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

Pork Fried Rice

Several weeks back, I had some boneless pork chops that I wasn't quite sure what I should do with.  When in doubt of what to do, I ask my friends.  I got a few responses, but the one that intrigued me the most was from my friend, Staci.  She suggested making Pork Fried Rice.  She just said to saute up the pork, some onions, and whatever else I was in the mood for, add some rice and some soy sauce and viola, dinner is made.  I decided to experiment and it has become a go-to recipe just about once each week.  Tonight, I made it with chicken, since I didn't have any pork.  Obviously, you can also try making it with beef too.  We got take out Chinese last weekend and got Pork Fried Rice, and I have to say, it tasted so heavy.  I have become spoiled with making it myself.  So much fresher, lighter, and better making it myself.  Delicious!

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp. butter
  
  
• 2 boneless pork chops, sliced and diced into small pieces
• ½ of medium sized onion, diced
• 1 pepper (red, yellow, orange, or green), diced
• 2-3 celery hearts, diced
• Olive oil
  
  
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. butter

• 5-6 mini carrots, julienned and finely diced
• 3-4 green onions, finely diced
  
  
• Soy sauce
• Crushed red pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1.      In a saucepan, add the rice, water and butter and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer until rice is fully cooked.

2.   Prepare the meat and all of the vegetables.  Slice and dice all of the pieces to be small enough to be bite sized.

3.   On medium-high heat, in a large sauté pan, heat a tablespoons or two of olive oil.  Add the meat and sauté until no longer pink and fully cooked.

4.   Reduce heat to medium and add onions, peppers and celery.  If needed, add a splash more of olive oil.  Cook until onions are translucent, and vegetables are al dente (not mushy).  Drain any excess water.

5.   Beat the eggs (you can add milk or water, if you wish, but it is not necessary).  Push the cooked meat and vegetables to one half of the sauté pan.  Melt a tablespoon of butter and then pour the beaten eggs in to the empty half of the sauté pan. With a scraper, push the beaten eggs back and forth until scrambled.
(It is ok if the eggs combine with some of the meat and vegetable mixture as they scramble.)

6.   When eggs are fully cooked and scrambled, mix together the contents of the sauté pan until the meat, vegetables and eggs are combined.

7.    Reduce heat to low and add the cooked rice to the sauté pan and fully mix together.

8.    Add the diced carrots and green onions and continue mixing together.

9.    Add a couple tablespoons of soy sauce
(I keep soy sauce in a squirt bottle, so I just squirt until it looks like enough, but the overall meal shouldn’t be liquidy/soupy.  Add a little at a time, until desired amount).

10.  Add crushed red pepper, to taste, if desired.  Any other seasonings could also be added, but I would recommend being careful with salt (I don't use any), as the soy sauce is pretty high in sodium.

11.  Continue cooking on low heat for about 5 more minutes, tossing occasionally, until ready to serve.

Nutritional Data (with few alterations, such as not using butter; see ingredients below)
(click on image for larger view) 

 

Pulled Pork

At the end of the Summer of 2010, my parents came out from Arizona and I hosted a family cookout for the Lindows and Cronins, with a sprinkle of a few Lentinis. My friend Lora suggested that I make her Pulled Pork recipe since it is super easy (turns out, I think she got it from our other friend, Keryn). It was indeed super easy, and a big hit!

• 10 lbs. pork roast
  (Key Words: Rump Roast, Pork Butt, Pork Loin Roast Center Cut)
• 1 can Barq's root beer
• 1 bottle Jack Daniels Original BBQ Sauce
• 1 bottle Jack Daniels Spicy BBQ Sauce
  (I couldn't find the spicy so I just used another brand that was spicy)

DIRECTIONSPlace pork roast in crockpot and add the can of root beer.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
(I had it cook overnight. Lora told me to cook for 10 hours; Keryn's original recipe said 8.5 hours. It's a crockpot... you can't go wrong)
When done cooking, shred the pork and put back into juices remaining in the crockpot.
Add the bottles of BBQ sauce and cook on low for 1-2 hours.

(I actually made this on a Friday night/Saturday morning for a Sunday party. When I added the BBQ sauce, I turned off the crockpot and let it cool down, and then put it in the refrigerator. Sunday morning, I took the crockpot out of the fridge about two hours before party time. I let it come down to room temperature for about an hour before turning on and then cooking on low for about an hour or two. I brought it down to the "keep warm" setting during the party, and served with rolls from Framingham Baking Company. Some people ate the pulled pork on its own, some with the rolls)

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary and Thyme

It was Christmas 2004 and I was getting ready to host my very first Christmas dinner (well, ok, it was Christmas Eve, but it was Christmas for me). Not only was I cooking my first big holiday meal, but I had over 25 people coming. My friend Kerry recommended her pork tenderloin. Over the years, I have added a couple tweaks of my own, and I have always gotten raves. And for the record -- yes, we grilled outside on Christmas Eve!

• 1 ½ lb. pork tenderloin
• Sprinkle of Kosher salt
• Splash of Olive Oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. McCormick Garlic-Pepper Blend
• ½ tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
• ½ tsp. dried thyme leaves
• Splash of soy sauce

DIRECTIONS
Rub the pork tenderloin with a splash of olive oil.(I say a splash because I keep my olive oil in a plastic squeeze bottle. I use enough to give a moist, oil sheen over the pork tenderloin -- maybe 2 tsp.)
Sprinkle Kosher salt over both sides of pork.
Mince garlic clove over the pork tenderloin, about half of the clove on each side.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a small dish and sprinkle over both sides of the pork.
Splash the pork tenderloin with a little soy sauce
(Like the olive oil, I keep it in a squeeze bottle -- just a quick splash, maybe 1-2 tsp.)
Grill for approximately 20-30 minutes, turning every 8-10 minutes, until 160 degree internal temperature.
(You can also bake in a 425 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes)Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Honey Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Nick's dad used to grill this pork tenderloin at least once a month. It was melt-in-your-mouth good.

• 2 Tbsp. garlic
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup teriyaki sauce
• ½ cup honey

Directions
Combine above ingredients.
Marinate with pork tenderloin for 2-4 hours, shaking and turning the container.
Grill until internal temperature of 160°F.
Let rest about 5-10 minutes and slice.