Fried Pork Tenderloin and Sawmill Gravy is downhome cooking at its finest. This simple dish features tender pork cutlets that have been lightly coated with seasoned flour and pan fried until golden. Smothered with sawmill gravy, it's a dish that's complemented beautifully by a heaping helping of mashed potatoes, vegetable of choice and homemade biscuits to round out the meal. The only thing missing is a big glass of sweet tea to wash it all down.
Fried Pork Tenderloin with Gravy is Comfort Food 101
Sawmill gravy, in my neck of the woods, is also referred to as pan gravy or country gravy. It's what my Mom and Grandmas made most often, and it's well known as standard Southern fare. This kind of gravy would always have sausage in it when serving for breakfast, and in this instance, it's simmered right in the pan after cooking the pork tenderloin pieces. Depending on the amount of drippings left behind in the pan, you may add additional butter to make the roux. Typically sawmill gravy is made with milk or cream, and flour is used for thickening. That said, in some parts of the South, cornmeal may be used for thickening in place of the flour. It all depends on the cook.
Gravy in the South
It's no secret we join with our Midwestern friends in our love of sausage gravy and biscuits . When serving pan gravy, as made in this recipe, it can easily be transformed by adding sausage, and served over fresh from the oven buttermilk biscuits. Of course, you can also serve gravy over chicken fried steak or chicken fried chicken, too. This simple country dish is not a weekly feature at our house, we consider it more of a treat. It's a meal that takes me back to my roots, and it's comfort food at it's best. If you're a pork fan, after you've tried this Fried Pork Tenderloin And Sawmill Gravy recipe you may also like to try this Roasted Pork Tenderloin recipe from Fifteen Spatulas.
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Fried Pork Tenderloin And Sawmill Gravy
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb pork tenderloin cut into ¾ inch thick pieces
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp seasoning salt plus additional as needed to your taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ cup oil
- 6 Tbsp butter divided
- ¼ tsp dried tarragon
- ¼ tsp poultry seasoning
- 2 ¼ cups milk
Instructions
- Slice the pork tenderloin into ¾ inch thick pieces.
- In a shallow bowl, mix together all purpose flour, seasoned salt and black pepper until blended. Reserve ¼ cup for the gravy and set aside.
- Use the remaining ½ cup to dust both sides of the sliced pork tenderloin.
- Heat ¼ cup of olive oil and 3 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown the tenderloin in batches cooking for around 4 minutes on each side. Adjust depending on thickness. Remove to a platter and keep warm.
- To make grav: Reserve 2 Tbsp of pan drippings and add 3 Tbsp of butter.
- Sprinkle the ¼ cup reserved flour into the pan and stir to combine. Cook for about 1 minute scraping any brown bits from bottom of pan.
- Gradually whisk in the milk, tarragon and poultry seasoning.
- After all of the milk has been added, bring to a boil to thicken, then immediately lower the heat whisking constantly. Let the gravy slowly bubble for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, over low heat. Adjust salt and black pepper to your taste.
- You may adjust the consistency adding more milk to thin, if desired. Serve immediately drizzled over pork tenderloin.
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My name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.
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Kathi
Love this recipe - but I made one big change. I cooked in my Power XL Air Fryer Grill. Preheated the Air Fryer for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. I had the grill pan in there getting nice and hot too. Cooked the 3/4 inch tenderloin pieces that were dredged in flour and spritzed with oil for 4 minutes on 1 side and then turned them over and cooked them for another 4 minutes on the other side. Poured the pan drippings into a small pot and made the Saw Mill gravy which was super good over the tenderloine and garlic mashed potatoes. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I absolutely loved it.
Melissa
Thanks for sharing your experience in an air fryer. I'm delighted you enjoyed it!
Darrell Turner
Melissa made the recipe again for tenderloin and sawmill gravy. We love it. Will try some more of your tenderloin recipes. Have a great night and thanks for the great recipe.
Melissa
Hi Darrell, I'm delighted your family is still enjoying this simple dish. We love it, too. Thanks so much!
Darrell Turner
Great recipe my wife,daughter and, grandson love it. Makes papa look great in the kitchen. Added some of my seasoning to the flour. Thanks for sharing.
Melissa
Wonderful, thanks so much!
Tim Vinson
Thanks Melissa, Fried pork and sawmill gravy ! Delicious! Reminds me of my younger days when we had breakfast for supper , love it ❤️
Melissa
Breakfast for dinner is the best!
Darrell Turner
Great recipe. My wife and I enjoyed and will recommend to others. Definitely a keeper recipe for us.
Melissa
Wonderful, thank you!