Honey Lime Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Tonight is a night to celebrate -- celebrating what an amazing performance Catherine put on at her recital this weekend; celebrating that she actually would eat now that it was over; and celebrating that this was the first night in two weeks, since we have been home from our fantastic cruise, that we were sitting down to eat a meal together.  I had taken out of the freezer some pork tenderloin and figured I could do it one of the two usual ways I make it.  Or... I could check out Pinterest and see if I could find something new because I haven't posted anything new and exciting being so busy lately.  Since you are seeing this post, here's your answer!  I think this went over really well with the whole family.  It had a great range of flavors -- some spice, some tart, some deep.  I was a little nervous that Timmy, Catherine and Jimmy would think it was too spicy, but it's pretty much gone, with the exception of one container of leftovers for Catherine's lunch tomorrow.  I was told this can be added to the pork tenderloin repertoire.  Yum!

• (2) 1-pound pork tenderloins, silver-skin removed
• 3-4 limes, zested and juiced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
  
• ¼ cup water
• 1 ½ tsp. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

1. Place tenderloins in a zip-top bag or in a shallow plastic container.
2. In a large mixing cup or bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients except the water and cornstarch.
3. Pour three-quarters of the marinade over the meat and rub into the meat to make sure it’s evenly distributed.
4. Set aside the other half of the marinade to use as a sauce or to baste the pork.
5. Place the pork in the fridge and allow to marinade 1-3 hours.
6. About 30-60 minutes before you’re ready to grill the pork, remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
7. Heat your grill to about 400 degrees.
8. Remove the pork from the marinade and discard that portion of the marinade.
9. Grill the pork about 10 minutes per side with the lid of the grill closed.The pork may stick to your grill grate, so using a large metal spatula will be the easiest way to loosen it and flip it.  If you use tongs, the meat will most likely tear, so be careful.
10. What to do with the remaining marinade:
1. To make the sauce with the remaining marinade, place the reserved marinade in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Combine the water and corn starch in a mixing cup, and mix well until the corn starch is dissolved.  Whisk the corn starch mixture into the boiling marinade, and bring it back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, stirring often.
2. Otherwise you could use the remaining marinade to baste the pork tenderloin.
11. Reduce the heat to low, baste, and continue to grill until the internal temperature of the pork is between 140 and 155 degrees.
    At 140, the center of the tenderloins will be slightly pink. If you prefer your pork without any pink, you can cook it to 155, but any higher it will become dry and tough.
12. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter, cover with foil, and let stand about 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Adapted from Lisa Loves Good Food blog