If you are looking for an effortless dinner with high potential to please, look no further. This is a subtly fragrant piece of meat to welcome the first spring vegetables, or refresh on a hot summer day. It requires almost no work, just a nice piece of tenderloin, a meat thermometer, and some veggies and a good starch. I chose sweet potatoes for this and used a Heath Riles Garlic Butter rub as the seasoning….perfecto!
Basil-Ginger Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Cuisine: BBQ, Smoked MeatDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutesIf you are looking for an effortless dinner with high potential to please, look no further. This is a subtly fragrant piece of meat to welcome the first spring vegetables, or refresh on a hot summer day. It requires almost no work, just a nice piece of tenderloin, a meat thermometer, and some veggies and a good starch. I chose sweet potatoes for this and used a Heath Riles Garlic Butter rub as the seasoning....perfecto!
Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon if using an oven
1 cup chopped basil leaves
3 tablespoons grated ginger
1 teaspoon lime zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
One 1-pound pork tenderloin
Directions
- In a one gallon plastic bag, combine the olive oil, basil, ginger, lime zest and 1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste. Add the pork tenderloin and coat with the marinade. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.
- Bring the meat in the marinade to room temperature for about 1 hour before placing it on the grill. Remove the tenderloin from the marinade. Discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Place the tenderloin on the grill, cover, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every minute or 2, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140° F. Transfer the tenderloin to a plate, cover with aluminum foil, and let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. Carve the tenderloin in 1/2-inch thick slices. Season with salt and pepper and serve. (And, if you happen to be one of the unlucky few with no backyard, no grill, and no courage to grill on your fire escape, do not despair, skip this step and follow alternate instructions below.)
- I put the sweet potatoes in my pellet smoker at the same time as the pork loin at a medium smoke setting and around 400 degrees on the heat. The veggies I used mixed peppers and zucchini and cooked them on the flat top with some olive oil and sea salt.
- Alternate instructions for the unfortunate souls with no grill: Preheat the oven to 400° F. Remove the tenderloin from the marinade. Discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron pan and brown the pork tenderloin nicely on all sides. Place the pan in the oven. Roast the tenderloin for about 10 to 16 minutes, until the internal thermometer registers 140° F. Cook the potatoes along with it, and the veggies can be done stove top if you choose to use those as well.
- Once at 140 degrees, pull the tenderloin out and transfer to a plate, cover with aluminum foil, and let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Carve the tenderloin in 1/2-inch thick slices. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
