A salted pork tenderloin, coated in Kampot pepper and Espelette pepper, then dried for a month in a cellar: an air-dried meat that is very simple to make at home
Cut into very thin slices and laid out on a board with drinks, air-dried pork tenderloin disappears fast. Black Kampot pepper gives it warmth, Espelette pepper a mild kick, and the meat stays tender to the bite. It also has its place on a charcuterie platter. The most surprising thing is how simple it is: coarse salt, two spices and a month of patience.
What Is Air-Dried Pork Tenderloin?
It’s a whole pork tenderloin, covered in coarse salt for 8 hours, rinsed and patted dry, then coated in black Kampot pepper and Espelette pepper. It then dries for about a month in a wine cellar, with no cooking at all.
Pork tenderloin, known for its tenderness and delicate flavor, is particularly well suited to drying. With these two spices, it becomes a refined, well-spiced cured meat.
Centuries of Dried Meats
Drying meat is a preservation method that goes back centuries. Before the invention of refrigeration, it allowed meat to keep longer while developing its flavors.
In Europe, every region has its own drying traditions and techniques, often passed down from generation to generation.
The Main Ingredients for Air-Dried Pork Tenderloin
Choose a good-quality pork tenderloin, ideally from a local farm: good meat keeps a tender texture and a rich flavor after drying. Your butcher can help you pick the best cut.
The coarse salt is used for salting. Black Kampot pepper and Espelette pepper are the two key ingredients in the recipe: buy good-quality ones, since they are what flavor the meat.
Technical Pointers
A wine cellar makes a good drying environment, with a stable temperature and controlled humidity. If you don’t have one, a cool, fairly humid, well-ventilated spot can work.
Drying takes about a month. Check the meat regularly to make sure it is drying properly and evenly.
Keep all utensils and surfaces that come into contact with the meat clean to avoid any contamination.
A recipe shared on Facebook by Ce Line
Ingredients
- 700 g pork tenderloin
- Coarse salt for curing
- Black Kampot pepper
- Espelette pepper
Instructions
- Cover the pork tenderloin with coarse salt to cure it.
- Let it rest for 8 hours.
- Rinse the tenderloin under water to remove the salt.
- Pat the tenderloin thoroughly dry with a clean cloth.
- Coat the entire surface of the tenderloin with the black Kampot pepper and Espelette pepper.
- Place the tenderloin in a wine fridge without a dish towel.
- Leave it to dry for 1 month.
