Pork Marinades

Both of these marinades are delicious... we made both last week and compared the two to see if we could determine which was better. We couldn't; they are both really yummy. I've used both pork loin and pork tenderloin and both are great. I've read that you shouldn't use much acid on tenderloin-- the delicate nature of the cut makes it easy to get mushy in an acidic marinade, but the OJ in the Cuban marinade didn't mush it up at all.

Spicy Asian Marinade
1 T olive oil, canola oil, veg oil... whatever you like
1 T hot chili sauce (I use that Sriarcha sauce, with the rooster on it)
1 T sugar
1 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1/2 T ginger (fresh is best, ground is ok)
2 T chopped green onion
a few cloves of garlic, smashed or diced

Cuban Marinade
1/3 C orange juice
2 T lime juice
1 T olive oil
a few cloves of garlic, smashed or diced
1 t dried oregano
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t cumin


Choose a marinade, combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag big enough to fit your meat, marinate a pork loin or tenderloin in the fridge overnight. I find it easiest to cook a 1- 1 1/2 lb. loin in the oven at 325 degrees for around 50 minutes. The tenderloin I've been cooking in a deep skillet on the stovetop, turning occasionally-- takes around 20 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, remove meat from heat at 155 degrees. Cover with foil for about 10 minutes so it can finish cooking and juices can settle. I am happiest when the meat is kinda rosy-pinkish in the center.