Pork Tenderloin With Bourbon Peach Sauce

If sweet summer peaches are one of your favorite fruits, then you are going to love this wonderfully tender and flavorful pork recipe. Prime pork tenderloin is butterflied, spread with an herb paste, rolled then brushed with a vibrant, sweet and slightly spicy peach bourbon sauce and roasted.

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed With Fresh Herbs Roasted With Bourbon Peach Sauce Along With Grilled Peach And Pecan Rice

To my thinking, there is nothing like the taste of a fresh picked, tree ripened peach so imagine my delight learning that the New Hampshire farm we used to own had a small grove of peach trees planted next to the apple and pear orchards that surrounded our 1730 historic home. I’ll never forget the first slightly warm peach that I picked fresh from the grove, the flavor was wonderful.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin Glazed With Bourbon Peach Sauce

Now living in Florida, the peaches I buy come from Georgia or as far away as Chile and China. Because of Covid-19, I’m using a shopping service for my groceries. When I wanted peaches to create this recipe, I wrote a note…”please check that there are no soft spots yet not rock hard, thank you”. Always say please and thank you when someone else is doing your produce shopping. The peaches that were delivered were huge and sweet. If the peaches you buy are not exceptional don’t worry, cooking will bring out the sweetness in the peach sauce.

Large Ripe Peaches

Preparing Peaches For The Peach Sauce

Maker’s Mark Bourbon Peach Sauce

Maker’s Mark Bourbon Peach Sauce

Serves 4, adjust the recipe according.

• 1 – 2 peaches, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 red Anaheim or jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (2 Tbsp.)
• 2 cloves garlic minced (1 Tbsp.)
• 1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. soy sauce (I use Tamari gluten free soy)
• 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1  11.5 oz. can peach nectar
• 3 Tbsp. bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark bourbon whiskey)* see tips

Place the diced peach and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the peach is soft, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly, pour into a blender and pulse until smooth. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the the pepper, garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute. Add the sugar, soy, vinegar, nectar, bourbon and the peach puree. Stir to combine and simmer until the sauce can coat the back of a spoon (it will be reduced by about 1/3 to 1/2).

Tips:

• When shopping for peaches, they should have a slight sweet smell and slight give at the stem.
• If fresh peaches are not available, the sauce can easily be made with frozen peaches.
• If cooking with gas, it is a good idea to add the bourbon off the heat so that there are no flair ups.
• For a thicker sauce, instead of blending the peaches, you can use a potato masher. 
• I used Maker’s Mark bourbon for this recipe but feel free to use any bourbon of your liking. Maker’s Mark bourbon just happens to be my husband’s favorite. I believe you will really enjoy the bourbon peach sauce used to glaze and sauce the pork. It also great on grilled pork chops and grilled chicken so you might want to double the recipe.

 

Butterflied Pork Tenderloin Spread With Fresh Herb Paste

Herb Stuffed, Rolled And Tied Pork Tenderloin Ready For The Oven

 

Pork Tenderloin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs.), trimmed of all silver skin
• the fatty part (only) of 2 strips of thick cur bacon, chopped (1 – 1/2 Tbsp.)
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp. more or less, salt
• 1/4 tsp. more or less, freshly ground black pepper
• additional salt and pepper for seasoning the outside of the tenderloin
• 1 Tbsp. oil

Butterfly the pork by cutting lengthwise down the center of roast, cut to but not through the other side. Spread the meat flat, cover with plastic wrap and lightly pound to even the thickness. Place garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and chopped bacon fat in a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes a paste. Spread paste evenly over the pork. Roll pork tightly back into its original shape and tie with cooking twine. Season the pork with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. When it starts to shimmer, add the pork and lightly sear on all sides. Brush with a little of the peach sauce and place in the preheated oven and bake about 15 -20 minutes, depending on size, until the pork registers 145 degrees. Remove from the oven, cut off the twine, brush with a little sauce and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice tenderloin into 1/4 inch pieces, plate and spoon some of the remaining bourbon peach sauce on top.

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I believe you will love this tender, juicy pork tenderloin glazed with the bourbon peach sauce. It is slightly spicy, sweet and bursting with flavor. The bourbon and brown sugar in the sauce complement the naturally sweetness of the peaches. The chilies and fresh ginger add just enough spiciness to enhance the flavor of the pork without overpowering it. The fresh herb paste is similar to what I use when I make an Italian Porchetta. It not only flavors the pork but creates juices that baste the tenderloin from the inside out.