The Much Anticipated Pork Tenderloin

I think I've been talking about this pork tenderloin recipe for at least a week now.  It was one of the first recipes that caught my eye when I purchased Vera Bradley's Cooking with Friends Cookbook.  We were going to do it earlier, but it requires 24 hours of marinating time which means that I must think about it ahead of time...something that doesn't always happen when I'm trying to juggle nursing school and working part time.  Then we were going to do it over the weekend, but a sale on baby back ribs distracted us. Finally, the time has come for us to do the pork tenderloin!!!


While the cookbook recipe states to marinate for 24 hours (one of the barriers from doing it before), I opted to marinate for 10 hours.  Honestly, I was just too tired on Friday to put it together.  Sad, I know, but that's what happens when you stay up late to watch a Thursday night football game.  One of the things that drew me to this recipe was the fact that I got to use my beloved juicer.  No, it's not one of those high tech electric ones:  Instead, it is one that I inherited after my Grandmother Caldwell passed away.  She wasn't much of a cooker, but I hope that she is smiling down from heaven every time that I use it.  It is definitely one of my as I scramble to grab Ty and Weezy and head out the door.  It's a simple glass one, but as you can tell, I love it.  


I prepared the onion-jalapeno marmalade with the NC State-FSU game going on in the background.  I was definitely tearing up while I thinly sliced my way through 2 sweet onions (much like NC State fans when the game was over).  It was so bad that I had to post a picture of my "bowl of tears."  The actual cooking process went a lot better.  I subbed 2 tablespoons of sliced jalapeno that I minced for the 2 fresh ones that I original recipe required.  I was a little skeptical as I was cooking, but it was actually really good.


Sadly though, the tenderloin didn't turn out so well.  I don't know if it were the distraction of the horrible 1st quarter of the South Carolina-Tennessee game or the fact that I relied on my meat thermometer so much, but the tenderloin ended up overcooked and dried out.  I was able to salvage it by making a sauce of some of the ingredients in the marinade to moisten it up (lime juice, djion mustard, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, ginger, garlic powder).  I served it with our favorite green bean recipe which you can find here.  I should've known that something that I was so excited about would be less than stellar.  Isn't that how it always is?  


So here is the recipe from my Vera Bradley cookbook.  As I said before, the only changes that I made were to use sliced jalapenos from a jar versus fresh (and obviously overcooking it).  If anyone has any advice on cooking pork to make sure that it isn't going to dried out but not sketchy either, I'd appreciate it!!!




Grilled Garlic Lime Pork Tenderloin


Ingredients
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root (I used 2 teaspoon ground ginger)

2 teaspoons Dijuon mustard

1/3 fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
cayenne pepper to taste\salt and pepper to taste
 4  (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins


Directions
Process the garlic, soy sauce, ginger root, Dijon mustard, lime juice, oil, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until blended.  Place the pork in a large plastic food storage bag.  Pour the marinade over the pork and seal the bag.  Place in a shallow dish.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours (I marinating for 10 hours), turning occasionally. 

Prepare grill.  Let pork stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.  Drain the pork, discarding the marinade.  Place on an oiled grill rack.  Grill 5 to 6 inches above glowing coals for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through, turning every 5 minutes.  Remove pork and place on a cutting board.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Cut into slices.  Serve with Onion Jalapeno Marmalade.

Onion Jalapeno Marmalade
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds red or yellow onions, thinly sliced, separated into rings (I used 2 sweet onions)

3 tablespoons olive oil (I used extra virgin)
2 fresh jalapeno chiles, sedeed, minced  (I minced 2 tablespoons of sliced jalapenos from a jar)
2 tablespoons honey or sugar (I used honey)
2 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used 4 tablespoons)

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste


Directions
Saute the onions in the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat until softened.  Add the chiles. Saute for 1 minute.  Add the vinegar.  Simmer until almost all of the liquid is evaporated, stirring constantly.  Add the water.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.  Season with salt and pepper.

It can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, and store, covered, in the refrigerator.  Reheat before serving.  (I added a little water to the marmalade in a small saucepan and reheated on the stove).