In the summertime pork tenderloin is one of my favorite cuts of meat: it’s perfect on the grill, and its flavor profile (hello, Chef Michael! ;-)) can change quite a bit through the use of dry rubs or flavorful marinades.  This recipe became a regular on our menu after I made it the first time. Butterflying the meat allows it to cook quickly, which is certainly a bonus for a busy cook, and the sauce is wonderful!

GRILLED ASIAN PORK TENDERLOIN WITH PEANUT SAUCE
(adapted from a recipe by Pam Anderson, Fine Cooking magazine, June 2007)

Receita em portugues ao final desse artigo…

1 cup light coconut milk (I used regular)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (see comments)
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 T fresh lime juice
3 T dark brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
2T coriander, ground
1 T minced fresh ginger
2 pork tenderloins
oil to slightly rub on the grill

In a large bowl, whisk the ingredients together to make a smooth sauce. Trim the pork tenderloins, removing the silver skin.  Butterfly the meat by splitting each tenderloin lengthwise  almost all the way through, so that the halves stay attached. A nice tutorial can be found here. Open the meat like a book, cover with plastic to protect it while you pound it to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet.

Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade and place the meat in the bowl with the remaining marinade for 20 minutes to several hours in the refrigerator.

Heat the grill on high, oil the grate slightly to prevent the meat from sticking. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade, letting excess marinade drip into the bowl.  Grill the tenderloins, covered, turning once, until just cooked (about 7 minutes total). Transfer to a cutting board and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before slicing at an angle.

Boil the reserved marinade for a couple of minutes and serve it alongside the meat.

General comments…

Strategy: this is a perfect dish for weeknights. Make the marinade in the morning, allow the meat to sit in it the whole day.  When you arrive from work, start some white rice cooking, a salad or a veggie to serve alongside, turn the grill on and a great dinner will be ready in less than 30 minutes.

The sauce: The recipe as written suggests using the marinade itself to make the sauce, just letting it drip from the meat and boiling it down. You can certainly do that, but I prefer to reserve some of the marinade beforehand.  It will make less sauce, but the meat only needs a slight drizzle.  Buy good quality peanut butter! I’m amazed at the number of expensive organic peanut butters that contain additional oils or even sugar. Read the label before you buy it. Peanut butter, my friends, contains peanuts and a little salt, period.   The original recipe does not call for ginger,  but it does make it even more flavorful.

Variations: The sauce is quite versatile. It can accompany any mild tasting meat, and I particularly like it over large sea scallops, grilled or pan-seared. Vegetarians might enjoy it over grilled eggplant slices. Something about coconut, peanut and eggplant together makes my mouth water…. the leftover meat is great in fajitas.

CANTINHO BRASILEIRO

LOMBINHO DE PORCO GRELHADO AO MOLHO DE AMENDOIM
(adaptada de receita publicada na revista Fine Cooking)

1 xicara de leite de coco
1/2 xicara de creme de amendoim
1/4 xicara de molho de soja
3 colheres de sopa de  suco de limao
3 colheres de sopa de acucar mascavo
1 dente de alho picado
2 colheres de sopa de coentro moido
1 colher de sopa de gengibre ralado
oleo para untar a grelha da churrasqueira
2 lombinhos de porco

Misture todos os ingredientes em uma vasilha que comporte a carne, formando um molho homogeneo. Limpe o lombinho, e abra a carne ao meio no sentido do comprimento, sem separar as fatias por completo, apenas abrindo como se fosse um livro, para reduzir a espessura pela metade em toda a extensao (fotos explicando o processo estao aqui). Proteja a carne com um filme de plastico e bata com um martelo de carne para deixar a espessura por volta de 2 cm. Isso faz com que a carne cozinhe rapidamente na churrasqueira.

Reserve 1/3 xicara do molho e use o restante para marinar a carne por 20 minutos ou varias horas (eu geralmente gosto de fazer esse preparo de manha, chegando em casa no final do dia e’ so’ aquecer a churrasqueira  😉

Ligue (ou acenda) a churrasqueira, passe um pouco de oleo na grelha para que a carne nao grude, e asse o lombinho em ambos os lados, por cerca de 7 minutos ao todo. Transfira para uma tabua de madeira e deixe descansar por 5 minutos antes de cortar fatias fininhas.

Para acompanhar, aqueca o molho de amendoim reservado, reduzindo um pouco em fogo alto.

Bom apetite!