Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin

Name: Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 21 min
Total time: 26 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Pork tenderloin (1.25lbs – 1.75lbs); 2 tbs brown sugar; 1 tbs smoked paprika; 1.5 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground mustard; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 1/4 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp cayenne powder (optional); 1/2 tbs olive oil

Last Modified: August 14, 2023

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After I made this pork tenderloin in my air fryer, I was more excited than i’ve ever been about a recipe i’ve made. The flavors of the seasoning rub are so perfect, the meat is so juicy, and the taste is simply out of this world! Do you sense a little excitement from me about this recipe?

Pork tenderloin is the filet mignon of pork. It’s a very lean, very tender piece of pork. It can be prepared a number of ways and works well with so many different seasoning mixtures. One of my favorite ways to prepare pork recipes is with a seasoning rub combination of brown sugar, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, salt and pepper. And maybe just a dash of cayenne for a little heat. This seasoning mix, along with the simplicity of an air fryer, will produce a pork tenderloin that you will not believe. The outside of the tenderloin will crisp up and the brown sugar will caramelize to create a flavor explosion. With the high speed circulating heat of the air fryer, and being close to the heating element, it’s the perfect environment so that the pork tenderloin stays nice and juicy on the inside.

Air Fryer with the Best Damn Pork Seasoning Rub

Our recipe for air fryer pork tenderloin couldn’t be more simple. We use a medium sized bowl and mix together the dry ingredients. Before we rub the ingredients on the tenderloin, we’ll want to cut off any of the “silver skin”, which is just a thin membrane that is usually on part of the meat. Just use a sharp knife and peel it away. Then coat the pork tenderloin with some olive oil and rub in all the seasoning mix.

Preheat your Air Fryer

Set your air fryer to 400°F and preheat for 5 minutes. Once the air fryer is preheated, keep the temperature at 400°, select air fry setting, and set the time for 20-22 minutes. Most pork tenderloins are usually between 1 lbs and 1.5lbs. For pork tenderloin on the small size, go with 20 minutes. For larger size meat, go with 22 minutes. The key is to get an internal temperature of 145°F when measured at the center of the meat with an instant-read thermometer.

Let The Cooked Pork Tenderloin Rest

After the cooking is done, carefully remove the pork tenderloin from the air fryer and place on a plate or cutting board and let it rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing.

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