Pork Roast vs. Pork Tenderloin?

[Nutmeg]

I was really excited to see such positive reviews of the Sweet-and-Tangy Roasted Pork Tenderloin dish from a few months ago that I decided to try it myself. But when I went to the store, all I found was a 3 lbs. pork roast (and not the 1 lbs. pork tenderloin called for in the recipe). Could someone tell me the difference between the two? Should I just multiply the ingredients by three?

Thanks!

[sneezles]

Both cuts are from the loin section, just different parts of it. Both are tendeer it's just that the tenderloin is very low fat and roasts tend to have a layer of fat on the outside. There are about 4 different roast cuts from the loin but only one tenderloin. The tenderloin is long and thin, at the most the package will be about 3" across and about 8-10" long. Hope this helps!

[Jewel]

In most supermarkets, if you don't know exactly where to look for tenderloin you won't find it! Most of the time pork tenderloin is cryopacked or vacuum packed in its juices or a marinate instead of 'fresh packed' like most meats in the case. In my opinion, there is no comparison on flavor between your standard pork butt roast and tenderloin! YUM!

[Nutmeg]

Thanks for the great response, but should I still try the Sweet-and-Tangy recipe with the pork roast?

If not, anyone know any good pork roast recipes?

[Grace]

Personally, I wouldn't try that recipe on a big pork roast. There is so much sugar in the recipe, that it would more than likely burn before the entire roast is done. Since the tenderloins are long an skinny, they cook fairly quickly. The big roasts take quite a bit longer, especially since they can't be served rare or medium, and I think that barbeque-y glaze will get burned. Just my opinion. Plus the two roasts taste very different to me. Kind of like the difference between a regular beef roast and filet mignon.

I would definitely ask the butcher for a pork tenderloin, they will have them for sure. If you want to do the big roast, I usually make it very simply and my husband loves it. Spray it with a light coating of olive oil, rub it all over with crushed garlic, and then sprinkle it rather generously with dried rosemary that you kind of crush between your fingers. Make some pork gravy, and then serve it with mashed potatoes and a green veggie. There are lots of pork roast recipes from CL, too. Check out the recipe finder from the CL main website. They have ones that are stuffed, and done a whole bunch of other ways. Good luck, and enjoy whichever pork you decide to make!

[L.Rose]

MPuskar,

I've also ended up with a roast when I was looking for tenderloin. All the posters have explained the difference really well, but if you'd like a visual, Cook's Thesaurus (which has been cited on this BB countless times in the past) actually has pictures of various cuts of pork. Here's the link:
http://www.foodsubs.com/MeatPorkLoin.html

[sneezles]

Oops, you're right, Grace! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif I gave that opnion without having looked at the recipe.

mpuskar,
What you could do is not marinate the roast but put it in the oven at 325º and roast for about 1 1/2 hours. Then put the sauce on the roast and continue to cook until the meat thermometer reaches 160º.

[Nutmeg]

Great advice, everyone. Thanks so much! I think that I'll try to make an adapted version of the recipe with the roast, and look forward to buying the "real" think in the future.

[sneezles]

I don't why the recipe wouln't work with the roast. I'd try it myself.

[Nutmeg]

Well, I tried the sweet-and-tangy pork tenderloin with the pork roast, and it turned out quite well. We made some minor adjustments: we quartered the roast and cooked it for 35 minutes instead of 20 min. It was a little tougher than a tenderloin would probably be, but it was a lot cheaper, I suspect, and a big crowd pleaser, especially along with the yummy garlic and blue cheese mashed potatoes.

Thanks for the help, everyone! I feel ready to go on David Letterman's segment, "Name your cuts of meat" now http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif