This pork tenderloin has been on our summer dinner rotation now for a few years and we cook it almost as often as the tri-tip when friends come over for dinner. You know how designers talk about the “pop” of color that makes the room all come together, that is how I feel about the mint in the rice salad. It’s the “pop” of flavor that brings the whole dish together, that makes little choruses sing inside of your head when you take the first bite. Pork tenderloin is one of my most favorite meats to cook on the grill because it is so moist and takes on the flavor of the marinade so well. Camille cooks up this tenderloin and crack sauce and it’s another favorite of ours. It does take a few minutes to remove the silver skin from the tenderloin, but it’s a small price to pay for such a consistently delicious piece of meat.
Sometimes I am tempted to buy the pork loin instead of tenderloin for this recipe since it can be cheaper, but I always regret that decision since the pork loin is tougher when cooked.
Hurry! Our grilling evenings are limited and this should be made this summer, before the pumpkin and squash get the best of your cooking.
For the marinade:
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce (GF version if you need this GF)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
For the rice salad:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 cup peeled, seeded and finely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
3 cups cooked wild rice (or combination of white and wild rice)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Make the marinade: in a large bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.
Prepare the pork tenderloin: Remove the silver skin from the tenderloins. Place the two tenderloins in a large resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the pork. Place in a container large enough to hold the pork and keep in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours, turning occasionally.
To make the salad: In a large bowl combine the lemon juice, mustard. Whisk in the peanut oil. Add the cucumber, celery, mint and wild rice or combination of wild rice and white rice. (I do the combination with my family, so it’s more kid friendly, but straight wild rice is delicious.) Stir together and season with salt and pepper. Taste the salad. If it’s not amazing to you, add a little more salt. Set the salad aside.
Grill the pork: Remove the pork from the bag and discard the marinade. Lightly pat the tenderloins dry, then rub with a bit of oil. Allow to stand for 20 minutes before grilling. Grill over medium heat for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling time, until the internal temperature reaches 155º or when the center is just barely pink. Remove from the grill and wrap in foil. Let the tenderloins rest for a few minutes before cutting in thin slices.
- For the marinade:
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (GF version if you need this GF)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
- For the rice salad:
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup peanut oil
- 1 cup peeled, seeded and finely chopped cucumber
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint
- 3 cups cooked wild rice (or combination of white and wild rice)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Make the marinade: in a large bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.
- Prepare the pork tenderloin: Remove the silver skin from the tenderloins. Place the two tenderloins in a large resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the pork. Place in a container large enough to hold the pork and keep in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours, turning occasionally.
- To make the salad: In a large bowl combine the lemon juice, mustard. Whisk in the peanut oil. Add the cucumber, celery, mint and wild rice or combination of wild rice and white rice. (I do the combination with my family, so it's more kid friendly, but straight wild rice is delicious.) Stir together and season with salt and pepper. Taste the salad. If it's not amazing to you, add a little more salt. Set the salad aside.
- Grill the pork: Remove the pork from the bag and discard the marinade. Lightly pat the tenderloins dry, then rub with a bit of oil. Allow to stand for 20 minutes before grilling. Grill over medium heat for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling time, until the internal temperature reaches 155 º or when the center is just barely pink. Remove from the grill and wrap in foil. Let the tenderloins rest for a few minutes before cutting in thin slices.
Recipe adapted from Weber’s Big Book of Grilling.