What’s cooking? Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange Marmalade Glaze
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| A terrible photo of my Dad but I love the determination and excitement in his face. |
Memorial Day.
It was always a special day for my dad, who was a pilot in World War II and treasured his memories of the men and women who served with him but never made it home. He was a big crier, so we never really got many stories about his experiences in the service. He’d start a story, then tear up, and never get finished. Start again, tear up again, and ... you get the picture. He spent time in Marrakesh, flying reconnaissance missions, and back in the U.S., he taught Chinese pilots to improve their skills on U.S. aircraft. I have a wonderful letter from one of those pilots, saying how honored he and his fellow pilots were to be taught by my Dad. So I think of Memorial Day as a day to honor him, too.
My father also enjoyed grilling anything, so I think he’d love today’s pork tenderloin recipe I discovered. As in many aspects of his life, Dad lived large, so his enthusiasm for grilling usually produced meat with a bit of char. “A little charcoal is good for you,” he’d always claim. But I don’t recommend that approach with this recipe.
In fact, the best thing you can do with this recipe is to avoid cooking the pork too long. According to the National Pork Board, today’s pigs are bred to be much leaner than in the past, so that medium-rare is now a preferred doneness for tenderloins if you want to maximize juiciness and flavor. Those qualities come at an internal temperature of 145-150º. So you are well advised to use a good meat thermometer.
I found this recipe in a search for something simple to do with the pork tenderloins my prince brought home from Costco one day. As a little unsolicited plug for that store, I will say that their meat and fish tend to be exceptional without regard to the price. That’s because they do such volume that both meat and fish are very fresh. Of course, you have to be willing to buy more than you might otherwise, but it’s worth sticking some of it into the freezer.
So back to the recipe. You will not believe how flavorful is this sweet-salty marriage of marmalade and honey with the soy sauce. Very umami. And I don’t know of an easier sauce to make – no chopping or slicing or grinding, so it’s ready in 10-15 minutes. You likely have the major ingredients already: marmalade, honey, soy sauce. When I make it for my hubby, we practically fight over the leftovers. To be truthful, we don’t actually fight over the leftovers because I put them in a plastic container and don’t remind him about them. But if I told him about them, we’d have to have a serious discussion about sharing.
My friend, Gail, offered to make this pork dish for a ladies’ luncheon that I was hosting... Ok, so she didn’t offer. But when I asked, she was very gracious. (My friends are so kind that when I have what I call “a suggestion,” they just smile and say “fine.”) The instructions on the original recipe included a note to coat the meat with olive oil before grilling, but Gail forgot that part, recalling it in one of those “OMG!” moments only as she and her hubby were already grilling. Her husband suggested she not tell me. And when she mentioned it to another of the women coming to lunch, that woman also said, “Don’t tell Lee.” So, of course, she told me. This is the problem of being friends with the Kitchen Goddess.
But as it happens, the Kitchen Goddess had made this recipe and also forgot to oil the meat before grilling, and she decided it didn’t really matter, unless you’re really into keeping your grill clean. So I’ll leave that part of the instructions in the writing, but you have now been alerted.
Kitchen Goddess note: If you don’t have a grill, this pork can roast in the oven. The author suggests searing it on the stovetop in a frying pan, to develop a nice Maillard crust on all sides, then putting it in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 400º. Let it rest about 10 minutes before slicing.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange Marmalade Glaze
Adapted from Elise Bauer at Simply Recipes
Total time: 90 minutes, including the marinade time, and you can even cut that short.
Serves 2-3. (Who am I kidding? It serves 2, with enough left over for a small lunch.)
Ingredients
⅓ cup orange marmalade (or lemon, store-bought or homemade)*
⅓ cup honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, or Aleppo pepper
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
Olive oil for the grill (and you’ll remember that this is optional)
*Kitchen Goddess note: You know the Kitchen Goddess already had homemade marmalade. Two flavors, in fact. You are welcome to go buy a nice brand, but if you are so inclined, here are links to two of my faves: Triple Citrus Marmalade and Green Tomato & Lemon Marmalade. You don’t even have to go through the canning process unless you want to make a big batch to store. Make it, put it in jars, then refrigerate what you think you’ll use and give the rest to friends. Trust me, they’ll love you for it.
Directions
First, make the marinade. In a small saucepan, stir together the soy sauce, marmalade, honey, rice wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool to almost room temperature. If you are in a hurry – which I always am – you can set the pan in an ice bath for a few minutes and stir until the sauce is just warm.
Set aside half of the marinade to use as a sauce with the finished tenderloin.
Use the remaining half of the marinade to marinate the tenderloin for 1 hour. (Comments on the website suggest that you can reduce the time – if you’re in a hurry – to as little as a half hour.)
Kitchen Goddess note: The Kitchen Goddess prefers the ziploc bag method of marinating: place the meat inside a large ziploc bag, pour the marinade over it, and close the bag, removing as much air as possible in the process. This methodology practically eliminates the mess factor (no cleanup!), reduces the chance of contamination from bacteria in the area (the bags are nonreactive), and it saves room in the fridge.
While the meat marinates, prepare your grill for high direct heat on one side, and low heat on the other.
Remove the tenderloin from the marinade and toss the used marinade. Coat the meat lightly with olive oil. (Or not, remember?) To sear the meat, lay it across the grill, with the larger end of the tenderloin on the hot side of the grill, and the narrower end toward the cool side. After 1-2 minutes, when the grill marks are good on the first side, then roll the meat to another side for another 1-2 minutes. Keep rolling the meat until all sides have been lightly seared.
Once the meat is fully seared, move the entire piece to the low heat side of the grill. Cover and cook a few minutes more, until the internal temperature of the tenderloin reaches 140-145º F (using 145º if you like your meat more well done). I would give you a time frame for this part, but much depends on the heat of your grill, the thickness of your meat, and the skill of your grillmeister.
When the meat has reached the proper temperature, transfer it to a platter or cutting board. Tent the meat with foil and let it rest 5-10 minutes. The meat continues to cook under its little foil tent, so if you’ve gotten the temperature above 140º, go for less resting time.
Slice the meat in ½-inch slices, drizzle on some of the remaining glaze, and sprinkle with the scallions, if you are using them. Serve with rice and a pitcher of the glaze on the side.
And have a happy Memorial Day weekend!
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