Summer of Grilling: Grilled Citrus Pork Tenderloin

2016 is going down as the summer of grilling for us.

This is the year that we are going to perfect our grilling skills and it all starts with a Master Grilling Class that we took.  What an excellent class!  It was a small group of 10 people with hands on grilling for about 2 hours.  We prepped, studied, grilled, studied some more, and then ate a delicious dinner.  We got to learn various grilling techniques on different types of food.  The menu was simple:  How to grill vegetables, How to make the perfect steak, direct vs. indirect heat, searing, and grill to oven with chicken.  As an added bonus we made several different sauces such as a chimichurri, a teriyaki for grilled shrimp and a lemon herb for the chicken.

The best part was all the Q&A sessions where we learned so many tips.  It really helps when you get to pick the brain of a chef.  "It's all about technique" chef Mike says.   You can take the same recipe and have 5 chefs make it and each one will be unique because their style and techniques may be slightly different.  Makes sense right?  Otherwise we wouldn't have so many restaurants with overlapping dishes.

To put our Master Grilling class to good use we promptly went and bought a wonderful pork tenderloin (you know, the other white meat...) to try out all the tips we learned on the grill.  We don't eat pork that often although we love it, and I usually roast my tenderloins, so this was going to be fun!  Pork, like chicken is a neutral bases that lends itself to so many different flavors.  Since summer gives us an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables I wanted to theme our dinner around light summery flavors.  I whipped up a wonderful Citrus Glaze to go on the pork, and we served it with my Sautéed Zucchini with Mint, Basil, & Pine Nuts as a side dish.   

Wow, the class was a hit, the grilling came off like a breeze, and the dinner was a fabulous success!  The pork turned out tender and juicy and the glaze was the perfect amount of light citrus, sweet and heat all rolled into one.  Could not have been any better.

We have so many things we want to grill this summer so be on the look out for more delicious food coming your way!

Enjoy some grilling this summer!

Grilled Citrus Pork Tenderloin

serves 2

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 - 1 1/4 pounds)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

¾ cup orange marmalade (I used one with pieces of fruit in it)

Zest and juice from 1 orange
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Garnish:  lemon slices

Remove the silver skin from the pork tenderloin.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Allow the meat to come to room temperature (about 15 minutes) while you heat the grill to medium-high heat. 

Meanwhile in a small saucepan add the orange marmalade, zest from the orange and the lemon, and orange juice and lemon juice.  Stir to combine.  Add the red pepper flakes and heat over low heat until the sauce starts to melt a little and combines well.  Remove several spoonfuls to a bowl to use for serving and the remaining glaze will be used during grilling.

Place the tenderloin on the grill and cook 8 minutes on the first side.  Turn the tenderloin over and baste with the glaze.  Cook another 8 minutes.  Turn over again and baste with the glaze.  Cook turning frequently so the glaze does not burn until the meat reaches 155 degrees.  Remove from the grill and allow to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" pieces.

Serve with additional glaze drizzled on top and lemon slice on the side if desired.