Monday, February 13, 2012

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Guava Glaze and Orange-Habanero Mojo


Every so often, our big box store has a special on pork loins. I buy one, then cut it into 3 or 4 chunks, wrap them, label them and freeze them. A pork loin chunk will last Walt and me two dinners and a lunch (5 individual servings) so it’s a pretty economical buy, i.e. about 15 or 16 servings per loin.

I thought I’d try this Bobby Flay recipe on a pork loin I had in the freezer. But, first,  just a note on substitutions. I didn’t use tenderloins, I used a loin. And I didn’t have Guava Jelly. A guava will NEVER grow in the high desert plains of Wyoming. But chokecherries do, so I used some homemade chokecherry jelly. And I didn’t have a habanero chile. But I did have some dried arbol chiles (they’ve got some nice heat), so I chopped them up and sautéed them with the onions. And I didn't have cumin seeds, so I used a teaspoon of ground cumin and sautéed it with the onions for the last 1 minute.

What I’m saying is – if you don’t have a certain ingredient when you are cooking, no matter the recipe, don’t knock yourself out or decide you can’t make something until you get that ingredient. That’s how new recipes are born – when people experiment with ingredients and combinations. The important thing is to be confident – if you make a mistake and it isn’t your favorite flavor, you’ll know to change it up in the future. Have fun cooking!

That said, this is a great pork dish; we couldn’t stop eating it! Lots of nice flavor and not too complicated to put together. Grilling is a great way to make things easy in the kitchen.

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH GUAVA GLAZE AND ORANGE-HABANERO MOJO
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Guava Glaze (recipe follows)
Orange-Habanero Mojo  (recipe follows)


Preheat a grill to high.
Brush pork with oil, and then season it with salt and pepper. Set aside a few tablespoons of the Guava Glaze for brushing the cooked pork. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side (a loin takes longer - about 15 minutes on a side. If you do a loin, don't brush on the Glaze until the last 10 minutes or so because the sugar in the jelly caramelizes and can burn), brushing frequently with the Guava Glaze.




Remove from the grill, brush again with the reserved glaze and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2-inch thick slices, drizzle with the Orange-Habanero Mojo, and serve immediately.

Guava Glaze
1 cup guava jelly, or apricot jam
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Whisk jelly, mustard, and orange juice together in a small bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.



 Orange-Habanero Mojo (this is another delicious sauce – yummy! yummy!)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 habanero chile, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion


and garlic


and, if you use dried chiles



and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.



 Add lime juice,


orange juice,


and habanero chile and bring to a boil.


Cook until reduced by half. Whisk in the cilantro and cumin and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.


 Drizzle over pork.

This was so good served with Grilled Sweet Potatoes:
Peel the sweet potato (1 medium-large one serves both Walt and me)
Slice in ½” thick slices.


Put in a pan of boiling, salted water. Simmer for 5 minutes.


Drain and remove from pan.
Have a bowl ready with some olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Or use your favorite seasoning salt or herbs.


Toss the sweet potato slices with the oil and seasonings.


Put on the grill and grill 4-5 minutes on a side.


We had the pork, sweet potatoes and a spinach salad – great Sunday dinner!

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