Cajun Pork with Tangy Pineapple Glaze

Company pleasing, Valentine worthy Cajun Pork smothered in Tangy Pineapple Glaze is sweet and spicy and melt in your mouth tender! The layers of flavor or out of this world and its easier than you think!

Can you believe we have breezed passed the holidays, Super Bowl, and its time for Valentine’s Day already?! I love my Valentine with all my heart (cue sappy Our Love Story Post). He still hides packages of Sour Patch Kids for me to find when he goes out of town and I hide love notes for him to find in his luggage. Marrying my best friend has made for the best 10 years of my life.

So when I asked him what I should write about Valentine’s he said, “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I hope you love this Cajun Pork too!”

The man has skillz. But he speaks the truth, I hope you love this Cajun pork and I think you will love it! And like I said in the intro, it is easier than you think! Even though the ingredient list is somewhat lengthy, most of them are spices and ingredients you already have in your pantry just waiting to transform everyday pork into this better-than-restaurant pork.

The pork is crazy moist and tender by first being placed in a water/salt/ brine for 20 minutes. Brining is like marinating meat in that it helps keep meat moist and tender by increasing the moisture capacity of the meat, resulting in melt in your mouth meat when cooked.

The meat is then rubbed in a flavorful but not too spicy Cajun rub, and then baked while being glazed with a tangy maple Dijon glaze. The remaining Maple Dijon Glaze gets simmered with crushed pineapple to create an out of this world sweet, tangy Pineapple Glaze/Sauce. I am already concocting other recipes based on this glaze because I am so in love with it and even more in love with the sweet, tangy slightly spicy combination that is this Cajun Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Glaze.

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I hope you love this Cajun Pork too!

Cajun Pork with Tangy Pineapple Glaze

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Prep time 25 mins
Cook time 30 mins
Total time 55 mins
Author: [email protected] Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Pork Brine
2 1 lb. pork tenderloins (total of 2 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
3 tablespoons salt
3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup ice cubes
Cajun Rub
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
Tangy Pineapple Glaze
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (not breakfast imitation syrup)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon French/yellow mustard
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar (2 for "tangier")
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon reserved Cajun Rub Spices (from above)
Add later:
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice

Instructions

In a gallon-size freezer bag, mix salt with warm water. Add the remaining Brine ingredients, including the pork. Brine for exactly 20 minutes then remove pork from brine and pat dry.
The pork becomes mealy if left in the brine any longer.
Meanwhile, whisk together the Cajun Rub spices in a small bowl. Remove 1 teaspoon for the Glaze. Whisk together remaining rub spices with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Rub the pork all over with this Wet Rub. Set aside.
Whisk together all of the Tangy Pineapple Glaze ingredients EXCEPT for crushed pineapple. Remove 1/4 cup Glaze for basting and set aside (“Basting Glaze”). Add the remaining Glaze to a small saucepan along with crushed pineapple (“Pineapple Glaze”). Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When oil is very hot, add pork tenderloin. Sear each side until browned, approximately 1-2 minutes per side. Place tenderloin on rack in shallow roasting pan or on a lightly greased rack placed on a baking sheet and baste with half of the Basting Glaze.
Roast at 425F degrees F, for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, basting once with remaining Basting Glaze after 15 minutes. When done, an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin should register between 145 and 150 degrees F (63 and 65 degrees C). This means the pork will be juicy and slightly pink in the middle. Let cooked pork stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, heat Pineapple Glaze in the small saucepan just until warmed.
To serve, slice tenderloin into thin slices and top with Tangy Pineapple Glaze.