It is truly heartbreaking when you’ve been looking forward to a meal for a long time, but when it comes to eating it you find yourself full almost immediately.
This is especially heartbreaking when it is an expensive cut of meat which is leftover. Fortunately, modern technology has made it incredibly easy to reheat meat so that you can enjoy it at a later time.
Some methods of reheating can damage the quality of the meat, and with something as lean and yummy as pork tenderloin you don’t want the consistency or taste to degrade.
But don’t worry, we’ve put together this quick and easy guide which is packed full of the best ways to reheat your pork tenderloin.
This guide is full of all the information you need to ensure that your pork tenderloin tastes fresh when you reheat it.
What Is Pork Tenderloin?
Before we discuss the different methods that you can use to reheat pork tenderloin, let’s establish exactly what it is.
As its name suggests, this is a cut of pork which is long and thin in size. It is taken from the rear of the pork loin and is a very lean cut of meat making it quite costly to buy.
It is a mild-tasting but incredibly yummy cut of meat which is very popular among many people.
It can be served with a variety of different side dishes and is an excellent meat to use if you want to impress your pork loving guests.
Reheating In The Microwave
Let’s start with the microwave. This is perhaps the best invention to come out of the 20th century because it makes reheating meals so quick and easy.
For many people, the microwave is the go-to if you want to reheat food so it seems like the perfect place to start. To be able to reheat your pork tenderloin in the microwave, the first thing you need to do is chop the cut of meat into slices.
You should then place it in a microwave-safe dish, cover it and place it in the microwave.
Microwaves are great because they come with different heating settings depending on what you want to heat. They have defrosting settings, settings for heating vegetables, and, of course, settings for heating meat.
If your microwave has this option you should use this, however, if it does not you should just use the medium heat setting. Set the timer for 5 minutes and let it heat.
Once the 5 minutes are up you should check the internal temperature of the meat, if it exceeds 165 degrees Fahrenheit it is safe to eat, if not you should place it back in the microwave for a further 2 minutes.
Once the temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, serve the meat with the rest of your dish and enjoy.
Reheating In The Oven
Another great option you have is to reheat the pork tenderloin in the oven. Similarly to heating in the microwave, this is a very simple process that does not require a lot of effort from you.
The first thing you need to do is set your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and leave it to preheat. While the oven is preheating you should transfer your pork tenderloin into a deep, oven-safe dish.
If your tenderloin exceeds the size of the dish simply cut it in half or slice it as you would to reheat in the microwave.
Once the oven has preheated you can place the dish into it. You should then leave the pork to reheat for approximately 20 minutes. After that time has passed you should take the dish out of the oven and use a cooking thermometer to check the heat of the meat.
For it to be safe to eat, the internal temperature of the meat must exceed 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If the reading does not exceed this temperature you should place the dish back in the oven.
Check again in 3 minutes, and continue to do this until it reaches the necessary temperature. Once it hits 165 degrees Fahrenheit, plate up your pork tenderloin and enjoy.
Reheating in a Frying Pan
To reheat your pork in a frying pan you should first choose a pan that is large enough to hold the meat and one that has a lid, if necessary you can slice up the meat.
You should then heat the pan over medium heat and add your favorite cooking oil to it. After the oil has heated, simply place the tenderloin into the frying pan and place the cover on top.
Using a spatula you should flip the meat every few minutes to ensure that it is heating thoroughly on both sides.
On average it will take approximately 15 minutes to reheat the meat using this method, however, this might take longer if your meat is not sliced or if it is a particularly large cut.
Once this time has passed you should use a thermometer to test the temperature of the inside of the pork. As with every other method, the meat is safe to eat once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit internally.
Reheating in a Slow Cooker
The final method that we would recommend is reheating your tenderloin in a slow cooker.
This requires barely any effort on your part and is a great option if you want the meat to retain its natural moisture. However, this method does require gravy to be added to the pork, while the other methods do not.
Slow cookers tend to have a low, high, and warm setting, for reheating meat you want to use the warm option. Once you have chosen this setting, add your tenderloin into the pot of the slow cooker.
You will then have to cover the meat with half a cup of gravy and half a cup of water before adding the lid to the pot.
Most slow cookers will come with cooking instructions for different cuts of meat so you should check the instructions specific to your cooker to find timing for how long to leave the tenderloin for. Once again, the meat is safe to eat once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Summary
In short, you have 4 main options to choose from when reheating pork tenderloin.
The most appropriate method for you will depend on a variety of factors including how quickly you want the meat and the utensils you have at home.
But if you’re looking to reheat pork tenderloin, this guide includes all the key information you need to know.
Why important to heat to 165 when reheating as the tenderloin has already been cooked once?