BBQ Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Hi!! I'm back, after 2+ weeks on vacation. A wonderful vacation - I must say - cruising across the Aegean Sea with John's family, trapped on a boat with endless amounts of food and wine. My kind of paradise. 

So, since our trip ended right at the start of the 4th of July weekend, we skipped our usual Wisconsin lake weekend and stayed in the Dallas heat. I had to find some way to celebrate of course, so I made a dinner that consisted of 3 main courses: BBQ pork tenderloin, sweet orange-soy chicken skewers, and lobster rolls. A perfect way to dive back into eating light after 2 weeks of binging. Grilling is healthy though so we're fine.

I'll start with the BBQ pork tenderloin. I will tell you that as I was making this marinade (it's an original, at least as far as I can tell), I didn't think we would like it. In fact, that's when the chicken skewers got thrown into the mix as a backup. But, I was wrong. It turned out just as I had wanted it to, a sweet and tangy pork with a bit of spice - very flavorful. I've said it before and I'll say it again, pork tenderloin is the perfect spring/summer dinner party entree (I guess I don't know why it couldn't be fall too). 

Recipe

For the pork:

• 2 pork tenderloins
• olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of your favorite BBQ pork rub (*or you can make your own, see below)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the marinade:

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard (or a squirt of yellow mustard would do)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Prepare the pork by brushing with olive oil, then sprinkling with the dry rub and brown sugar. Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Add the pork and marinade to a large ziploc bag, then marinate at least 8 hours or overnight (I always do overnight). 

To grill, heat the grill to medium-high. Remove the pork from the marinade, transferring the rest of the sauce to a pan. Grill the pork about 5 minutes on each side over direct heat, then transfer to indirect heat for another 5 or so. The temp should register around 140.  Remove the pork from the grill and tent with foil for about 10 minutes before slicing.  Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade to a low boil. Serve with pork on the side. 

Enjoy the rest of your 4th of July weekend!

*You can easily make your own dry rub with spices in your pantry:  I like to use about equal parts of paprika, salt & brown sugar, half part cumin, and sometimes a pinch of granulate onion or garlic