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Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin Steaks with Gochujang Beurre Monté

By Lan Lam

Published on February 5, 2024

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin Steaks with Gochujang Beurre Monté

Ingredients

Beurre Monté

3 tablespoons water 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled1 tablespoon gochujang 2 teaspoons lime juice ¼ teaspoon sugar

Pork

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed2 teaspoons kosher salt ½ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Before You Begin

Choose tenderloins that are equal in size to ensure that the pork cooks at the same rate. We prefer natural pork; if using enhanced pork (injected with a salt solution), reduce the salt in step 3 to ¼ teaspoon per steak. Open the oven as infrequently as possible in step 3. If the meat is not yet up to temperature, wait at least 5 minutes before taking its temperature again.

Instructions

    for the beurre monté

  1. Bring water to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to maintain very gentle simmer. Add 1 piece butter and cook, whisking constantly, until butter is melted, 20 to 30 seconds. Continue to cook, whisking in butter 1 piece at a time until all butter is incorporated and sauce has consistency of thin gravy, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in gochujang, lime juice, and sugar, and season with salt to taste. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting and cover to keep warm.
  2. for the pork

  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and lightly spray rack with vegetable oil spray.
  4. Pound each tenderloin to 1-inch thickness. Halve each tenderloin crosswise. Sprinkle each steak with ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Place steaks on prepared wire rack and cook until meat registers between 137 and 140 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes.
  5. Move steaks to 1 side of rack. Line cleared side with double layer of paper towels. Transfer steaks to paper towels, cover with another double layer of paper towels, and let stand for 10 minutes.
  6. Pat steaks until surfaces are very dry. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Increase heat to high; place steaks in skillet; and sear until well browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to carving board and let stand for 5 minutes.
  7. Slice steaks against grain ¾ inch thick and transfer to serving platter. Season with salt to taste. Whisk sauce vigorously to blend in any butterfat that has collected on surface. Spoon sauce over pork and serve.
Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin Steaks with Gochujang Beurre Monté
Styling by Catrine Kelty.

Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin Steaks with Gochujang Beurre Monté

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Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

Beurre Monté

3 tablespoons water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon gochujang
2 teaspoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon sugar

Pork

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Beurre Monté

3 tablespoons water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon gochujang
2 teaspoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon sugar

Pork

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Beurre Monté

3 tablespoons water
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon gochujang
2 teaspoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon sugar

Pork

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Beurre monté, emulsified melted butter, is a classic French preparation that can be drizzled over cooked meats, vegetables, pastas, and other dishes to add richness and a glossy appearance or used as a rich, creamy sauce base for pairing with a wide range of savory or sweet seasonings. Vigorously whisking cold butter into a measured amount of simmering water broke up the butterfat into tiny droplets that dispersed throughout the water, establishing a thick, creamy emulsion. Whisking gochujang, lime juice, and sugar into beurre monté produced a bold, rich, easy-to-make sauce that paired especially well with pan-seared pork. Lightly pounding the pork created two flat sides that made the meat easy to sear, and patting the roasted pork very dry before searing it in a hot skillet encouraged it to brown. Placing the pork on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet raised it off the hot sheet pan, helping it cook evenly. Roasting it in a low oven heated it gently.

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Before You Begin

Choose tenderloins that are equal in size to ensure that the pork cooks at the same rate. We prefer natural pork; if using enhanced pork (injected with a salt solution), reduce the salt in step 3 to ¼ teaspoon per steak. Open the oven as infrequently as possible in step 3. If the meat is not yet up to temperature, wait at least 5 minutes before taking its temperature again.

Instructions

    for the beurre monté

  1. Bring water to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to maintain very gentle simmer. Add 1 piece butter and cook, whisking constantly, until butter is melted, 20 to 30 seconds. Continue to cook, whisking in butter 1 piece at a time until all butter is incorporated and sauce has consistency of thin gravy, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in gochujang, lime juice, and sugar, and season with salt to taste. Reduce heat to lowest possible setting and cover to keep warm.
  2. for the pork

  3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and lightly spray rack with vegetable oil spray.
  4. Pound each tenderloin to 1-inch thickness. Halve each tenderloin crosswise. Sprinkle each steak with ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Place steaks on prepared wire rack and cook until meat registers between 137 and 140 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes.
  5. Move steaks to 1 side of rack. Line cleared side with double layer of paper towels. Transfer steaks to paper towels, cover with another double layer of paper towels, and let stand for 10 minutes.
  6. Pat steaks until surfaces are very dry. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Increase heat to high; place steaks in skillet; and sear until well browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to carving board and let stand for 5 minutes.
  7. Slice steaks against grain ¾ inch thick and transfer to serving platter. Season with salt to taste. Whisk sauce vigorously to blend in any butterfat that has collected on surface. Spoon sauce over pork and serve.

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