Cherry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

If you asked me what my favorite cut of pork is every day, I would probably change my answer each day.  Shoulder, chops, ribs, sausage, belly....you name it.  Sunday my pork weapon of choice was tenderloin.  It's lean, quick cooking, and can take on so many kinds of flavors.

This particular time I went with the sweetness of cherry and the smoky heat of chipotle for a delicious grilled Cherry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin.

The brine, rub, and BBQ sauce are all easy to make for this simple recipe.  If you don't have the time to brine, you could skip that part but it adds a lot of flavor and keeps the pork juicy while grilling.

Cherry Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

by www.nibblemethis.com

Prep Time: 4 hour brine time

Cook Time: 22-25 minutes

Ingredients (6 servings)

You'll need

• 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed of silverskin

For The Brine

• 1 quart water
• 1/3 cup whiskey
• 1/3 cup birch or maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt

For The Pork Rub

• 4 tsp turbinado sugar
• 2 tsp smoked salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic pepper
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder

For the Glaze

• 1/2 cup red BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup cherry preserves
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Pork rub
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder

Instructions

1. Mix the brine ingredients and chill to 40f. Brine the tenderloins for 4-6 hours.
2. Mix the sauce ingredients together, bring to a simmer and then remove to heat. You don't want it to thicken, just blend.
3. Preheat a charcoal grill to 350-400f.
4. Remove the tenderloins from the brine and pat dry. I like to tie my tenderloins after tucking the skinny end under, so they cook evenly end to end. Reserve 1 tsp of the rub for the sauce and use the rest to cover the tenderloins.
5. Grill the tenderloins, turning occasionally, until they reach an internal temp of 140f (about 22-25 minutes). Brush with the glaze and cook another minute per side, just enough to cook the sauce onto the pork.
6. Let rest for 5 minutes, slice thin, and serve with the remaining sauce.

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Since they almost always come two in a pack, they should call them "twinderloins".

Notice the coal arrangement.  See the void in the bottom right corner?  That's to help keep the corn husks from burning.

Place the corn so their husks are over the void.

Served with rice pilaf and grilled cilantro butter corn.

Do you have a favorite pork tenderloin dish?