A few weeks back I wrote a post about preparing kabobs in which I suggested that meat sold at grocery stores for kabobs was often the wrong cut and thus required a lot of excessive preparation to make it work for that style of preparation.  I suggested that you use better cuts when preparing meat in this manner.  Well – no sooner said than done by yours truly. I happened to be browsing the meat counter at one of my favorite locally owned grocery stores and discovered a great price on packaged pairs of pork tenderloins.  And these weren’t pre-brined with that nasty tasting solution they use at the processing plant that (to my taste at least) reduces the flavor to a bland and somewhat institutional taste lacking in any true pork flavor characteristics.  I snapped these up and prepared them for dinner that evening.

Pork tenderloin on the "red for raw" meat NSF cutting board. Full pieces of tenderloin are thick at one end and tapered at the other - I think they look like skinned catfish.

Whenever I dress out a whole pork tenderloin it always reminds me of the way a catfish looks when it is skinned and be-headed before breading and frying it whole. (OK I am really weird, I know) Thick and round at one end and for a good 1/2 of the length of the meat, and tapering to a very thin almost flat slip at the other end – where the tendon would have connected.

TIP: Grilling pork tenderloin can be problematic for home cooks. I have witnessed many a cook try to prepare the entire piece on the grill – only to have the thin end over-cooked and inedible.  When I prepare this cut of meat on the grill I will generally dress it  to prepare the roast section, or thickest part, separately from the tapering section.  Often I will hold back the smaller ends and freeze for later as they make excellent saute meat.  Today I wanted to prepare the entire tenderloin as a demonstration of technique and, ahem, I was pretty hungry.

Trimming the pork tenderloin into separate pieces allows the home cook some flexibility in preparation methods and helps deliver a better tasting product.

First I trimmed any silver skin from the meat using a sharp knife. This skin will not add flavor and only serves to hold the meat in place as it cooks, sometimes causing it to warp a bit. And it makes for an unattractive and unpleasant presentation on the plate. Next I eye-balled the tenderloins and trimmed away the ends on both at about where they began to taper, then cut those into larger-than-bite-sized pieces.

I applied dry rub ingredients and massaged them into the meat using my hands - let everything sit for a while - then added some balsamic vinegar and grape seed oil mixing it all together with my hands. Notice I wear food safe gloves during preparation.

I seasoned all of the pork with a base of  sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, ground ginger, garlic, cumin and dry mustard – rubbing it in using my hands (wearing food safe gloves) to massage the meat and really pack in some of these complimentary flavors. The seasoned meat remained in the tray on the counter, with a piece of plastic wrap over the top,  for about 20 minutes to absorb some of those flavors. Next I added a couple of tablespoons of grape seed oil with a dash or two of pretty good quality balsamic vinegar and massaged it all together – paying particular attention to the smaller pieces – the oil is high temperature tolerant and perfect for grilling and the balsamic would caramelize just a bit and really compliment the spices I’d used. (Regular readers know I am not a fan of heavily spiced meats, as I believe the over use of spices masks the flavor of the grilled meat.  I enjoy spices and added flavors of sauces and glazes, but as a compliment to the meat and as a means to enhance the flavors derived when grilled, smoked or barbequed.)

Searing marks into the seasoned pork tenderloin "roasts" and skewered smaller pieces, allowing for different cooking times. "Brown = flavor"

I began grilling the larger roasts first – and when the temperature began to rise I added the smaller pieces on the skewers. The smaller pieces were skewered using two metal skewers so the meat wouldn’t twist when the skewer was picked up with tongs.  I also like metal because it will conduct some heat and that ensures a quicker cook.  (Uh – ahem – I always forget to pre-soak the wooden skewers in water so they end up burning on the grill.)

The roasts were started on the grill first and came off at about the time I put the skewers on. They finished in the holding tray, loosely covered with foil and away from direct heat.

As the meat finished searing I removed it and held it in a tray where it finished to an temp of about 150F degrees in the larger roasts.  The smaller pieces of pork came off the skewers and were a good way to taste-test the doneness. (I highly recommend you always feed the cook during the grilling effort as this helps to maintain energy.)

The outside of the meat was seared by the high heat of the grates, the infrared directly hitting the exposed meat cooked it with nice crust of the seasoning and made that layer of flavor on the outside both pretty to look at and DEE-LISH-US!

When preparing any piece of meat on the grill it’s important to be thinking of what the final product.

What it taste like on the surface of the meat? Will it have layers of flavor that compliment the taste of the type and cut of meat? What will it look like when you present it?

How you present on the plate is an important part of enjoying the grilled food you work so hard to cook!

Whenever possible I like to present food on a platter and then carve and serve it to guests as they sit at the table. The look on the faces is one of anticipation and delight. As you slice and serve to their plates they may be talking but there eyes are following the tongs and that piece of meat as you move it from the cutting board or serving platter to their plate.

Hey that’s all part of the fun of cooking and eating together out doors, right?

So there you have it.  Pork tenderloin. A cut of meat, that is tasty – tender – truly versatile and terrific trimmed for grilling as a small roast to carve in tantalizing slices as well as on skewers.

Happy Grilling!

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Here are some recipes for pork tenderloin you might like to try:

Apricot-Mustard Grilled Pork Tenderloins

Honey Pork Tenderloin Kabobs

CB’s EZ Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Cherry Mustard Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Santa Fe Salad with Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Smoky Citrus Pork Kabobs

Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloins