There are neighborhood book clubs and neighborhood play groups, but in my neighborhood we have a fun food group which we call Iron Chef Bountiful. Carli described our iron chef adventures in her Iron Chef the home game post! When the ingredient for July was announced it got my head spinning with what I could do with “blueberries”. Being summertime and not wanting to overheat my already over-heated house, I started experimenting with ideas that didn’t need the use of my oven.
I think this experiment worked out well considering it won me the gold!! Hopefully you can win some attention of your own with this delicious savory sweet pork tenderloin!
Pork tenderloin is covered with a thin membrane called the silver skin. As it cooks, the silver skin shrinks and can cause the tenderloin to curl and cook unevenly. To remove it, use a small paring knife cut from the outside edge towards the opposite end while pulling the skin upwards with your other hand.
get prepared for my raw meat photo….
I’d sketch it for you, but I couldn’t draw a photo to save my life
are you mentally prepared?
here goes…..
Rub the pork loin with salt and place it into a storage bag. Pour the marinade ingredients over the top of the pork, shake the bag for a few minutes, then place it into the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.
Marinade ingredients: 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1 can ginger ale or sprite, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1 T sesame oil, 1/2 tsp ground mustard, and 1 T Sriracha or hot sauce.
Preheat grill for at least 10 minutes to get it good and hot. Make sure you spray the grill with a nonstick spray prior to tossing on the pork, otherwise it will stick. There is a good reason I only show you an image of one side of my pork- doh!
Sear the tenderloin on all sides for about 1 minute then turn off the burner directly below the pork leaving the side burners on high. Let the pork bake on the grill for about 25 minutes flipping it half way through the cooking time. The internal temperature should reach 145° F.
What makes this dish absolutely delicious is the fruit salad that tops the grilled pork.
It is the proverbial “cherry on top”!
You will need: 4 peaches or nectarines (I have used both and they are equally marvelous) 1 cup of fresh blueberries, 1-2 sprigs of mint, 1 T honey, and the juice from 1 small lemon plus zest).
Peel and dice the nectarines/peaches and mix with blueberries. Chop the mint and add it to the fruit, along with the honey and zest from 1 small lemon. Give it a good stir then squeeze the remaining juice from the lemon into the fruit salad. Let it sit in the fridge until the pork is finished cooking.
For perfectly juicy pieces let your meat rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. If you slice it right away the juices will run all over your cutting board and not soak back into the meat, causing it to become overly dry. I like to place a tent of aluminum foil over the top to keep it nice and hot.
five……
four…..
three…..
two…..
one….
Oh yeah!
Now go ahead and dump your fruity masterpiece over the top.
juices and all…….
It’s beautiful, it’s light, it’s gluten free, and it tastes like it could win a gold medal!
Happy grilling foodie friends!
Beautiful Grilled Summer Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 pork loin
- t T salt (for rubbing)
for the marinade
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can ginger ale or sprite
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 T sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1 T Sriracha or hot sauce
for the topping
- 4 peaches or nectarines
- 1 cup of fresh blueberries
- 1-2 sprigs of mint
- 1 T honey
- 1 small lemon
Instructions
- Remove the silver skin from the pork loin using a small paring knife.
- Rub the tenderloin with salt and toss it into a large storage bag.
- Pour the marinade ingredients over the pork, seal the bag, and shake gently for a few minutes.
- Place bag into the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
- Preheat grill on high for about 10 minutes.
- Sear each side of the pork for about 1 minute
- Turn the grill burner that is directly underneath the pork off and leave the side burners on high.
- Close grill lid and bake for about 12 ½ minutes on each side.
- While meat is cooking Peel and dice the nectarines/peaches and mix with blueberries. Chop the mint and add it to the fruit, along with the honey and zest from 1 small lemon.
- Give it a good stir then squeeze the remaining juice from the lemon into the fruit salad.
- Let it sit in the fridge until the pork is finished cooking.
- Using a meat thermometer, ensure internal temperature reaches 145°.
- Let me rest for at least 5 minutes, then slice into 1½ inch slices.
- Pour fruit topping over pork loin and serve immediately.
I grow my own blueberries so I am always looking for healthy recipes. This looks amazing. Thanks, Sarah
That sounds so yummy! Going to have to try it!
We are having a friend over for dinner tonight and this recipe just went into the refrigerator to marinate. The only thing I changed was to use a tsp of hot sauce (Frank’s Red Hot) instead of a tablespoon–my family is not too crazy about spicy foods. I’m excited to serve this!
Yummy, that looks delicious