A couple of weeks ago, I cooked a really, really good pork tenderloin
that I purchased from my local grocery store. It was moist, tender, and
had nice texture and flavor.

Then, I recently read an article in some publication (darn it, can't
recall which one) about the practice in the USA of "enhancing" meats,
especially pork, with up to 12% solution (mostly water?). Because most
USA meats are now considerably more lean than they used to be, this
common practice of injection is used by major meat packers to "enhance"
the flavor and tenderness of their very lean meats. Otherwise, the
meats are supposedly tough and lack flavor (?) when cooked.

Until I read this article, I must confess I was rather oblivious to this
practice of "enhancement" (I should read more labels). So now, I am
rather disconcerted to discover that it is more difficult to find meats
that have not been "enhanced" by tenderizing solutions than it is to
find the natural, unalterated product.

So, this morning while I was at the weekly farmers' market, I purchased
a pork tenderloin from a local farmer. This tenderloin has not been
"enhanced" in any way and is the "pure" thing I'll cook it the same
way as I did a couple of weeks ago for the store-bought one to tell if
there is an difference, subtle or not.

If anything gets injected into the meats I eat, I want to be the
injector! Not to mention, I do not like the idea of paying "premium"
meat prices (per pound, at that!!) for up-to-12%-added fluid (mostly
water)! In a way, I consider this to be robbery!

What does everyone else think of this practice?

Sky

-- Pork Tenderloin --

use string to tie pork tenderloin to uniform thickness
use dry rub of choice on pork tenderloin
quickly pan sear pork tenderloin on all sides
finish cooking pork tenderloin in preheated 400 degree oven
until desired "doneness" is reached
rest pork tenderloin for 10 to 20 minutes
remove strings and slice as desired