Barbecue Pork Tenderloins

This great recipe came in on one of our RSS feeds. Leftover barbecue sauce is great for pulled pork sandwiches, chicken, shrimp, hot dogs, barbecue pizza, burgers or baked beans.

Pork Tenderloin is a great meat to grill. Not only is it low in fat but is highly adaptable to many recipes. Tenderloin is also easy to grill. The biggest problem you might have is drying. Because the tenderloin is so low in fat it can dry quickly on the grill. There are four tricks to juicy, tender and flavorful pork tenderloin. Start with a well trimmed tenderloin making sure to remove any of the “silver” skin from the surface. The silver skin is a shiny membrane you typically find on pork tenderloins.

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (45 minutes active)

Servings: 6

For the sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons tomato paste

12-ounce can Dr Pepper soda (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground ancho chili powder or New Mexican chili powder

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the tenderloins:

2 pork tenderloins (1-1/3 pounds each)

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper or your favorite barbecue rub

• In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes. Continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken, about another 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

• Let the sauce cool for about 10 minutes, or until it is warm but no longer hot. Using an immersion or traditional blender, puree the sauce. Let cool and, if not using immediately, pour into a clean glass jar. The sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated for two weeks.

• To grill the pork, heat the grill to medium.

Wrap the pork tenderloins in paper towels to remove any surface moisture. This will help you to get great grill marks. Brush the dry meat with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place the meat directly over the heat to sear. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once or twice, or until you get good grill marks.

• Switch to medium indirect heat and move the meat to the center of the cooking grate and cook for 30 to 35 minutes total, turning once during cooking and brushing with the barbecue sauce every 5 to 7 minutes until the pork tenderloins are done and the sauce has created a glaze. Using a meat thermometer, make sure the tenderloins read 145 F at the thickest part.

• Remove the pork tenderloins from the grill, allow them to rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then slice on the bias.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 470 calories; 130 calories from fat (28 percent of total calories); 14 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 145 mg cholesterol; 43 g carbohydrate; 42 g protein; 1 g fiber; 1,220 mg sodium.

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Bill & Sheila’s Barbecue – pork tenderloin