Recipes Nugget Markets Signature Recipes
Pork Tenderloin in Sweet Red Mole
- Prep time
- 1 hour PT1H
- Cook time
- 40 minutes PT40M
- Yield
- 4-6 servings
- Difficulty

The complex flavors in this sweet red mole perfectly complement pork tenderloin. Feel free to make the mole ahead of time — it will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces whole dried ancho chilies
- 2 cups water
- 2–3 ripe Roma tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, roasted
- ⅓ cup fresh pineapple
- 1 banana, starting to blacken
- ¼ Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- Pinch ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 pork tenderloins
Preparation
To make the mole, remove stems and seeds from chilies and place in a hot cast-iron skillet or on a grill. Dry roast chilies for 5 minutes; do not allow them to blacken. Add chilies and water to a covered pan and simmer over very low heat to re-hydrate; drain and reserve liquid.
Blacken tomatoes in skillet or on a grill. Place chilies, tomatoes and remaining ingredients in a blender and purée. Add a little of the reserved chili liquid to loosen. Set aside.
Remove all silver skin from the pork tenderloins by sliding a boning knife just under a small portion of the membrane and pulling the blade away from you. Repeat this process until all of the membrane is removed. Also remove any large pieces of fat.
Place mole in a zip-top bag with the 2 cleaned pork tenderloins and marinate them for at least 2 hours. Once marinated, grill pork to an internal temperature of 145ºF. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Techniques used in this recipe:
- grill (I)
- grill (I): a cooking technique in which foods are cooked by a radiant heat source placed below the food.
- roast
- roast: a dry heat cooking method in which items are cooked in an oven or on a spit over a fire.