Sear thin pork medallions hard in Ace Kickstart® until the spice crust blackens and the meat stays pink inside
Ingredients
FOR THE BLACKENED TENDERLOIN:
- 2 pounds pork tenderloin medallions or strips (country-style ribs), thin-cut
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- Ace Kickstart®
Method
-
01
Heat your cooking surface
5 minGet your Blackstone, grill, or thick-bottomed skillet screaming hot on high heat. You need that surface ready to sear hard and build a blackened crust the moment the pork hits it.
-
02
Oil and coat the pork
3 minToss your thin-cut pork medallions with about a teaspoon of avocado oil in a bowl—just enough to coat the surface thin and even, so the seasoning sticks. Lay them on a cookie sheet and hit both sides generously with Ace Kickstart®, flipping with tongs to get full coverage.
-
03
Sear the pork
12 minLay the medallions on your hot surface and cover if you can—this traps heat and helps the inside cook while the spice crust chars dark on the outside. Check the bottom at 5-minute intervals; flip around the 10-minute mark when you see that dark, crusty char forming.
-
04
Finish to temperature
3 minCook the second side until the center hits 165°F on a meat thermometer and the juices run clear when you poke it. Since thickness varies, trust the thermometer over time—that's your only real guide here.
-
05
Rest and serve
2 minPull the pork off heat and let it rest for a minute or two so the juices settle back in. Plate it up and enjoy that blackened spice crust against the pink, tender meat inside.
From Mike's Notebook
Let the pan rip at full heat for three minutes before the oil goes in — a cooler surface won't blacken the spices.
Pound your medallions to quarter-inch thickness so they finish cooking before the crust burns off.
Don't move the meat once it hits the pan; that char needs uninterrupted contact with the iron.