PORK TENDERLOIN

[wmn luv me walleye fearme]

got a couple of pork tenderloins I was looking to do on the grill for the game on saturday (buckeyes 31 Trojans 14 should be about the final score) Any suggestions on a good way to cook them? I've only done a couple and theyve been the already seasoned cheaper ones. I'm sure there are some old recipes that if I could just figure out how to do a good search I could pull up, but everytime I try it I cant pull up anything

[thirdeye]

Glad to hear you are liking the Egg. I cook a lot direct with a raised set-up that gets the grate higher up in the cooker, farther away from the coals. I can give you a couple of ideas if you ever want to explore that type of cooking.

For tenderloins, I usually go kind of simple with mine, maybe just salt and pepper or a rub of sorts, then grill over a medium/hot fire until they are 145°. One good tip is to take some kitchen twine and tie the tapered end back onto the body, this lets it all cook the same.

If you want to go one step further, you can baste them with garlic butter about halfway through the cook. Or glaze them with barbecue sauce right at the end of the cook (just be careful because the sugars in the BBQ sauces can burn easily)

If you really want to try something different, season the tenderloin and sear in a pan with garlic butter, then move to a preheated cooking plank in your Egg. I like to garnish with herbs, sticking them under the twine I mentioned. The cook will take about 25 minutes and smoke from the smoldering plank will bathe the tenderloin in smoke. Monitor the meat with a thermometer, don't rely on the time alone. The reason you sear it is to get some color on it. In this picture, I think I tied two tenderloins together, but it's easier to control if you do them single. They cook faster too.

You do have to soak the plank for 2 hours in water. Get the cooker to about 400° and put it on for 5 minutes or so to get hot. Rub some oil on the cooking side and put the seared loins on it. Keep a squirt bottle of water near by if the plank should catch on fire on the edges. All you need is a dribble of water.

[SkunkedAgain]

I've always taken those things and just doused 'em in Lowry's seasoned salt like Mom used to do. I baked it in the oven until it's juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

[Tripleplay]

Until recently I always seasoned with a recipe I pulled out of the pink Betty Crocker cookbook. Uses sage as the main flavoring along with garlic powder, salt & pepper and maybe something else I'm forgetting. Always cooked them inside foil on the top rack until the were close to done and then down on to the main rack for the grill markings. Always very good but a little slow with the indirect method.

Needed to rush them along recently and dropped them directly on the grill top and turn-turn-turn. Ended up very good and although both were preseasoned/marinated when bought I would do them this way again. At least one of the times these were the full size tenderloins from a great meat market and I did cut them into three pieces just to keep them moving along. Not sure you can turn them enought times but a cold beverage next to you may make that a bit more tolerable.

[wmn luv me walleye fearme]

Thanks a lot for the advise (leaning towards either the basting with garlic butter, or the sage seasoning sounds pretty tasty to) I have some cedar planks for fish and since I bought 2 tenderloins i might have to give that a try for the 2nd one. As far as the egg its been great, when i woke up at 6 am smoking a shoulder, walked out to the grill and saw it was still right at 220, knew i made a good choice. Third eye, as far as getting it higher up away from the coals what do you use? (I have the plate setter for indirect heating which raises it but havent tried anything like that) Maybe just some small ceramic pieces of the same size might raise it?

Thanks

[irvingdog]

I grill them until 145 internal temp. Never, ever cook pork without a thermometer. You'll overcook them every time. Everyone has folks scared about undercooked pork, but 145, with a 10 minute rest period (off of the grill, wrapped in foil) is perfection with a tenderloin.

I bet 90% of the readers of this post have never had properly cooked pork tenderloin.

Oh, and for seasoning, I've fallen deeply, madly in love with a product called "Bacon Salt". You can get it at Byerlys.

Do a Google for Bacon Salt. It is the best thing EVER!!!!

[thirdeye]

Boy, you have some excellent suggestions here. I like sage too, and you can always saute some sage leaves in butter (or garlic butter) and get a real flavorful baste.

I know cedar planks are common, but I don't care for the flavor at all. (maybe it's all those years of sitting around a Rocky Mountain campfire). I like alder and hickory planks much better.

For raising the grate, one of the most clever solutions is a spacer ring. It sits on the fire ring and the grate sits atop it. This gives you 3 or 4 more inches of distance. Then there are rings that have multi-tier options, that will get you higher.

You can also add a BGE grate extender to get another option for more distance or for over/under cooks.

[Scott M]

I go with an apple bourbon marinade, off the shelf guys, sorry I don't have a recipe. As was stated, use a meat thermometer because pork is easy to overcook. There aren't the same undercooked tricnosis threats in pork anymore because 99.9% of pork in the U.S. is raised on concrete. 145 degrees sounds about right. Oh so sweet and juicy. Mmmmm. One of my favorites for the grill.

[wmn luv me walleye fearme]

I basically ruined every pork chop I cooked until about 2 years ago. Was always under the 175 minimum for chicken and pork guideline until I went out to dinner one night, ordered pork and was asked how I would like it cooked, never knew medium was a possibility, since I realized I dont have to over cook it and dry it out has been much better. Thanks for the advice

[prov1900]

Thirdeye, do you use alder for pork? I like alder a lot, but was always too chicken to use it on anything but fish.

[thirdeye]

I think I like hickory or maple better on pork, but alder is okay. It's the lightest wood I have used (flavor wise) and that is why it's so good on fish. It is also a good choice if someone does not like a real smoky flavor.

[Dark Cloud]

I do pork tenderloins alot on the grill. I usually do them in tinfoil first and finsh them on the grill depending on how far along they are...

145 is spot on. Alot of people are scared about under cooking pork but honestly that was more of a concern back in the days before refridgeration! lol...

Lots of ways to flavor the pork. I'll usually do 3 tenderloins for a meal and make 3 diff flavors. A simple spicy or sweet bottled BBQ sauce is always good. This summer a bunch of times I made one with - a little salt and pepper, some olive oil, a bunch of choppe garlic, a healthy shakeing of grated parm cheese, and some tarragon all in the foil...

Got some left over french onion soup?, put that in the foil packet to cook the pork in...

I'll also make a sweet and spicy one with roasted chipotle peppers, carmelized onion, a few jalopenos, some honey, orange juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder...

Asain cirtus is another one I like - OJ, lemon, and lime juice, some soy sauce, seaseme oil, a touch of honey, some garlic or ginger.

Some great bottled sauces and marinades out there but as you can see I like to tinker either with some bottled or make a scratch creation. Usually around 20 minutes on the top rack on med-low heat flipping once will have the pork close. Open up the foil then and cut one in half or take a temp. If they are kinda pink, they will cook the rest of the way just standing a few minutes. If real pink, take them out of the foil and throw them on the grill for 6-10 minutes.

Really a nice meat for trying new things and very hard to ruin...

[Wookiee]

Undercooked pork is a concern of the past with trichinosis. Where the hogs are raised and processed took care of that problem. Cook your pork medium and thats perfect

[Jim Uran]

The only way to ruin it is to overcook it.

[wmn luv me walleye fearme]

did one in a teriyaki, pineapple juice, ginger marinade, and on the other I tried the Sage butter. Both turned out great and were pulled off the grill at 145. Just wish the game (osu vs usc) turned out as well as the pork.

[Windy City]

I hope he is a better cook than a college football prognosticator, whoo wee did the Eyes do a belly flop on that game!

Windy

[wmn luv me walleye fearme]

by the third quarter I couldnt even speak i was so ticked off then my wife reminded me about how [PoorWordUsage] lauranitus, jenkins, boone must be (3 guys that could have been drafted high but came back to win a national title)must feel. Kind of put it in perspective.