For whatever the reason, the air last night was perfumed with backyard barbeques. I love that smell. A simple sign our neighbors were venturing outside and grilling.
We were connecting once again with our neighbors with a casual wave of a hand or nod. Pork tenderloin, also known as pork fillet, is one of our favorite dishes to cook on the barbeque. It’s a lean, tender, and juicy cut of meat. Grill it with a simple seasoning of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper or tart it up with marinades and BBQ sauces.
My go-to meat marinade is made with minced rosemary, garlic paste, anchovies, and olive oil. This marinade is so easy to make and pairs well with beef, chicken or lamb. As I was gathering the marinade ingredients, I was also prepping for grilled pepper salad (recipe to be posted later). Sun-dried tomatoes sat on the counter and was one of the ingredients for the pepper salad. I decided a couple of the tomatoes minced up would be lovely in the marinade. It would give an added zip to the earthy-toned marinade.
Pork tenderloin is easily served at a dinner party or for a casual week-night dinner. I’ve stuffed it, grilled it, roasted it…a lean cut of meat I never tire of.
Serves 2 to 4
3/4 to 1 lb. pork tenderloin
1 to 2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
1 large clove of garlic, smashed into a paste
2 anchovy fillets, minced
splash of olive oil
1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, minced
On a plate large enough to fit the pork tenderloin, add rosemary, garlic, anchovy and tomatoes. Stir to combine and add a splash of olive oil. You only want enough to make a soft, slightly runny, paste. Season with freshly ground black pepper and add tenderloin. Massage the marinade into the meat and allow to sit at room temperature for half an hour.
Fire up the barbeque until the temperature reaches 350f. Grill tenderloin 5 minutes (lid closed) then flip over and grill for another 5 minutes. At this point you can either turn the heat off and let the meat sit (lid closed) for a further 5 minutes (until the internal temperature reaches to 145 to 150f) OR do what Mr. S did. Slice the meat into chunks and grill 1 to 2 minutes per side. This eliminates any guesswork and worry of whether the meat is cooked. Plus, you get lovely grill marks…bonus!
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Add a bit of heat to the marinade with a pinch or two of chili pepper flakes. Leftover meat chopped up goes well tossed into a salad, omelet, fajita. Enjoy!
- ¾ to 1 lb. pork tenderloin
- 1 to 2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
- 1 large clove of garlic, smashed into a paste
- 2 anchovy fillets, minced
- splash of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, minced
- On a plate large enough to fit the pork tenderloin, add rosemary, garlic, anchovy and tomatoes. Stir to combine and add a splash of olive oil. You only want enough to make a soft, slightly runny, paste. Season with freshly ground black pepper and add tenderloin. Massage the marinade into the meat and allow to sit at room temperature for half an hour. This allows the flavors to develop.
- Fire up the barbeque until the temperature reaches 350f. Grill tenderloin 5 minutes (lid closed) then flip over and grill for another 5 minutes. At this point you can either turn the heat off and let the meat sit (lid closed) for a further 5 minutes (until the internal temperature reaches to 145 to 150f) OR do what Mr S did. Slice the meat into chunks and grill 1 to 2 minutes per side. This eliminates any guesswork and worry of whether the meat is cooked. Plus, you get lovely grill marks…bonus!
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