Every time I go grocery shopping, I am constantly eyeballing the big SALE sign under the pork tenderloins. You know which one’s I am talking about? The vacuum sealed, long strips of pork, that are always on sale and you are so tempted to buy them but you know the minute you try and cook that thing it’s going to come out dry as shoe leather? For some reason  I was determined to buy a few (ok, I know the reason, I’m cheap and I can’t pass up a sale) and find a way to cook it so it’s juicy and tastes delicious. After a few tries, I finally came up with 2 methods to cook a pork tenderloin so you get the all the Cuban flavors, but without the dry, chewy texture.

This first method is for those people who own Instant Pots that have the “SOUS VIDE” button.

Instant Pots with Sous Vide Buttons

**Use your mouse to scroll over the pictures to see the names of each model.**

Or for those who have the Instant Pot Sous Vide Immersion Circulators or specific Multicookers

Instant Pot Sous Vide Immersion Circulators

I’ve also heard you can use the Ultra or Smart to sous vide even though they don’t have a button specifically for it, by adjusting the temperatures manually. If you do this, make sure when you check the temperature of the water, since the heating element is at the bottom so you want to make sure the water is at the correct temperature at the top. The instructions I give are based on the Max, but the times and temperatures are the same regardless of which pot or sous vide machine you are using.

Finally, DON’T BE SCARED!!! Once you get the handle of the settings you will realize that the sous vide method, though it sounds all fancy, is an easy hands free way to cook just about anything and have it come out perfect.

Instant Pot Sous Vide Cuban Pork Tenderloin 

Recipe by Lana Horruitiner Perez

• Pork Tenderloin, 1 – 1.5 inches thick (you can cook more than one at a time. The temperature and time remain the same. Just make sure you put each tenderloin in it’s own bag so the water can circulate around the meat completely.)
• 1 cup Goya Naranja Agria (you can juice your own sour oranges instead of buying the bottle or use 2:1 parts orange juice and lime juice)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Ground Pepper
• 1 tsp Oregano (you can substitute 2 tsp of Adobo Seasoning instead)
• 8-10 Garlic Cloves, cut in quarters
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 Yellow Onion, sliced

Equipment you Need:

• 2 – 1 Gallon Ziploc Bag (if you have a vacuum sealer, you can definitely use that instead)
• Large Pot/Bucket filled with water (or if you have a deep sink, you can just fill that with water).

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Place the Pork Tenderloin and 1 sliced Yellow Onion in a Ziploc bag and set aside.

Add 1 cup Naranja Agria, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Ground Pepper, 1 tsp Oregano, and 8-10 Garlic Cloves into a blender and blend on HIGH for 30 seconds. Then turn the blender to LOW and drizzle in 1/4 cup Olive Oil.

Pour the blended marinade into the Ziploc bag with the Pork and 1 sliced Yellow Onion and place in fridge to marinade for 4-12 hours (overnight is always best).

Once you are ready to cook it, take out only the Pork Tenderloin and place on a plate. Dry it with a paper towel and place in a new empty Ziploc bag. Take out as much of the air in the bag as possible using the water displacement method. Click on my How To Sous Vide with a Ziploc Bag instructions to see a video on how to do this.

Fill your Instant Pot 2/3 of the way up with warm water. (DO NOT add the pork yet. You need to bring the water to temperature first.)

Lock the Instant Pot Lid into place and make sure to set the valve to Open position. Set the Instant Pot to Sous Vide mode with a temperature of 140 – 150 degrees Fahrenheit depending how well you like your pork. (I like mine just a slight over medium so I usually do it at 146 degrees F.)

When the Instant Pot makes a beeping sounds, the water is at the correct temperature and you can now place the Ziploc bag with the Pork Tenderloin into the water. I like to drape the top of the bag over the side of the Instant Pot and then close the lid so the bag is not touching the bottom, but you don’t have to. (If you submerge the entire bag, make sure the bag is closed completely. You don’t want water getting into the bag.) The bag needs to be completely submerged in the water. If you are making more than one at a time, it is very important that there is enough room for the water to circulate completely around each bag. They cannot be packed together tightly. Replace the lid and set the time from anywhere to 1 1/2 hours to 4 hours. 

A few minutes before the pork is done, start heating up a cast iron or non-stick skillet on the stove on HIGH.

Once the Instant Pot it is done cooking, take out the bag and place the pork on a cutting board or plate. Using a paper towel, dry the pork and remove any marinade on the surface. Sprinkle with Salt.

Empty out the Instant Pot liner, dry, and add back to the Instant Pot. Press “SAUTE” button and adjust to “HI”.

Add 3 Tbl Vegetable Oil to the Instant Pot and when it displays “HOT”, add the Pork.  Sear the pork 1-2 minutes on each side until it is browned all the way around. Remove from Instant Pot and check the temperature. (You can also sear in a skillet or cast iron pan.)

Slice and serve. (I know most people are not use to eating pork that is slightly pink, but as long as it is 140 degrees, it is perfectly cook. Grey pork is overcooked!)

Buen Provecho!