Gaze upon this fruity pork glaze
One of the unsung heroes on the meat counter is the pork tenderloin — lean, easy to cook and usually cheap.
Fresh or frozen, one of these slabs of lean and tender pork can be sliced, pounded and used in place of veal scallopini. Two tenderloins can be sliced open, one spread with stuffing, the other laid on top, the whole tied, spread with bacon and roasted.
Mark Bittman, former New York Times food writer, likes this cut of pork for grilling. He recommends glazing it as it grills in his new book, How to Grill Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Flame-Cooked Food (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/ Raincoast, $40).
If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, make your own: He offers substitute glazes.
Bittman’s latest tome is a winner. The directions are so well written you might even try such offbeat ideas as grilling avocados or slabs of bok choy and cabbage.
POMEGRANATE-HONEY PORK TENDERLOIN
Serves: 4 1 ½ lbs (680 g) pork tenderloin, trimmed of extra fat and silverskin (see Note)
Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tbsp (30 mL) honey
1 tbsp (15 mL) pomegranate molasses (see Note)
2 tsp (10 mL) soy sauce
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
Juice of ½ lime
Note: With a thin, very sharp knife, cut under one end of this silvery membrane and shave down the length of the meat, pulling the membrane away from the meat so you remove it and not the meat. To make molasses, simmer 1 cup (250 mL) unsweetened pomegranate juice until syrupy.
1. Clean grates of grill and preheat to medium-high. Pat meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, pomegranate molasses, soy sauce, sugar and lime juice. Salt to taste.
3. Put meat directly on the grill right over the fire, close the lid and sear for three minutes. Turn meat, brush seared side with the glaze, close the lid and sear the second side for three minutes.
4. Turn and brush second side with glaze. Continue to turn and brush with the glaze every few minutes until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat is between 135 and 140 F (57 to 60 C), for another 10 to 20 minutes, time depending on thickness of the meat and heat of the grill. If the glaze browns too much, move meat to the edge of the fire or turn the heat down.
5. When done, transfer to a cutting board and let rest until the internal temperature rises to 145 F (63 C). Slice and serve.
ALTERNATIVES:
Replace pomegranate molasses with sesame oil and the juice of a whole lime. Trim with toasted sesame seeds and chopped chives. Replace honey, pomegranate molasses, soy sauce, sugar and lime juice with 2 tbsp (30 mL) Dijon mustard and 1 tbsp (15 mL) curry powder. Omit glaze and rub meat with ¼ cup (60 mL) white, yellow or red miso.