Herbs to Use for Pork Seasoning on a Tenderloin

Choose herbs to complement the mild flavor of a pork tenderloin.

Pork tenderloin has a mild flavor, akin to chicken breast. Such a meat requires the use of herbs and spices to add flavor without overwhelming its delicate taste. Not all herbs complement the flavor of pork. Using seasonings best suited for the other white meat will improve the taste of the tenderloin.

Rosemary

Fresh or dried rosemary sprigs add a bold flavor to pork tenderloin.

Rosemary has a strong flavor. This herb in its fresh form consists of a stem with tiny, closed leaves. Use a single sprig of rosemary placed on top of a pork tenderloin during baking to add flavor. Dried rosemary leaves can be added to any rub seasoning mixture for pork tenderloin. Rosemary is an important addition to an herbes de provence mixture, but rosemary can also be used alone.

Herbes De Provence

A mixture of herbs from France, herbes de provence adds an herbal flavor to pork tenderloin. Find this herb mixture in the spice aisle of grocery stores or make your own. The recipes for herbes de provence vary based on the available herbs. Most combinations include: rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, lavender, basil, fennel seeds and savory.

Hot and Spicy

Latin-American herbs and spices make a pork tenderloin spicy and flavorful. Ground cumin, Mexican oregano and ground chilies combined make a rub for seasoning a tenderloin to serve with a South of the Border menu. For more heat, use cayenne pepper instead of ground chilies, or opt for smoked paprika to add a smoky flavor to the tenderloin without a barbecue grill.

Sweet Fall Pork

An autumn roast of pork tenderloin and apples needs sweet herbs and spices to bring out the sweet-tart flavor of the apple and to complement the savory taste of the pork. Cinnamon, cloves and cardamom are seasonings that do this. Add savory herbs such as sage and thyme with the sweet seasonings to round out the seasoning mixture's flavor and keep it from tasting too sweet. Cinnamon is known to pair well with apples. Cloves have a sweet and sharp flavor. Cardamom contributes an almost citrus-like taste to the mixture. Sage leaves are added to many meat dishes for a savory, warm taste, and thyme lends a woodsy flavor to the pork tenderloin.

References

• Fabulous Foods: Which Herbs to Use for Pork
• Food Network: Pork Tenderloin With Seasoned Rub
• Aggie Horticulture Texas A & M University: Fall is for Herbs
• Epicurious: Herbes De Provence
• Chow: Pork Tenderloin

Resources

• Pork Be Inspired: Pork Tenderloin Recipes