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Mustard-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
This pork tenderloin with a savory-sweet mustard glaze makes an elegant weeknight dinner or centerpiece roast.
Adapted from cookbook author and food columnist Marian Burros’ 5-star Mustard-Glazed Pork Tenderloin, first published in The New York Times in 1989, this marinated and sear-roasted pork tenderloin makes a fancy weeknight dinner or elegant centerpiece roast. With just four ingredients – mustard, brown sugar, rosemary, and sherry – the marinade not only infuses the tender pork with savory-sweet flavor, but in my version, it also forms the base of a rich sauce. Using a cooking technique called “mounting” I bring some of the marinade to a simmer and then, off the heat, gradually stir in pieces of chilled butter, allowing the butter to emulsify.
Drizzled with the sauce, the tenderloin makes an incredibly easy but impressive dish that pairs nicely with mashed sweet potatoes and string beans – and leftovers make fabulous sandwiches.
What You’ll Need To Make Mustard-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard, sherry, and rosemary.
Whisk to combine.
Place the tenderloins in a baking dish or bowl. Season all over with 1-1/4 teaspoons salt and pour about one-third of the marinade over top. Turn the tenderloins a few times to coat evenly with the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight (the longer, the better). Cover the remaining marinade and refrigerate until ready to use (it will form the base of the sauce).
Heat the oil in a large cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add both tenderloins.
Sear on all sides until nicely browned, 6 to 8 minutes (don’t move the tenderloins around between turns; they will brown better if left alone).
Transfer the skillet to a preheated 350°F-oven and cook until the pork registers about 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, 12 to 15 minutes. (To check for doneness without a thermometer, make a slit in the thickest part of the loin; the meat should be mostly white with a slight hint of pale pink, and the juices should run mostly clear.)
Meanwhile, pour the remaining marinade into a small skillet and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. 
Remove the pan from the heat and, stirring constantly, incorporate the butter one piece at a time. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 
Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes, then cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices.
Arrange the sliced tenderloin on a platter and drizzle with a bit of the sauce; pass the remaining sauce at the table.
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Mustard-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
This pork tenderloin with a savory-sweet mustard glaze makes an elegant weeknight dinner or centerpiece roast.
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins (1-3/4 to 2 lbs total)
- 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard (such as Maille Rich Country Dijon Mustard Blend or Grey Poupon Country Dijon)
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for cooking
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
Instructions
- Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, mustard, sherry, and rosemary.
- Place the tenderloins in a baking dish or bowl. Season all over with 1-1/4 teaspoons salt and pour about one-third of the marinade over top. Turn the tenderloins a few times to coat evenly with the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight (the longer, the better). Cover the remaining marinade and refrigerate until ready to use (it will form the base of the sauce).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat (see note below if you don't have one of these pans). Add both tenderloins and sear on all sides until nicely browned, 6 to 8 minutes (don't move the tenderloins around between turns; they will brown better if left alone). Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the pork registers about 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, 12 to 15 minutes. (To check for doneness without a thermometer, make a slit in the thickest part of the loin; the meat should be mostly white with a slight hint of pale pink, and the juices should run mostly clear.)
- Remove the skillet from the oven and immediately place an oven mitt or dishtowel over the handle to remind yourself that it is hot (it is easy to forget and burn yourself!). Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes, then cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices.
- Meanwhile, pour the remaining marinade into a small skillet and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and, stirring constantly, incorporate the butter one piece at a time. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Arrange the sliced tenderloin on a platter and drizzle with a bit of the sauce; pass the remaining sauce at the table.
- Note: If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, transfer the pork to a foil-lined sheet pan after searing. (The foil is just for easy cleanup.) You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time.
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O.M.G. This was ahh-mazing! No-One in my family is a fan of pork tenderloin so I made this on the sly, and EVERY-ONE LOVED THIS!
Thank you yet again Jen for another fabulous meal!
Would a smooth instead of a grainy Dijon mustard work? It’s all I have on hand and I’d rather not get yet another bottle of mustard until the ones at home are finished.
It should work well, G. Enjoy!
Best pork tenderloin I have ever made!!! It will be a regular at our house.
Marinated overnight and oh that glaze you save for sauce…fantastic.
Excellent sauce. I followed the recipe but deglazed the pan with the sauce instead of doing it on the side, why waste all of that yummy!. Will definitely make again.
Made this tonight, and it was delicious!! I didn’t realize there was a difference between dry sherry and cooking sherry (😳) so I used cooking sherry without issue. I also heeded another commenter’s advice and used the same pan to cook the sauce—and only burned myself once, a win!! Thanks for this yummy weeknight meal, Jenn!
Love this recipe! Quite easy to make and the sauce is very good. I used the same pan that I cooked the pork tenderloin in. While the pork was resting after it was cooked, I added the sauce to the pan to deglaze. Definitely making again.
If I don’t have sherry, is it possible to substitute rice wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, red wine?
Hi Lisa, If you have Chinese rice wine, that would work here, but I wouldn’t use any vinegar. Some other substitutes are white wine, apple cider, or apple juice. Hope that helps!
We had this last night; I only had one tenderloin for the two of us so I halved the recipe; worked perfectly. Going with the internal temp ALWAYS produces perfectly cooked (not over-cooked) pork. Another great and easy family dinner.
I am also LOVING using my ‘recipe box’ because I so often go back for recipes I’ve tried again and again. So easy to find my favorites – which seem to be every one I try. Thanks again Jenn!
OMG, this pork tenderloin was AMAZING! Made the maple sweet potatoes to go with it, which were also good, but the pork tenderloin and the sauce were out of this world! Will definitely be having again!
I took a chance and made this recipe Dairy-Free…it was delicious and a big hit with my family! We eat dairy-free so I tend to avoid recipes that have butter as a primary ingredient. I loved the idea of a sauce with pork tenderloin (my husband is a sauce guy!) The rest of the ingredients were flavor packed so I decided to go for it. I followed the recipe as written up to the point of adding the butter and salt. I added Earth Balance (in place of butter) a tablespoon at a time, tasting along the way to get a good balance of salt and sweet. I omitted the added salt b/c Earth Balance has salt so use caution when adding. Also added healthy dose of black pepper and wow, so good!!! I love your recipes! Thank you Jen!