Just another Sunday Dinner With the Fam

Not really…these BBQ’d pork tenderloins were SMOKIN’!!!!!!

I don’t review cookbooks, so much as act them out—so when I fell in love with Adam Perry Lang’s best seller Charred & Scruffed, I asked my cousins, who were visiting me for one last vacation this summer, to come on out to the Blue Ridge Mountains to taste some truly inspired PREMIUM barbecue. You could say we were the GRILLS next door; these ladies and cherished friends traveled far to be with me, so of course we had to make the most of it. When we get together it’s not about site seeing or shopping, it's about gabbing, gossiping and goofing around. What made our conversation flow better than anything? I’d say a few good sips of wine and a couple of over-the top meals helped.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and I needed—as a meat lover—to read something by a fellow carnivorous foodie.  While I used many of Adam Perry Lang’s techniques to create this most memorable dish, it did of course feature my own twists and tweaks. Sunday Best Grilled Tenderloins were born. It’s an entrée that’s going to star in an upcoming cookbook I’m writing about meals that are best reserved for those lazy Sundays after church. You know…those uber-laid back weekends where friends who identify with your love of fire, salt and meat gather round the grill. I love those Sundays. Before long you’ve got the whole neighborhood jealous of those heavenly wood smoke smells coming from your backyard.

My grilled tenderloins, pictured above, are EXTREME in flavor, tenderly brined and skillfully basted; these are simply the best pork tenderloins you will ever slice; served with creamed spinach and au gratin potatoes; in these you have a pig that tastes like a Kobe steer!

For side-dishes (what my muse Adam Perry Lang calles “co-stars”), I served creamy cheesy au gratin potatoes and velvety creamed spinach. My niece, present for this Extreme BBQ gave me this compliment: “No one does au gratin like J-Mo.” Aw, thanks Megan. Of the pork tenderloin, my sweet girl also enthused:

“It was juicy and tender with loads of flavor. She tried this new brine and board-dressing technique where you baste the brined meat on the grill with butter and garlic using a brush made of tied together sage, rosemary, thyme (and other herbs) then finely chop herb, garlic and the juice of a lemon on the board you leave the meat to rest on. Once you take the meat off the grill you roll the tenderloin(s) in the herbs and then let it rest and soak up the flavoring.”

Megan isn’t the only one I wanna thank. The whole crew deserves a round of applause for their tirelessness at clean-up. The dishes were sky-high after our over-the-top feast, but all of us cousins rose to the occasion like an enactment from The Big Chill, blasting “I’ve Had the Time of my Life” from my husband’s iPod . I didn’t know it was possible to dance and dry dishes at the same time—at least without breaking any. Thanks again for making everything sparkle after such a stupendously messy and delicious meal; it certainly wasn’t the only chargrilled indulgence that weekend: we also had (pictured above left) Grilled Rib Eye & asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, and spicy onion rings. For dessert there was ice box cake, and you’ll have to private message me to get my sister’s family recipe.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the food porn, and have a great rest of the week!
 

Sunday Best Grilled Pork Tenderloins

MAKES 6 to 8 SERVINGS

Brine
¼ cup coarse salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
8 cups water
1 large lemon, sliced
4 fresh bay leaves
1 large head of garlic, cloves peeled
4 (8 to 10-ounce) pork tenderloins

Place the salt, sugar and peppercorns into a large pot. Pour in the water. Add the lemon, bay leaves and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cool to room temperature. Place the tenderloins into the brine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. (You can alternatively place the tenderloins into a large plastic bag and pour the brine over top.)
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Pork
½ cup butter, 1 stick
8 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced, about 3 tablespoons
1 bunch of mixed herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage leaves, oregano, parsley, mint)
2 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 teaspoons coarse salt

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add the garlic. Remove from the heat.
Tie the herbs together at one end to make an herb brush. You will be dipping this herb brush into the butter.

Remove the tenderloins from the brine and pat dry. Rub the seasonings into the meat, using the herb brush.

Heat an outdoor grill. Place the tenderloins onto the grill. Carefully brush the tops with the herb brush, dipped in butter. The fire will flare, so be careful. Turn the tenderloins every 3 to 5 minutes, a quarter of a turn, and baste with butter. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 135°.

Pour the remaining butter baste onto a wood cutting board. Chop the (now cooked) herbs on the board. Remove stems. Transfer the tenderloins to the board. Turn to coat with herbs and butter baste. Cover with foil and rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the tenderloins into thin, diagonal slices.

Barbecued Pork Tenderloin Skewers with Cranberry, Corn and Avocado Relish

Servings: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus marinating the pork.

2 (12 to 14-ounce) pork tenderloins, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 bunch (6 to 8) green onions, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup dark molasses
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon chili sauce
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 (12-ounce bag) frozen cranberries, thawed, drained (about 3 cups)
Juice of 1 medium orange (about 1/3 cup)
1 large yellow bell pepper, roasted, skin removed, diced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (about 2 tablespoons)
Zest of ½ medium orange (about 1 tablespoon)
2 large avocados, peeled, pitted and diced (about 2 cups)
1 (16-ounce can) corn, drained
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Place the pork cubes into a shallow baking dish.

Stir together the green onion, ketchup, molasses, soy sauce, peanut oil, chili sauce, garlic and oregano. Pour this mixture over the pork cubes and toss to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Place the cranberries and orange juice into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to coarsely chop. Pour this mixture into a bowl. Stir in the roasted pepper, jalapeno pepper, orange zest, avocados, corn, vinegar, and cilantro.

Toss and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Remove the pork from the marinade. Thread onto long skewers.

Heat a grill pan (or outdoor grill) on high heat. Grill the pork skewers, basting with the reserved marinade, turning once, until browned, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter.

Serve with cranberry and avocado salsa.

Brined Pork Roast Stuffed with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Sauce

This is an elegant dish to serve at your next dinner party. Brining the pork produces a really, tender, juicy cut of meat. Stuffing the pork makes it even more flavorful and the drizzle of rich, lemony sauce takes it well over the tippy-top!

For brining the pork:
½ cup all natural granulated sugar
1 cup kosher salt
2 cups water
1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin roast
Fresh rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves

For the pesto stuffing:
1 (2-ounce) package pine nuts, about 1/2 cup
1 pound fresh spinach leaves, about 4 cups
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced, about 1 tablespoon
1 (3.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, reserve the oil
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1 cup
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the roasted lemon sauce:
4 large lemons
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and diced
½ cup white wine
2 cups homemade chicken broth, or low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons organic unsalted butter

Mix together the sugar, salt and water in a large bowl or pan. Place the roast into the bowl. Add a handful of rosemary springs (save some for the sauce) and bay leaves. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 8 hours.

Toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully so the nuts do not burn! Place the spinach leaves, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. With the machine on, slowly pour in the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to form a paste. If the mixture is too dry, you can pour in additional olive oil. Set the pesto aside.

Preheat the oven to broil. Cut the lemons in half. Cut a small piece from the bottom of each half so that the lemons sit flesh side up in a pan. Broil until the lemons are charred, about 5 to 10 minutes. Set the roasted lemons aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry. Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the center of the pork roast. Stuff the pocket with the spinach pesto mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Place one tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Brown the pork roast on all sides, taking care to keep the stuffing in place. Place the stuffed pork roast onto a rack in a roasting pan. Cook until the roast reaches and internal temperature of 145 degrees, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the roast to a rack, and tent with aluminum foil.

Place the roasting pan on the stove top over medium high heat. Cook the shallots in the pan until soft. Pour in the wine. Use a wooden spoon to stir the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine by half. Squeeze the juice from 6 of the lemon halves into the pan. Pour in the chicken broth. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs. Simmer and reduce the sauce by half. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a pot. Return the pot to the stove over very low heat. Swirl in the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Cut the pork into 1-inch slices and lay onto a platter. Drizzle the sauce over top. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and the remaining roasted lemons.

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 30 minutes, plus brining
Cook Time: 45 minutes for the roast

Sources and Substitutions
For a heartier stuffing, and ½ cup fresh bread crumbs to the pesto.