The Fastest Pig You'll Ever See: Thin-Cut "Minute" Pork Loins
"The thinner the cut, the shorter the cooking time" is a good axiom to follow with thin-cut pork loins – about 30 seconds to 1 minute separates tender pork from shoe leather. "Thin-cut" typically describes pork slices between 1/4- and 1/3-inch thick, so you can't obtain an accurate temperature using an instant-read thermometer. Instead, you have to take a little peek inside.
After cooking the pork for about 1.5 minutes on each side, make a cut in the center of one slice and take a peek. At 145F, the USDA recommended safe-serving temperature for pork, you might see a thin line of pink, similar to medium steak. When it comes to seasoning, go with an herb paste and seasoned flour.
Total time: 10 minutes | Prep time: 5 minutes | Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup sage, freshly chopped
- 1/4 cup thyme, freshly chopped
- 1/4 cup tarragon, freshly chopped
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 thin-cut pork loin slices
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Mix the sage, thyme, tarragon and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Brush the herb paste on both sides of the pork slices. If you have time, you can stack the slices, wrap them in plastic wrap and let them marinate overnight.
- Mix the flour, salt and pepper. Pour the seasoned flour in a shallow dish.
- Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Dredge the pork slices in the flour and lay them in the pan; work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan if you have to.
- Cook the slices for 1 minute to 1 minute and 30 seconds on each side; 1 minute for 1/4-inch thick slices and 1 minute and 30 seconds for thicker slices. Transfer the slices to a paper-towel lined plate to drain and serve.