Disappearing Pork Tenderloin

This is the most fabulous pork tenderloin recipe I have ever had. We make it several times a year and it's perfect for an ordinary weeknight, but it's great for company too! Here I served it with mashed potatoes, green beans with crushed gorgonzola crackers and sauteed apples. Delicious! Everyone we've ever served it to enjoys it and our kids scarf it up.

This recipe comes from Weber's Big Book of Grilling, which I highly recommend to anyone who grills.  Every recipe in it is yummy, at least the hundred or so we have tried. I like this book because it teaches the basics of grilling (it'd be a perfect wedding gift) and has recipes that are not made on the grill, but complement grilled food.  For instance...tequila orange marinade, raisin pine nut couscous, and oatmeal molasses cookies. It also includes more unusual recipes that you might not think would cook on the grill, but do, like...warm cherry pudding, beet and onion salad, pizza, and mashed sweet potatoes (a personal fave).

I digress, which happens often when I'm talking about food. The recipe I've promised is for pork tenderloin.

Disappearing Tenderloin

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 lb each

the Marinade:

1/2 orange juice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (which I just learned has anchovies in it!)

1 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp minced garlic

the Rub:

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp black pepper (I like to use coarse ground on all our grilling meats)

1 tsp salt (again, here I use coarse salt)

1/2 tsp cumin (which you should already have from making hummus here)

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp granulated garlic (invest in granulated instead of powder because it's big like the salt and pepper and therefore stands out more in your mouth)

Whisk together the marinade ingredient. I usually just put them all the my marinade container from Tupperware and give it a really good shaking. Separate the tenderloins and trim any excess fat from them. Put them in your container (or a ziplock bag) and shake them up with the marinade. You could do this in the morning, but it really only needs an hour or two to marinate in the fridge.

Remove the tenderloins and toss the marinade. Coat both loins with the rub by patting it all over. Make sure the meat has enough time to come to room temperature before grilling. Just take it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a little while, about 20 minutes.

Grill over indirect medium heat for about 25 minutes until the internal temp reads 155 degrees with an instant read thermometer or a handy remote thermometer. Either way, when it's done take it off the grill and put it on your clean serving platter. Then make a tent out of aluminum foil and put it over the pork. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

The recipe also calls for serving it with a pico de gallo (kinda like a salsa) but I think this ruins the dish. It is perfectly seasoned with a little heat (the chili powder) and sweet (the molasses and oj). It needs no sauce on the top, just tasty side dishes. This is a perfect dish anytime, but since the weather is so great now, get out there and grill!