Back to School?
Sort of...Instead I decided to invite my student teacher and some colleagues over for a "work" night. I haven't posted much to do about pork yet so I figured it was about time. Leafed through the trusted Weber and found a nice little recipe for Jerk sauce. Now, Jerk sauce has nothing to do with "Talks-to-loud-on-his-cellphone" guy or "has-a-really-fake-laugh" type girls. Instead, it is a Jamaican style marinade that work well with chops or in this case, tenderloin.
I find good tenderloin recipes are hard to come by, as they require a certain kind of flavour that really soaks into the loin (ha ha!) This one was especially nice because of the hot pepper - it really brought the whole thing together. The sweet potato recipe was especially interesting, with a nice citrus zest to what would ordinarily been just grilled potatoes.
Jerk Tenderloin Paste:
8 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Habanero pepper, seeded
1 Tbsp allspice (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg)
1 tsp coarse salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Thyme
Process these ingredients using a blender, about 2 minutes or until nice and smooth. Brush the paste over the meat and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Make sure you take the meat out 30-40 minutes before grilling, to bring it back to room temperature. When grilling, do it over MED-LOW heat for 5 minutes on all 4 sides (if you still have paste left, brush it on during the grilling!) Do not overcook! Once the 20 minutes is up, remove from heat, place on a rack and cover with foil - let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. REMEMBER: When you're cooking pork - you want it to be pink, not glassy. Use a meat thermometer and undercook it slightly.
Citrus Glazed Sweet Potatoes:
Zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper
Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into 1/2 inch pieces. Combine the ingredients above and pour over the potatoes in a bowl. Grill over direct LOW heat for 20 minutes, flip often so they do not burn and keep brushing with the excess glaze. Once soft right through (check with a knife), remove immediately.Labels: Pork, Sides
