Today I am sharing an excellent marinade courtesy of Tide & Thyme. I’ve adapted the recipe for a quick turn on the grill, either gas or charcoal, and I’ve butterflied the pork tenderloins. This maximizes the surface area to soak in the yummy marinade, and also speeds up the grilling time so that the meat cooks through before the outside burns… which tends to happen when there is any sugar in a marinade. To prepare the tenderloins, simply trim all visible fat, remove the silverskin (very important) then use a large knife to cut the meat lengthwise, about 1/2 of the way through. Open the meat up to lay flat and pound gently to even it out, either with a meat mallet or just the palm of your hand. For best flavor, marinate overnight.
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2 pork tenderloins, trimmed and butterflied (see note above)
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Combine preserves, garlic, coriander, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, lime juice, orange juice, crushed red pepper and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk well to combine, paying attention to break up the peanut butter. Place pork tenderloins in gallon sized Ziploc bag and pour the marinade on top. Squeeze out the air, and seal, using your hands to squish bag and distribute marinade evenly. Place in refrigerator and let marinade for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
Preheat grill on high. Remove pork from marinade and bring the marinade to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce to a simmer and keep warm. Grill tenderloins on both sides until you have nice golden grill marks then turn the heat down a bit (or move to a cooler spot on the grill if using charcoal) and cook 5-10 minutes until just cooked through. Brush tenderloins with the reserved marinade (thoroughly heated). Slice and serve with fresh cilantro if desired. Serves 4-6
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