Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin

First foray into sous vide tenderloin I would have to say was a complete success. It was actually not dry and very juicy.

Not very difficult to make and I love that you can actually leave it cooking for up to 4 hours before having to worry about it turning into mushy “mashed potato” texture.

Thoroughly cooked piece of meat and all thanks to the Anova Precision Sous Vide Circulator. The wonders of modern technology that something so simple looking can keep water at a constant 145°F. Could be that I'm easily impressed, but the temperature never dropped below that number.

• Temp: 145°F (63°C) → USDA safe, juicy, no pink.
• Time: 2 hours → That’s enough for this size pork loin to be pasteurized and cooked through.

1. Bag it up (already marinated, no need for extras unless you want pepper or oil).
2. Cook at 145°F for 2 hours.
3. Pull from the bag, pat dry, then sear in a hot skillet for 30–60 sec per side for crust.
4. Rest ~5 min, slice, and serve.

After 2 hours, you can safely hold it in the water bath up to 4 hours total at 145°F. So if you start it exactly 2 hours before you’d like to eat, you’ll have a 2-hour buffer where it’ll stay juicy without going mushy.

👉 This way, you’ll hit perfect doneness at 2 hours, and if your guests are a little late, you’ve got wiggle room.

• Leave the pork in the sous vide until you’re ready to sear (keeps it hot, won’t overcook in the next 30 min).
• Get your instant mashed potato ingredients measured and ready (water, milk, butter). Don’t start cooking yet — they cook fast and are best served right away.
• Wash and trim your asparagus.

• Take pork out of the sous vide bag and pat it very dry with paper towels.
• Let it rest on a plate while you prep the pan — drying it now gives you a better sear.
• Season asparagus lightly (olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe garlic if you like).

• Heat your cast iron skillet on medium-high heat until it’s just starting to smoke.
• Start boiling water for your mashed potatoes (but don’t add the flakes yet).

• Sear the pork loin first: add oil/butter to the skillet, sear pork on all sides (30–60 sec per side) until golden brown. Remove to a cutting board, tent with foil.
• This gives you a flavorful pan base for the asparagus.

• Lower heat slightly, toss in asparagus to sauté in the same cast iron (2–4 min, depending on thickness).
• Add a squeeze of lemon at the end for brightness.

• Make the instant mashed potatoes: remove boiling water from heat, stir in potato flakes, butter, milk/cream, and seasoning. This takes only 2–3 minutes.

• Slice the pork into medallions.
• Plate pork with asparagus on the side. Scoop mashed potatoes. Optionally drizzle reduced bag juices over pork.

• Pork is hot and rested when sliced.
• Asparagus is bright and not soggy.
• Mashed potatoes are fresh and creamy.