This cut of meat is super versatile: A tasty take on pork tenderloin

Pork sometimes has a bad reputation largely due to the cooking sins of my parent’s generation – mainly overcooked pork loins and chops. And a pork loin is better off as a pork chop. But the loin’s cousin, the steak or tenderloin, is literally the fillet mignon of pork. It is a bit darker in colour, smaller, a little meat log you can roll around, char on all sides and cook quickly. It’s super versatile and stands up well to sauces.

This, to me, is the perfect weeknight piece of pork, you can serve it with any side you like, I usually go for sweet potato or rice, but pretty much anything works. Any leftovers will make a great filling for sandwiches the next day or try it chopped up in fried rice.

If you have the time, season the pork with salt a day or at least a few hours in advance. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it. Remember to always bring your pork to room temperature (or close to it) before cooking. You can adjust the amount of chillies to suit your palate. Onions can be used instead of shallots.

Recipe: Brad Leone’s Mighty maple pork

Majken Bech Bailey’s pork chops in tomato cream sauce

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James Gabriel Martin’s carrot and courgette carbonara

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A tasty and homely dinner that takes 10 minutes from start to finish

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Carbonara with a twist: carrot and courgette instead of bacon and cream

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Brad Leone is a trained chef, avid outdoorsman, entrepreneur, video personality, social media megastar and New York Times best-selling author. He is the host of his YouTube channel’s series Makin’ It! and Local Legends; you can follow him at www.youtube.com/@bradleone

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