Culinary don't

Lesson the second of 2011: 

Remember not all cuts of meat are the same.

Pork tenderloin is just that: tender and lean. Trying to cook it like pork shoulder, IE. 3 hours wrapped in foil in the oven will not produce succulent, pull apart meat. It will be pretty soft and tender but also as dry as an old leather shoe and no amount of liquid poured over will help, the damage has been done. What was I thinking? My fajitas would have been just as good if I had shredded the meat thinly and stir fried it with the marinade and veg. I seem to be stuck in a bit of a rut with pork, wanting to cook only the huge pork shoulders for 6 hours and virtually ignoring all the other wonderful cuts. I must find absolution soon.

So, pork tenderloin is good for pan or stir frying, either sliced thinly or whole or roasted in an oven for 30 minutes or so until juicy and cooked and NOT slow cooking. Another little nugget of information I heard recently: pork bought in Vancouver is perfectly safe to cook to medium rare and it's quite common to find your tenderloin 'blushing' in restaurants. Trichinosis; the disease associated with undercooked pork has been eradicated from pigs in BC, so, if you live around here, try that pork loin with a pink hue.