mixture, along with some whole-grain mustard and orange marmalade. The marmalade brings sweetness and balances the tart rhubarb. But if you’re not a fan of marmalade, you can substitute your preferred fruit preserves, such as strawberry, cherry, or fig. 

At this point you could finish the dish by cooking the pork through in the oven and reducing the sauce separately in the skillet, but since we wanted this pork to be glazed with the sauce, there's no need to cook the meat in a way that preserves a crisp exterior crust. Instead of using the oven, Elizabeth found it much easier to simply nestle the pork into the sauce and finish cooking it all together. The pork cooks all the way through while the sauce thickens and you also avoid extra dirty pans and turning on the oven. Just make sure to turn the pork every few minutes to ensure even cooking.

Bringing It All Together

While the pork rests, rhubarb and butter are added to the sauce and simmered until the rhubarb is tender and the sauce becomes silky and jammy. When you add the pork back to the pan, you'll see why that cornstarch was such a good idea. It really helps the thick, flavor-packed sauce cling to the meat. Serve the pork alongside spring vegetables such as peas or asparagus for a delicious seasonal meal.

In a small bowl, combine chicken stock or broth with wine and sprinkle gelatin evenly over surface; set aside. Cut tenderloin in half crosswise and season on all sides with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place cornstarch in a fine-mesh strainer, and dust cornstarch over tenderloin halves, lightly coating all sides.

In a 10-inch stainless steel skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over high until shimmering. Add pork; cook, turning as needed, until well browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a large plate; set aside.

Reduce heat to low. To now-empty skillet, add shallot, garlic, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and cook, stirring constantly, until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken stock–gelatin mixture, orange marmalade, mustard, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a vigorous simmer over medium-high, stirring occasionally. Return pork along with any of its accumulated juices to skillet; cook, turning about every 2 minutes and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 120 to 130°F (49 to 54°C) for medium-rare or 130 to 140°F (54 to 60°C) for medium, 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board.

Add rhubarb and butter to sauce in skillet and continue to vigorously simmer over medium-low, adjusting heat as needed, until rhubarb is tender, sauce is thickened and glossy and lightly coats the back of a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in herbs. Return pork to skillet, and turn to coat, then return pork to cutting board.

Slice pork thinly crosswise and serve with rhubarb sauce.

Special Equipment

Fine-mesh strainer, 10-inch stainless steel skillet

Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled with two pork tenderloins in a 12-inch skillet.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Leftover cooked pork and sauce can be refrigerated separately in airtight containers for up to 4 days.