One of my most favourite meats to prepare is pork tenderloin- you really can't mess it up (unless you really tried, but why would you want to do that honestly.) I've only ever baked pork tenderloin before. 350F for 40 minutes or so, then let it rest for 10. I could do it blindfolded. Except for fear of burning myself. Which sometimes happens anyway. It's always turned out pretty fantastic so why would I want to stray from a tried and true cooking method. Well, sometimes variety is the spice of life. So here I am living large and pan-griddling a pork tenderloin.
I have one very under utilized Cuisinart Griddler that is stored in the deepest, darkest depths of an awkward corner kitchen cupboard. And every time I rummage around in there looking for something else (like snacks which we also store in that particular cupboard), I see it and ask myself "why don't we cook with it more?" My Sous Chef had the same reaction when I hauled it out and dusted it off to make this dish. After all, it's extremely versatile- you can grill steaks, paninis, burgers, obviously pork tenderloin, make the best damn grilled cheese ever, and then switch out the grill plates to make a boatload of pancakes on the griddle. It turned out to be a perfect way to make a very flavourful and juicy tenderloin. It was so much quicker to cook on than the oven, especially when your ghetto oven takes 20 minutes to heat up (not even exaggerating here, but wish I was.) By basting the meat regularly, you get a lovely, sweet and thick sauce that looks fabulous and tastes even better. So why DON'T we use it more? That revelation came the next day as the Sous Chef was trying to scrub up the grill plates (did I mention that I had soaked them overnight in soapy water?) Think back to that sweet and delicious sauce. It is an absolute bastard to clean. Yup now I remember. So back in to the bottom corner of the poorly designed kitchen cupboard it goes. Until many months from now, when in search of something to snack on, I will again rediscover it and tell myself that I should really use it more often. Happens every 6 months or so. Like clockwork.
All kidding aside, it is a great kitchen appliance...as long as you can fool someone else into doing the cleaning up. Thanks Sous Chef!
Cheers from Bistro 164.
Pan-Grilled Ginger-Honey Pork Tenderloin
adapted from Cooking Light magazine January/February 2012
Serves 4
Skill level: So easy and quick to make
Ingredients
1 tbsp grated ginger in oil
3 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
a few splashes or so of PC Black Label Hatcho Miso Marinade sauce
1 tbsp diced garlic in oil
Directions
Combine ginger, honey, garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, miso sauce in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. I used our Cuisinart Griddler and set to medium-high heat. Brush sauce onto the pork. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper, place on pan/griddle and cook for about 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers around 145 F (or until desired level of doneness.) Baste quite frequently with the sauce. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
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