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In college and for a few months after graduation I worked at an Outback Steakhouse. It wasn’t a terrible place to work by any means, but at that point I had already bartended at a bowling alley bar where I made BANK for doing really easy work. To this day that remains my favorite job. It saddens me to realize that I made just about what I make now only working half the amount of hours and having a blast while I was doing it. As my mother is always saying, it’s hell to get old. Anyway, back to Outback Steakhouse. I busted my ass at Outback serving 8-10 hour shifts and would only come home with a fraction of the tips I used to make bartending. Not only that, but the serving shifts left me SO SORE. I was about 20 years old at the time and I remember my legs and feet tingling for the rest of the night after getting home from a shift. I hate serving and I hope I never have to do it again. To all the servers out there, good on ya.

One good thing about that job is that it opened my eyes to a lot of different kinds of food. We really didn’t eat much red meat growing up, so when I started eating steak I really fell in love with it. Of course now I spend the extra money on much better quality meat for Mike and I (thanks ButcherBox!) but if I never worked at a steakhouse I’m not sure I would have ever branched outside of my old comfort zone, aka boneless skinless chicken breast and nothing else.

Outback used to have this amazing entree on the menu. I think it was just called “Glazed Pork Tenderloin.” Something like that. Thinly sliced pieces of pork topped with an apricot jam then sprinkled with something crunchy, which was probably just something like panko breadcrumbs. Served with green beans and mashed potatoes on the side. I LOVED it. I remember going to Outback a few times before I worked there and ordering this entree. So, long story short, that was my inspiration for this blog post.

My rendition is a tad different as usual. It’s a bit healthier in that it’s free from gluten, soy, and refined sugar. I rolled the tenderloin in pork rinds to give it a healthy and natural crunch! It works very well in this recipe and I couldn’t stop sneaking pieces of pork when I was photographing this recipe and packing it away to eat for lunches at work the next week. Make sure you make a side of Garlic Smashed Potatoes to go with this pork! It is a match made in restaurant heaven.

thehungryhungryhiker

Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Oven roasted pork tenderloin with a crispy crust, topped with a simple sweet and tangy glaze. Perfect for stone fruit season!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the Apricot Glaze:
  • 4 apricots pitted and diced
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • ⅓ cup local honey
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp butter
For the Pork Tenderloin:
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 + ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 pork tenderloin, approx. 1.25 lbs patted dry and thick fat trimmed off
  • 1-2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2-3 tbsp ghee melted
  • 1 + ¼ ounces pork rinds, crumbled I used half a 2.5 ounce bag of Epic Oven Baked Pork Rinds, Pink Himalayan + Sea Salt flavor

Method
 

  1. Start the Apricot Glaze: Place the diced apricot in a small to medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the juices have run out of the fruit. Stir in the lemon juice and the honey. Cook for 5-7 minutes more on medium until thickened a bit. Turn the heat to low or warm. Continue to stir occasionally for the next 10-15 minutes while you start the pork.
  2. Start the Pork Tenderloin: Preheat oven to 425° F. Add the four pork spices to a small bowl and mix to combine. Coat the pork tenderloin evenly with the spices and use your hands to rub the spices in.
  3. Add 1-2 tbsp avocado oil to a large skilled over medium high heat. When hot, carefully place the pork tenderloin in the skillet and saute for about 3 minutes on each of the 4 sides. Use tongs to transfer the pork from the skillet to a medium rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 425° F for 12 minutes.
  4. While the tenderloin is in the oven, add the rest of the Apricot Glaze ingredients to the saucepan and stir to combine. Turn off the burner, but leave the saucepan on the burner.
  5. Place the pork rind crumbles on a large sheet of wax paper. Remove the pork from the oven after the 12 minute timer has gone off. Turn the oven to broil. Brush the pork tenderloin all over with 2-3 tbsp melted ghee. Use tongs to roll the tenderloin in the pork rind crumbs to coat the tenderloin with the pork rind crumbs. Place back on the baking sheet and broil for 3 minutes until the pork rinds are starting to brown. Remove from oven and test the temperature of the pork with a meat thermometer. It should read 145° when it is done.
  6. Let the pork rest for 10-15 minutes. Cut into slices ½ inch thick. Transfer to plates and spoon the Apricot Glaze over the pork. Serve hot with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli or garlic green beans. Enjoy!