Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Filet

We have a few friends who rarely cook and Bev invited a couple over for one of their favorite meals, fried corn and okra at the dock – have you noticed a pattern here lately. We decided to side the veggies (the main part of the meal) with grilled pork tenderloin filets and mushroom gravy – still had mushrooms we needed to use.

For the corn and okra, it was just as we’ve been doing – okra fried in Crisco on the discada and the corn in butter on the grill side burner.

For the gravy, Bev sauted about ¾ pound of portabella/cremini mushrooms and added a packet of Pioneer Brown Gravy Mix per package instructions.

For the meat, I cut them about 1 ½” thick then mashed them to half that. I wasn’t sure if I should call these medallions (seemed too thick), chops, or filets – which I settled on. We partially cooked some bacon in the microwave and wrapped each piece of meat, securing it with a toothpick. I looked up a few recipes and found several rubs and for what they contained, I decided to go with a light amount of the following on each side – herbes de provence, kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika – I used the smoky version. I grilled them over high heat for a couple of minutes per side to develop a crust, then turned them to low and cooked to an internal temp of 140* - they were just pink inside and still nice and juicy. Here they are on the grill and the finished platter.




And my plate.


Our guests loved them, but I considered them just okay. I thought the pork was good by itself and I thought the gravy was good, but I didn’t think they worked well together. I should have gone with my first instinct and made my own gravy using the same herbs as on the meat - just another step on my journey toward becoming more of a chef and not just a recipe follower. The corn and okra were excellent as usual.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Larry

8 comments:

  1. I love the idea of wrapping bacon around those pork filets. The only gravy I'm an expert at is white chicken gravy when I make fried chicken, so I really appreciate your perspective on the seasonings with a brown gravy. I really should try to make it more often. Question: do you bread your okra before frying?

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  2. Looks so tasty - and I'm with you on the gravy mix. That stuff is full of sodium and lots of chemicals . . . much tastier and better for you to make a simple gravy with beef stock. As always, I'm jealous of your okra. Mine is making a show - maybe I'll get a little okra yet. :)

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  3. Well Larry---you are becoming a great chef.. By cooking different things in different ways, you find out what works and what does not... The next thing we know, you'll be publishing a Big Dude Cookbook.
    Betsy

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  4. You sound disappointed but it sounds like a wonderful meal to me. I must say I love the pork wrapped with pork. My husband would love to eat at your table. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  5. If everyone else enjoys it, I just shut up and don't voice my own disappointments. I think pork's coming our way later this week.

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  6. Sounds like it was a hit, even if not with you. A neighbor mentioned this method of cooking pork tenderloin a few years ago but I just haven't tried it. Did the bacon cook through? It never seems to cook right when I try it on beef fillets or scallops.

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