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Paleo Teriyaki Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I’ve been wanting to make a teriyaki dinner for a long time now, but I needed a substitute for the soy sauce that is the traditional base for teriyaki sauce. Fortunately, we can now buy a soy-free, gluten-free seasoning sauce made from fermented coconut sap and sea salt called coconut aminos.

Paleo recipes often use coconut aminos as a sub wherever soy sauce is called for. If you’ve never tried coconut aminos, the flavour is sweeter and much less salty, and it doesn’t taste anything like coconuts so don’t worry on that account. Anyway, when I finally got my hands on a bottle of coconut aminos, I was able to make this paleofied teriyaki glazed pork tenderloin.

The full version of this recipe calls for you to marinate your pork in the teriyaki sauce before roasting, and then to cook the leftover marinade into the glaze you’ll use to baste the meat as it’s cooking. But, being a busy and sometimes often disorganized mom, I have skipped the marinating entirely and it still tasted good. If you’ve got the time, do the full recipe, but don’t feel like you can’t make this meal if you haven’t planned ahead. Seriously, it’s okay if you don’t have time to marinate. Just make the sauce, baste the pork with it while it’s cooking, and pour on extra teriyaki sauce when you serve it.

Make up your sauce from half a cup of coconut aminos, 4 cloves of minced garlic, 2 teaspoons minced ginger, 3 tablespoons raw honey, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes, half a teaspoon of fish sauce, and half a teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Whisk all the ingredients together, then pour it into a large freezer bag. Add your pork tenderloin to the sauce and marinate it in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight if you can.

When you’re ready to make dinner, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and transfer the meat into a baking dish. Don’t dump out the marinade! You’re going to turn this into yummy teriyaki glaze. Carefully pour the marinade into a small pot and bring it to a slow boil over medium heat. Let it cook for 2 or 3 minutes then slowly whisk in the arrowroot starch to thicken it up. Throw in some thinly sliced onions and let them cook in the sauce for a few more minutes, stirring frequently.

Once the glaze is ready, spoon some of it over your pork and put it in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes. I know the meat is done when I prick it with a fork and the juices runs clear. Baste the tenderloin with more glaze every 10 minutes or so while it’s roasting (so two more times). When the pork’s done, let it rest for a few minutes then slice it up. Pour more of the teriyaki sauce over the meat when you serve it. Just delicious!

Paleo Teriyaki Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 pound pork tenderloin
  • 1/2 cup coconut aminos
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • pinch crushed red chili pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch
  • 1/2 yellow onion sliced

Instructions
 

To marinate

  • Mix coconut aminos, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, pepper, and chili pepper flakes in a bowl.
  • Pour into a freezer bag with pork tenderloin and marinate 4 hours or overnight in fridge if possible.

To roast

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Remove pork from freezer bag and place in baking dish, reserving marinade.
  • Pour reserved marinade into a small pot over medium heat and bring to a slow boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in arrowroot starch to thicken.
  • Once arrowroot is fully incorporated, add onions and allow to cook for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring often.
  • Spoon thickened glaze over pork tenderloin and place in oven to roast for 30 minutes or until interior temperature reaches 160 degrees, basting twice more with teriyaki sauce during cooking time.
  • Slice meat and pour additional sauce over pork when serving.

Notes

If you're pressed for time, you may skip the marinating and just make the sauce as outlined above. Baste the meat well while cooking and make sure to reserve plenty of teriyaki sauce to pour over meat once sliced.
Gluten-free tamari soy sauce can be substituted for coconut aminos.

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