Photography Courtesy of Arthur Aguirre
Last issue, we asked for your submissions in our first grilling-recipe contest. The winner is Arthur Aguirre, whose most delectable dish was not the traditional beef, but rather “the other white meat,” pork.
2 pork tenderloins, trimmed 1 bottle white wine 1/4 cup olive oil 1 cup shallots, chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1/4 cup water 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper to taste 1 stick butter, melted 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed Fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage 4 tablespoons olive oil
In a 2-gallon storage bag, combine the white wine, 1/4 cup olive oil, shallots, four crushed garlic cloves, water, and balsamic vinegar. Add the pork tenderloins and let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours, or up to three days.
Set up the grill for indirect grilling at 450 degrees.
Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and wipe them dry with paper towels. Season the tenderloins with salt and pepper, then truss them together with butcher’s twine.
To make the basting sauce, combine the melted stick of butter and the second four crushed garlic cloves in a small saucepan. Place the tenderloins and the pan of basting sauce on the cool side of the grill and close the lid on the cooker, leaving the vents wide open.
Assemble an herb brush by securing the fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage to a wooden spoon handle with twine. After the first 20 minutes of cooking, use the brush to baste the meat. Baste every 10 to 15 minutes; reserve any sauce that’s left over.
After the tenderloins cook about 1 hour and when the internal temperature of the pork reaches 130 degrees, bring the grill up to high heat (600-plus degrees). Do not put the lid on. Cook the tenderloins over high heat until a little char develops (2 or 3 minutes), then turn them over and char the other side.
Remove the meat from the grill, place it on a platter, and tent it with foil. Let the tenderloins rest for approximately 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the charred and seasoned ends of the basting brush on a cutting board. Then add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to the cutting-board surface to make a “board dressing.”
Remove the butcher’s twine from the meat, place the meat on the cutting board, and slice the pork into 1-inch-thick medallions. Let the slices of pork get coated with the board dressing. Place the tenderloin medallions back on the platter, then pour the board dressing and reserved basting sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
