Marinated Cuban Pork Tenderloin

Marinated Cuban Pork Tenderloin is an easy recipe full of citrus and herb flavors!

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This recipe I put together for Marinated Cuban Pork Tenderloin is a mash up of a couple of different, similar recipes I found while browsing on Pinterest and the Food Network websites.  While the pictures I saw on those websites looked amazing, for whatever reason, I really didn’t think I was going to love it. Boy was I wrong!  This recipe turned out to be so good that I have already made it several more times and I think I have finally perfected my version!

It is really not that difficult to put it all together, but do keep in mind that the pork tenderloin should really have all night (or at least 8 hours) to marinate for you to be able to get the most flavor.  The total cooking time is a bit longer as well, but your pork will come out super tender and so delicious…it’s hard to stop eating it!

After making this a couple times, the biggest change I have made was finally deciding to reserve some of the marinade to use as a drizzle after the pork has cooked (sorry I did not get good photos of the marinade on the pork due to lack of light!). I found that the flavoring on the outside of the pork was so crispy and so unbelievably tasty, that  I just wanted more and more and more of that!  Warming the reserved marinade and using it as sauce to drizzle over the sliced pork tenderloin most definitely gave me that extra flavor that I was looking for and can’t get enough of!

Fresh is always best, but if you can’t find fresh cilantro or mint, I have used dried before and the end result is still really delicious!

We go all kinds of island crazy with side dishes to go along with this recipe too!  I always make plantains, cooked with a little brown sugar and vanilla extract, and my famous Creamy Coconut Rice (Jaxon requests it every single time I ask if there is anything he would like for dinner each week).  I can’t even imagine what else I would make as side dishes because I love this combination so much!  It’s one of my favorite dinners to make!

If you are craving a little taste of the islands, or just looking for a new and different way to make pork, go ahead and give this Marinated Cuban Pork Tenderloin a try!  I think you will agree it’s worthy of ending up on your regular dinner rotation too!

Enjoy!

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Marinated Cuban Pork Tenderloin

Course: Dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine: Gluten Free, Pork

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup olive oil extra virgin
• 1 orange zested
• 1 Cup orange juice
• 1 lime zested
• 1/2 Cup lime juice
• 1 Cup cilantro chopped fine
• 1/4 Cup mint leaves chopped fine
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons oregano dry
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• salt and pepper
• 3-4 pounds boneless pork tenderloin or shoulder

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, mint, garlic, oregano and cumin. Reserve 1/4 Cup of the marinade. Add the remaining marinade to a large zip top bag (or a container with a lid) and add the pork. Let the pork marinate in the fridge overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place pork on a broiler pan or a wire rack over a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast the pork for 30 minutes. Lower the oven to 375 degrees F and continue to roast for another hour to hour and a half, depending on the size of the roast, until the temperature reaches 160 on a meat thermometer.
4. Transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil and allow pork to rest for at least 20 minutes. While the pork rests, warm the reserved marinade in a saucepan over low heat.
5. Carve, drizzle with the reserved marinade, and serve.