Ingredient Information

Pork Tenderloin

It is unfortunate but there is a lot of confusion about pork. Many consider not eating pork to be a healthier choice primarily because of the association with bacon and sausage. When people think of these ingredients they associate them with pork and believe that it is the meat itself that is the problem.

While we know that consuming less land animal protein is the goal, we know, however, that highly processed red meats are more of a problem for your health than fresh red meats and this applies to pork.

Pork is now bred to be much leaner. When compared to cuts of chicken some cuts of pork are as lean or leaner. Below is a  table showing a skinless chicken thigh and breast for comparison (all are based on four ounces of meat).

None of these cuts is over 200 calories and the highest amount of fat is the center cut rib chop. This is still very acceptable and considered a lean meat. In addition to being linked in peoples minds with bacon and sausage, pork is often associated with the fattier cuts like ribs. Eating ribs every day is not be such a good idea.  More importantly, there are a lot of great cuts of pork you can choose from.

Dollar for dollar pork tenderloin is one of the best cuts of meat going. It is lean and still flavorful. You can roast it, braise it, grill it, or cut it into medallions for small filets – almost anything. There will be a small amount of fat on pork tenderloin and you should trim this carefully but you also need to trim the silverskin. This is a thin layer of fascia at the head of the tenderloin on one side. It has to be removed because it is tough and fibrous.

Lay the tenderloin on the cutting board with the silverskin side up. Press gently on the top to flatten the meat. Slip the point of your filet knife under the fascia and cut toward the end of the tenderloin. Keep the pressure slightly upward and the silverskin will easily cut away from the meat.

Pork roasts are fantastic. We don’t often think of cooking them except at holidays but they can be both super simple or quite complex and elegant. The best part is that there will be leftovers for sandwiches. Choose a top loin roast at about 1 1/2 pounds for 6 servings. Some favorite holiday meals are stuffed pork loin recipes.

There are a number of pork chop recipes on the Web site.  Choose the boneless center cut since they are a little leaner. The single thickness chops come in right at 4 ounces and cook quickly. The are perfect for a weeknight meal because you can either put them on the grill or pan roast them in the oven. Quick, easy and clean up is a snap.

While more processed cuts like the ribs may not be as good for you, having them every now and then is part of eating healthy. you can occasionally use a little bit of bacon in recipes for great flavor. It doesn’t take more than one half or one strip per serving it is good to cook the bacon first and use the rendered fat to cook the rest of the meal with so that there is no need for additional fat.

When using ham pick the leanest possible. Like the bacon it adds great flavor. While expensive by the pound, a single 1/2 ounce slice of prosciutto per serving will add so much rich flavor to your dishes. Sausage is another ingredient that people feel is not as healthy but the key is to look carefully at the package. There are some great leaner sausages with a reasonable amount of sodium that can add so much flavor to your dish.

Here are some recipes to get you started:

Pork Chop Recipes

Lemon Pork with
Lentils
Maple
Mustard Pork Chops
Pan-Seared
Pork Chops with Savory Peach Marmalade
Pistachio
Crusted Pork with Meyer Lemon Sauce
All Healthy Pork Chop Recipes

Pork Tenderloin Recipes

Pork with Creamy
Poblano Sauce
Pork with Georgian
Cilantro Sauce
Roasted Pork Tenderloin
with Caramelized Onion
Roasted
Pork Tenderloin with Paprika Mayonnaise
All Healthy Pork Tenderloin Recipes

Other Cuts

Penne with Spinach
and Goat Cheese | Low
Sodium Version
Pork Stew
with Green Sauce
Red Beans
and Rice
Risotto with Italian
Sausage
All Healthy Pork Sausage or Bacon Recipes