This delicious and easy pork tenderloin with Ah So sauce has a flavor similar to Chinese pork spareribs, with that irresistible contrast of salty, sweet, and sour.
My family has been making some version of Ah-So pork for ages. It’s one of those easy, reliable recipes that everyone loves. All it needs is a side of white rice and you have a fabulous meal in under an hour!
Ah So Pork
Of course Ah-So sauce is the base of the recipe and the star of the show, in all its neon red, sweet-and-sour glory. If you’re not familiar with this sauce, it’s a jarred Chinese BBQ sauce that’s popular in the northeastern United States, made with corn syrup, miso, garlic, etc. It tastes sweet, salty, garlicky, and slightly sour. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store (in the Asian foods section), here’s a link to it on Amazon and Walmart.
To add a little more depth and dimension to our Ah So pork tenderloin, I mix it with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar, ground ginger, and garlic (you can use fresh garlic or garlic powder). *Note: While the sauce tastes best with all of those ingredients, this recipe is incredibly forgiving. So if you’re missing one or two of the ingredients (the Ah-So sauce is a must), you’ll still be able to turn out a meal that tastes great.
Once you’ve whisked up your Ah So sauce mixture, it’s time to marinate the pork. Marinating gives the pork time to really soak up some of that delicious sauce, but if you don’t have time to marinate, fear not! The pork will still turn out great if you simply slather on the sauce and bake it immediately. To marinate: Pour the Ah so mixture into a gallon-sized plastic bag, add your pork tenderloins, press out as much air as possible, and seal the bag. Turn the bag a few times to coat the pork in marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, flipping the bag halfway through to make sure the pork marinates evenly.
When you’re ready to cook the Ah So pork, line a baking pan with aluminum foil, remove the tenderloins from the marinade (discard the liquid), place the tenderloins in the center of the pan, and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with any green vegetable you like and a side of rice.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Ah-So sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)
- 2 lb pork tenderloin
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, whisk the Ah-So sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Pour the marinade into a gallon-sized plastic bag, add the pork tenderloins, press out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Turn the bag a few times to coat the pork in marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours, flipping the bag halfway through to make sure the pork marinates evenly.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Remove the pork from the marinade, discard the remaining liquid, and place the tenderloins in the center of the pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pork sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
