This recipe may be my simplest. It may also be the most flavorful. We use our homemade smoked paprika rub on pork tenderloin or chicken at least twice a month. It is the favorite dinner of 3 out 4 kids surveyed.
The smoked paprika gives the pork so much flavor. My kids like to eat it with applesauce. I serve it with mashed cauliflower a lot of the time.
If you want to try it on chicken put it on the meat side only of (bone in skin on) chicken thighs and roast them. Season the skin side with salt (the rub can burn when broiling chicken skin to get it crispy). I normally roast chicken at 400 until it is 160 degrees and then turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes to make sure the skin is super crispy.
This is free of nuts, gluten, grains, sugar, and dairy. It is paleo, low carb, and a THM S.
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Rub Ingredients:
2 parts smoked paprika ***
2 parts garlic powder
2 parts onion powder
1 part salt
Instructions: Combine in a jar and shake. I usually make a good amount at once (using 1/2 cup of the first three and 1/4 cup of salt) since we use this often but you can make as little as a few tablespoons. That is all you need for one recipe of the pork.
***Note: You NEED smoked paprika. Regular paprika will not work. Amazon has a 4 oz bag for $6 with free shipping. It is worth it. Regular spices in the grocery store are only about 1 oz. This is a great price and has so much flavor.
This is the Best Pork Tenderloin Ever. And the simplest.
Two pork tenderloins + smoked paprika rub.
Pork tenderloins tend to come in a two pack where I buy them. They are about 1 pound each and Costco sells them in a twin pack (so four pieces of meat). One pack is perfect for our family for dinner so I get two dinners for about $6 each. If we are having company I will cook both packs.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425. Liberally coat the pork tenderloins with the smoked paprika rub.
- Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Add a few tablespoons of the oil of your choice. I usually spray it with an olive oil sprayer. Sear the pork on all the sides. All four sides for the best crust.
- Move the pan into the oven and roast for about 25-30 minutes until the pork reaches 160 degrees. If you do not have an oven proof skillet you can transfer the pork to a baking dish at this point to finish cooking in the oven.
- Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. The ends are the best part so we normally fight over those.
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Ingredients
- 2 parts smoked paprika ***
- 2 parts garlic powder
- 2 parts onion powder
- 1 part salt
- Smoked paprika rub
- Two pork tenderloins
Instructions
- Combine in a jar and shake. I usually make a good amount at once (using 1/2 cup of the first three and 1/4 cup of salt) since we use this often but you can make as little as a few tablespoons. That is all you need for one recipe of the pork.
- Preheat oven to 425. Liberally coat the pork tenderloins with the smoked paprika rub.
- Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Add a few tablespoons of the oil of your choice. I usually spray it with an olive oil sprayer. Sear the pork on all the sides. All four sides for the best crust.
- Move the pan into the oven and roast for about 25-30 minutes until the pork reaches 160 degrees. If you do not have an oven proof skillet you can transfer the pork to a baking dish at this point to finish cooking in the oven.
- Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. The ends are the best part so we normally fight over those.
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Could this be made in the crockpot? Would I still have to sear it first?
I have a 3 1/2 lb pork roast to cook and am gone for 10 hours at work.
Yes, if it’s a fatty cut. It will fall apart like pulled pork though. I use this same rub for pulled pork. You do not have to seat it.
Thanks! I’ll give it a try.
Loving your recipes! I do see that you use your smoked paprika rub on a few recipes. Do you have them homemade blend to this? I can’t find it on the site or anything like it in our store. Thanks for your help!!
It is in this recipe 🙂 I do equal parts smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and then 1/2 of a part salt.
Can this rub be used when cooking my Tenderlion on my Rocky Moutain Smoker? Looking for a recipe that adds flavor without being spicy?
We make this rub but with regular paprika when we use our smoker.
I have regular paprika and liquid smoke. How could I use this in the recipe?
I’m not overly familiar with liquid smoke. I suppose you could rub some on the pork before adding the rub.