Heritage Pork Tenderloin

The leanest, most tender muscle on the hog, sourced from heritage pasture raised animals. Cooks in 20 minutes, slices like butter, and tastes the way pork is supposed to taste. This is the weeknight cut that makes the strongest case against commodity pork.

Cut Story

The tenderloin runs along the inside of the spine and does almost no work, which is why it is the most tender muscle on the entire animal. It is also the leanest, which is why most commodity tenderloins end up dry and chalky. Lean meat cooked even slightly past its window has nothing to fall back on.

Heritage hog tenderloins solve that problem two ways. First, even the leanest muscles on a heritage hog carry more intramuscular fat than the equivalent muscle on a commodity hog. Second, heritage muscle has a slower pH drop after harvest, which translates to better water holding capacity during cooking. The combined effect is a tenderloin that finishes juicy at 145F instead of gray and dry.

Each Circle 7 tenderloin runs 1 to 1.25 pounds, trimmed of silverskin, ready to season and sear. The shape lends itself to fast cooking. Hard sear on all sides, finish in the oven, rest, slice into medallions. Twenty minutes total. Better than any commodity pork loin you have eaten and easier than a chicken breast.

Why Heritage

Lean cuts punish bad breeding the hardest. A heritage tenderloin has enough internal fat and enough flavor density to stand on its own. A commodity tenderloin is essentially a chicken breast wearing pork colored paint. The difference is most obvious in the lean cuts.

Marbling and Quality

• Color: deep pink to light red
• Marbling: light but present, especially at the head of the loin
• Silverskin: removed
• Shape: uniform cylinder, easy to portion into medallions

How It Ships

Tenderloins are trimmed, vacuum sealed individually, flash frozen, and shipped frozen with dry ice. Use within 12 months of receipt.

Suggested Cooking Method

Thaw in the refrigerator. Pat dry, salt and pepper, let sit 20 minutes at room temperature. Heat a cast iron skillet to smoking. Sear each side 2 minutes, then transfer to a 400F oven. Pull when the internal temperature hits 140F on a probe thermometer. Rest 8 to 10 minutes (the temperature will climb to 145F during rest). Slice into half inch medallions across the grain.

The single biggest mistake with tenderloin is overcooking. Pull at 140F, rest to 145F, and you get pink, juicy medallions every time. Cook to 160F and you wasted your money.

Cut Specs

What’s Different About Circle 7 Pork

• Heritage breed genetics, not commodity hybrids
• Pasture raised, not confinement raised
• Slow grown to natural finish weight
• No added hormones, no routine antibiotics
• Cut and packaged on the ranch
• Direct from the family that raised the animal

Customer FAQs

Is this the same as pork loin? No. Pork loin is the larger top loin muscle, sold as a roast or cut into chops. Tenderloin is the smaller, leaner, more tender muscle that runs along the inside of the spine. They cook differently.

Why is my tenderloin still pink at 145F? Because that is the safe and correct doneness for whole muscle pork according to the USDA. Pink in the center is right. The old 160F rule was retired years ago.

Will this be dry like grocery store pork tenderloin? Not if you pull at 140F and rest to 145F. Heritage tenderloins have more internal fat than commodity tenderloins, but the cooking temperature is still the deciding factor. Use a probe thermometer.

Why does the meat look darker than what I buy at the store? Pasture raised hogs build more myoglobin from movement. Darker color is the natural state for slow grown pork.

How many people does one tenderloin feed? A 1.25 lb tenderloin feeds 3 to 4 adults as a main course when sliced into medallions.

Pairing Recommendations

• Dijon mustard pan sauce
• Roasted apples and shallots
• Spiced cherry compote
• Maple bourbon glaze
• A lighter Pinot Noir or a dry rose

Storage

Keep frozen at 0F or below. Thaw in the refrigerator over 18 to 24 hours. Once thawed, cook within 3 days. Do not refreeze raw.

Learn More

• Heritage Pork vs Grocery Store Pork
• Kurobuta Pork Buyers Guide

Image Specs

• Hero: raw tenderloin on butcher paper, top-down, 2400x1600
• Detail 1: cross-section showing color, 1600x1600
• Detail 2: medallions sliced and fanned on cutting board, 2400x1600
• Lifestyle: plated medallions with pan sauce, 2400x1600

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