Sweet-and-Sour Pork Tenderloin
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These are a play on both sweet-and-sour pork ribs and char sui made with pork tenderloin, which were both staples of pupu platters in tiki bars. A homemade sweet-and-sour sauce — akin to American barbecue sauce — of pineapple juice, ketchup and rum is cooked down and brushed over the pork and also served alongside it. This recipe gives both an appetizer way of serving it and a way to serve the pork as a main dish for a tiki-themed dinner, served with rice and steamed greens.
Sweet-and-Sour Pork Tenderloins
Make the sweet-and-sour sauce: Combine the pineapple juice, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, rum, soy sauce and hot sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened to a barbecue sauce consistency, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. This makes about 1¼ cups of sauce.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the tenderloin halves on a foil-lined baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels. Season the tenderloins with salt and pepper, then rub all over with the oil; arrange the tenderloin halves parallel to each other and cut side down on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 150 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pork from the oven and turn the broiler to high.
Using a brush, brush enough of the sweet-and-sour sauce over each tenderloin half to give it a thick coating. Broil the tenderloins until the sauce is set and thickened on top and the internal temperature of the pork reaches 155 degrees F, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and let the tenderloins rest for 5 minutes. Their internal temperature will continue to rise while they rest to reach 160 degrees F.
To serve for a party, thinly slice the tenderloin halves crosswise into thin slices, then serve on a large platter with more of the sweet-and-sour sauce for dipping. To serve for a main dish, cut the tenderloin halves into thick slices and serve the pieces fanned out on each plate and drizzled with more of the sweet-and-sour sauce. Serve the pork with fresh pineapple slices on the side, if you like.
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