Pork Tenderloin substitute

Substitutes for Pork Tenderloin with ratios

1. 2Turkey tenderloin

   Different taste

   Use the same amount by weight

   Almost eerily similar in size, shape and cooking time, so it slips into a pork tenderloin recipe without changing the method at all, though the flavour is cleaner and more neutral and the texture slightly more fibrous.

   What changes

   Best for

   roasting whole, sliced medallions, grilling, recipes with a glaze or pan sauce, leaner meals

   Cook to 165F rather than 145F, which takes about five to eight minutes longer, so brining or a wet marinade is worth the trouble. It takes rubs and glazes very well. This is the swap to pick if you are avoiding pork rather than just missing it.

2. 3Boneless pork chops, cut into medallions

   Close match

   Use the same amount by weight

   Cut from the loin, so the flavour is identical and the texture is only slightly firmer, and because they are already portioned they suit any recipe that slices the tenderloin into medallions anyway.

   What changes

   Best for

   pan-seared medallions, schnitzel, stir-fry, grilling, quick weeknight pork

   The one thing to watch is thickness. Thin supermarket chops of half an inch will be overcooked before they brown, so buy chops at least an inch thick, or pound thin ones flat and cook them for 90 seconds a side. Cook to 145F.

3. 4Boneless, skinless chicken breast

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount by weight

   Similarly lean and quick-cooking, but milder and considerably more prone to going dry and stringy, and the faintly sweet richness that makes pork tenderloin work with apples, mustard or fennel is simply not there.

   What changes

   Best for

   roasting, pan-searing, quick dinners, recipes with a strong sauce

   Cook to 165F, brine for 20 to 30 minutes if you have time, and pound the thick end so the breast has even thickness. Because chicken breast has far less fat than even a lean pork tenderloin, lean on the sauce more heavily than the recipe suggests.

4. 5Pork sirloin roast

   Different texture

   Use the same amount by weight

   Cheap, from the hip end of the loin, and reasonably close in flavour, but it contains more seams of sinew and cooks less evenly, so slices vary from tender to slightly chewy across the same roast.

   What changes

   Best for

   roasting, slow-roasting, pork for sandwiches, budget pork dinner

   Best treated as a small roast rather than as a stand-in for medallions. Roast at 375F to an internal 145F, rest 10 minutes, and slice across the grain. Trimming out the visible sinew before cooking makes a bigger difference than any seasoning does.

5. 6Beef tenderloin or filet

   Different taste

   Use the same amount by weight

   Equally tender and shaped almost the same, but obviously beef, so it tastes richer and more mineral and should be served pink at 130F rather than cooked through.

   What changes

   Best for

   roasting whole, medallions, special occasion dinner, steak-style pan sauces

   Costs several times more per pound. It is a good swap for a pork tenderloin recipe with a wine or peppercorn sauce and a poor one for anything built on pork's sweetness, such as an apple, maple or mustard glaze. Pull it at 130F for medium-rare, which is a full 15F below where the pork would have gone.

6. 7Boneless country-style pork ribs

   Different texture

   Use the same amount by weight

   Cut from the shoulder end, so they are fattier and much more flavourful, but they are a slow-cook cut and will be chewy and tough if you give them a tenderloin's 25 minutes.

   What changes

   Best for

   braising, slow cooker pork, shredded pork, barbecue

   Only use these if you are willing to change the recipe. Braise or slow-roast them at 300F to 325F for two to three hours until they shred at around 200F internal. The result is delicious and completely unlike a pork tenderloin dinner, so treat it as a different meal rather than a substitution.