Lomo De Puerco En Salsa Verde (Tomatillo-Braised Pork Loin)

This recipe is modified from Rick Bayless' cookbook, Rick Bayless Mexico One Plate At a Time. He uses a pork loin roast in his recipe, but I prefer using pork tenderloins. The little medallions make a nice presentation and I think they have more flavor. Also, instead of braising the tenderloins in the verde sauce, I sear the pork tenderloins and then place them in a sous vide for 3 or 4 hours and then sear them again on a hot grill when finished cooking. By doing it this way, the pork is perfectly cooked, juicy and has a nice crust with beautiful sear marks.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Pork Tenderloin, Salsa Verde, Tomatillo Sauce

Servings 6

Equipment

Sous Vide (optional)
Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients

1½ tbsp bacon grease or vegetable oil
2 lbs pork tenderloin approximate weight for 2 tenderloins
1 lb tomatillos (10-12) husked and rinsed
fresh hot green chiles to taste 3 serranos or 1 jalapeño, stemmed
1 medium white onion sliced
3 large garlic cloves peeled and minced
1-2 sprigs cilantro plus extra sprigs for garnish
1½ cup water
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1¼ lbs small red-skin potatoes scrubbed & halved or quartered, depending on size

Instructions

BROWNING THE PORK

Generously season the pork with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
In a medium (4-5 quart) Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, heat the bacon grease or oil over medium-high heat. When hot, lay in the pork tenderloins, (they are usually packaged in two pieces, don't crowd them or they will stew rather than brown). Brown well on one side, about 5 minutes, then turn over and brown the other side. Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the pork to a plate; set the Dutch oven or pot aside to use for the sauce.
IF COOKING PORK SOUS VIDE
Place browned pork tenderloins in individual vacuum seal bags along with a few sprigs of fresh oregano and a small pat of butter. Vacuum seal the bags and place in a sous vide water bath, pre-heated to 130°F, and cook for 1-4 hours.
When ready to serve, pat tenderloins dry with paper towels and quickly sear them on a hot grill. Place them on a cutting board and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing into ¼-inch slices.

THE SAUCE

Roast the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet 4-inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted, even blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast on the other side--4-5 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatillos and chiles that are soft and cooked through. Cook, then transfer everything to a food processor or blender, being careful to scrape up all the delicious juice that has run out onto the baking sheet. Process until smoothly pureed.
Set the pork-browning pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute longer. Raise the heat to medium-high and when the oil is really sizzling, add the tomatillo puree all at once. Stir until noticeably darker and very thick, 5-10 minutes.Add 1½ cups water and the cilantro. Taste and season with salt, usually 1 teaspoon. Stir everything thoroughly.

BRAISING THE PORK (IF NOT USING A SOUS VIDE)

Heat the oven to 325° F. Nestle the browned pork into the warm sauce, cover the pot and set in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes.
Nestle the cooked potatoes into the sauce around the meat, re-cover and cook until the pork registers about 145° F on a meat or instant-read thermometer, 5-10 minutes longer. The meat will feel rather firm (not hard) to the touch and cutting into the center will reveal only the slightest hit of pink.

POTATOES AND SERVING THE DISH

While the meat is cooking, simmer the potatoes in heavily salted water to cover until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
With a pair of tongs, transfer the pork to a cutting board. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes. Taste the sauce and season it with additional salt, if you think necessary. Spoon the sauce and potatoes onto a warm deep serving platter.
Cut the pork into ¼-inch slices and arrange them over the sauce. Decorate the platter with cilantro sprigs and enjoy your fabulous meal!

Notes

Learn more about SOUS VIDE COOKING