I’m not such a big meat fan. A piece of animal flesh is merely a conveyor of other flavors, an instrument for my taste buds. Even a juicy burger is best served smothered in cheese, ketchup, mustard, and onions. So why not go vegetarian you ask. Certainly veggies and tofu could serve the same purpose you might argue.
I don’t have an answer. Why eat meat? Habit? Entertaining? I suppose it’s a number of things. But, until I make the move, until I plunge into the world of black bean burgers and edamame, I will continue to explore ways to maximize the flavor of the flesh.
This brings me to today’s recipe. I was entertaining a few friends last evening and wanted to flavor a pork loin for a simple, no hassle meal. My web search brought me to this recipe for a rub.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pork-tenderloin-smoky-espresso
But here’s the beef I have with rubs. They just don’t do enough for me. I want the flavor to penetrate the meat not remain on the surface. Even with a tender cut, I want the flavor all the way through. So, I altered the recipe to create this rich marinade (or perhaps more accurately called a wet rub) and I reduced the hassle of stovetop browning as you will read below.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons instant decaf coffee
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
3 pressed garlic cloves
1 shot whiskey
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
1.5 lb pork tenderloin*
Mix first 7 ingredients. Use your judgment about salt and pepper – you know what you like. Place tenderloin on a plate or in a plastic bag. Pour marinade over meat. Marinate for 2-3 hours. This is a powerful marinade so I wouldn’t marinate much longer than that.
Preheat oven 450° (I used convection roast on rack close to broiler but general high heat should do the same thing).
Scrape off most of the marinade.
Lightly coat a roasting pan with olive oil. Place meat on pan and roast for about 15 minutes until browned. (LOVE the no mess of stovetop browning!)
Remove from oven, pour remaining marinade over meat. Cover. Reduce heat to 350°. Bake until tender, approximately 1 hour.
Most recipes for pork tenderloin call for baking to a thermometer read of 160°. I prefer to cook mine a bit longer. However, if you enjoy the “slightly pink” pork, go for it.
*This was a very small tenderloin for a small group. The marinade above could easily accommodate a 3 lb. tenderloin. If you are doing a larger tenderloin and need to double the marinade, you could increase each ingredient proportionately except the coffee. I’d advise limiting the coffee to the 2 T measure. Also allow more time for baking.
Let the meat rest a few minutes before cutting. And speaking of cutting, there’s nothing like an electric knife for cutting meat. My guests got a huge kick out of the old school approach.
When serving, drizzle each plate with the juices.
As part of this light, hassle-free meal theme, I served mashed garlic cauliflower and a simple salad of greens and veggies tossed in olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, balsamic glaze, salt and pepper.