We’re not ones to flavor many things with oranges, but when cara cara oranges are in season, we have a different opinion! Cara cara oranges are lower in acid so they taste sweeter and the actual fruit on the inside has got such a lovely slightly pink color, similar to a pink grapefruit. We have been enjoying them quite a bit this season and just thought that we might as well give them a try in a savory dish.
The cara cara orange juice and fresh rosemary in the crockpot along with the pork tenderloin give it such a subtle earthy taste after it’s cooked for hours! Toss in some root veggies along with the tenderloin and you’re dinner is practically complete.
We failed to get a picture of the pan sauce we made with the liquid from the crock pot after the tenderloin was cooked, but rest assured…you want to mix it up so you can drizzle a bit up on top after. It goes great on the pork as well as any veggies you may have on your plate!
rosemary orange pork tenderloin
that perfect Sunday evening pork tenderloin dinner
Credit: backporchpaleo.com
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins
- 3-4 T summer herb seasoning blend or herb blend of choice
- 1-2 t Redmond Real Salt
- 2-3 T beef tallow, ghee or fat of choice for searing
- juice of two cara cara oranges
- 2 c chicken bone broth
- 1 T Redboat Fish Sauce
- couple large springs of fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
- veggies to cook with tenderloin if using, cut up into approximately 2″ pieces
- Pan Sauce
- liquid from crock pot after cook time is over
- 1 t fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- ½ t fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 t cara cara orange zest (opt)
- juice from ½ a cara cara orange
- additional bone broth
- 1-2 T Otto’s cassava flour
- Redmond Real Salt & pepper
Directions
- Remove tenderloins from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle herb blend generously over the tenderloins and coat well, sprinkle with some salt as well.
- Heat tallow or fat of choice in a large cast iron pan until hot and sear all sides of pork until a nice crispy brown color.
- If adding chopped veggies to crock pot, cut those up while tenderloin is searing and add them to the crock pot.
- Once tenderloin is seared, place in crock pot on top of veggies if using or simply just in the bottom…de-glaze cast iron pan with about a cup of water and pour this liquid into crock pot as well.
- Pour in orange juice, fish sauce and bone broth and add fresh herbs and a few slices of oranges on top, completely optional of course.
- Cook on high for 6-8 hours.
- Remove tenderloin to serving plate as well as veggies if you added them, cover with foil to keep warm if making pan sauce, otherwise dig in!
- To make pan sauce, strain what is left of the liquid from the crock pot into a large cast iron pan, toss in chopped herbs, orange juice add additional bone broth so you have about 1½ cups of liquid. Heat till simmering. Mix 1-2 T of Otto’s cassava flour (depends on how thick you want your sauce) with an additional ½ cup of broth in a small bowl or cup and whisk to combine into a slurry. Pour into pan sauce and whisk to combine and heat til thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
