Apricot-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

A tender roast that gives back more than it asks. The oven does most of the work while you rest for 10 minutes, and you end with a lean, glazed pork tenderloin that feels like an occasion.

Pork is a source of zinc, which is involved in immune regulation and in the repair of the gut barrier you are tending. The lean tenderloin keeps it light, and a thin apricot glaze adds a little natural sweetness that stays within this way of eating. Keep the glaze modest so the sugar stays gentle.

Choose pork from an animal raised with care when you can. When the sourcing is good, you cook with a different kind of attention, and the plate feels less like a meal and more like something you made on purpose.

Ingredients

• 1 pound trimmed pork tenderloin
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt
• Dried rosemary
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves (check the label for AIP compliance)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (omit if sensitive)

Black pepper is omitted for AIP.

Method

• Rub the tenderloin all over with olive oil, sea salt, and dried rosemary. Let it chill while you set up the rest.
• Stir the apricot preserves together with the lemon juice to make the glaze.
• Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high. Sear the tenderloin for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until browned.
• Brush on a layer of glaze, then move the skillet to a 425F oven. Bake about 5 minutes, turn the pork, brush on more glaze, and repeat until the internal temperature reaches 145F (roughly 20 minutes total).
• Rest the pork 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon any remaining glaze over the top to serve.

Air fryer variation

Skip the skillet sear. Rub and glaze the tenderloin, then air-fry at 400F, turning and re-glazing partway through, until it reads 145F internal. Start checking around 18 to 20 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before slicing. (verify - untested conversion)

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*