Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cheese Grits

The other day someone asked me what I meant by "real grits".

I think the problem that people who hate grits have is they haven't had "real grits".  They have had soupy, bland, quick cooking grits.  I don't blame them.  I hate those grits too.  I think the only person that would like "those grits" is that kid that ate glue back in first grade. Whatever happened to that kid anyway? 

Here are a few signs you are making "real grits"

• They aren't "instant" or "quick cooking"
• They come in a bag, probably not a box.  
• The package might even have no instructions.  (I think they assume if you have any business making grits, you have a mother or grandmother that taught you how somewhere along the way.) 
• You have to sift out the bran before cooking
• They take at least 30-45 minutes to cook.

Anyway here is how I  did mine tonight.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cheese Grits
serves: 4

Ingredients

For the grits

• 1 cup stone ground grits, rinsed and bran flakes skimmed off
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used more of that Spinach, Artichoke & Pepper Jack cheese)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter

For the pork

• 1 pork tenderloin, silver skin trimmed off
• 1 tsp smoked salt
• 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

1. Bring water and a "healthy pinch of salt" to a boil in a medium pot.  
2. Stir in the grits, reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered.  You will need to stir them every few minutes throughout the process.
3. Preheat a charcoal grill to 350f set up for direct heat.
4. Mix the dry seasonings together and season the pork tenderloin.
5. After the grits have been simmering (and stirred.  You're still stirring them, right?) for about 30 minutes, place the tenderloin on your grill and cook with the lid closed.
6. Turn the tenderloin every 5 minutes.  When the tenderloin reaches an internal temp of 120f (about 15 minutes), brush with the BBQ sauce and continue grilling.
7. When the tenderloin reaches in internal temp of 140f, remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes.
8. Your grits should almost be thickened.  Stir in the cheese and butter until it melts.  
9. Taste grits for seasoning and add salt and pepper.  I added another pinch of salt and maybe a 1/4 tsp of pepper.
10. Slice the tenderloin into 3/4" slices, drizzle with extra sauce, and serve with the grits.

Notes

• I used grits from Bear Creek Milling that we bought at  Mast General Store .  They are ground on a 100+ year old mill stone.  When I say "they", I guess I should say Bobby.  I googled the company and came up with this link for their sister company.  I thought it was cool getting to see the people that actually make the products.
• I used Tennessee's Best Apple Butter BBQ Sauce that we picked up at a local market last summer.  We bought it for the boys who love apple butter but I expected it to taste weird.  Turned out it was a good BBQ sauce, tangy and sweet. 

Ok, I painted on the "drip"...sue me.

Only thing missing is a big ol' biscuit. 

Baked Pasta E Fagioli - Quickie Leftover

We had a little of the Pasta E Fagioli leftover from last night.  I put it in some ceramic boats and topped it with some shredded Spinach, Artichoke & Pepper Jack Cheese.  Any cheese would work but that is what we had.  I sprinkled some "Italian Seasoning" on them and baked them for 20 minutes.  Then I broiled them for 4 minutes to get a golden brown crust. 

Yeah, that wasn't half bad for leftovers.

Pasta e Fagioli (a non grilling post)

I was having one of those nights last night when I had no idea of what to make for dinner.  Usually I know the night before but the first full work week after the holidays was tiring and I just wasn't feeling inspired.

Alexis came home from work and said, "[Anonymous coworker] had Pasta Fagioli from Olive Garden for lunch today, it was pretty good.  I wish you would make that for dinner."

That was easy, her wish is my command.  I had no clue what Olive Garden's dish was like other than Alexis' description.  I found this recipe on BigOven, made a few changes, and came up with this.

Speaking of BigOven, I've used their desktop software for years.  It's so easy to copy and past a recipe from the blogs I read and save them in my infinitely growing "try soon" folder by using the screen import feature.  I paid $25 for the BigOven desktop software years and years ago but IT IS NOW FREE.  I highly recommend it for organizing recipes, planning shopping, and creating meal plans.  They also have free apps for smart phones and tablets.  I find the apps very handy for quick reference when cooking since my laptop doesn't fit on the counter.

Pasta e Fagioli

Adapted from Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1.25 lbs Italian sausage*
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and julienned  (about 2 carrots)
• 1 cup celery, diced (about 3 stalks, leaves reserved)
• 1 cup sweet onion, diced
• 12 oz V-8 fruit juice
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 3 cloves roasted garlic*
• 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, not drained
• 14.5 oz Bush's Best dark red kidney beans, not drained
• 14.5 oz Bush's Best cannellini beans, not drained
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper, ground
• 1 1/2 McCormick's Mediterranean Sea Salt 
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• 1/2 tsp thyme, dried
• 1 1/2 Tbsp basil, fresh chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp celery leaves, fresh chopped
• 1-2 cups water
• 1/2 lb ditalini
• 1/2 cup pecorino-romano cheese, fresh grated for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat a large pot over medium high heat.  Brown sausage and remove to colander to drain. (See note)
2. Saute the carrots, onion, and celery for the mirepoix until softened, 5-8 minutes.  
3. Return sausage to the pot and add remaining ingredients except the water and pasta.  Add as much of the water as needed to get the mix a little soupier than you want for your final texture.  We used about one cup, but that will be dependent on how much juices you get from your canned goods.
4. Bring to a simmer and then simmer uncovered for an hour, stirring occasionally.  
5. Make the pasta according to directions.  
6. Drain the pasta and stir into the pot.  Simmer 10 more minutes.
7. Serve with grated pecorino romano cheese.

Notes

• Alexis mentioned that the Fagioli she had from Olive Garden had sliced sausage in it.  I thought there needed to be some broken up sausage too.  So I sliced two of the links and browned them.  The other three I removed from their casings and browned them as bulk sausage, breaking them up into fine pieces.  You can just brown all of the sausage in fine pieces but we found using two different textures made a significant impact on the final dish.  Every spoonful had a little sausage in it but every now and then you get a nice big chuck of it.
• We usually have roasted garlic on hand because we roast a batch about every other weekend.  If you only have raw garlic, just chop it and throw it in with the mirepoix. 

All of the pottery in the photos is from Stony Claystation, our favorite local artists.  They aren't selling online (yet) but check their studio if you're ever in Lenoir City, TN or see them at various local markets.  All of their stuff is unique and fully functional in the kitchen.  Here is some more of their stuff (but by no means, all that we have).  

[Standard Disclaimer] I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are my own.  I am a paying customer of all brands mentioned.  I do have engagements with Bush Beans; however, this post is outside of any paid projects.  Ben and Melissa from Stony Claystation have thrown in a freebie here and there over the past few years but that is because we are such frequent customers.

Erica's Pork Loin with Caramel Sauce

I'm a recipe hoarder.

I see so many "Oh yeah, I have GOT to try that!" recipes online at my favorite blogs and sites.  I save them to my BigOven files "to try soon".   But then I almost never get around to making them because I am busy playing around with my own recipes.   I might actually make one of them for every 100 that I save.  

This is recipe is one of the few to escape the purgatory of my "to try soon" list.  Last March Erica of My Columbian Recipes blogged about Cerdo al Caramelo, a dish her mother made in her home town of Antioquia.  It's roasted pork bathed in a luxurious caramel sauce.

Photo Credit:  My Columbian Recipes

Of course I took Erica's kitchen based version of Cerdo al Caramelo and converted it for the grill.   Her version is less complicated, faster, and done in the kitchen so click on that link if you don't want to fire roast it.

I chose to slow roast my loin at 250f for as long as possible before raising the heat to make the caramel sauce.  That is because the two enzymes (calpains and cathepsins) that break connective tissue in meat are more active at internal temps under 105-122f (McGee 3954*).  So the time the meat lingers under 120f acts as a sort of "accelerated aging" process, resulting in a tender, juicy roast (McGee 4494). 

Pork Loin with Caramel Sauce

Adapted from My Columbian Cooking

Serves: 6

4 lb crown pork roast, tied

For the brine

• 1.5 quarts water
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional but preferred)

For the paste

• 1/2 onion, peeled and coarse chopped
• 1 green onion, coarse chopped
• 1 dried red cayenne chili 
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the sauce

• 2 cups piloncillo grated or brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup pork broth 
• 1/4 lb butter, unsalted, melted
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• pinch of clove (optional)

Instructions

1. Brine the roast for 4-6 hours, refrigerated.
2. Pulse the paste ingredients in a blender or food processor until they form a...you guessed it, paste.
3. Remove roast from the brine.  Rinse and dry thoroughly.  Leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
4. Set up your grill for indirect heat and preheat to 250f.  (see notes)
5. Slather the paste all over your roast and place it bone side down over indirect heat on the grill.  Slow roast until it hits an internal temperature of 105-110f.  (See time/temp chart)
6. Stir sauce ingredients in a grill proof roasting pan that will hold the pork roast.  Place the pork roast in the pan and return to the grill, still on indirect heat.  Adjust your vents (or gas) to bring the grill temp up to 350f.  Roast until the roast reaches an internal temp of 135f.
7. Remove roast and allow to rest, bone side down, for at least 15 minutes.  
8. Stir the sauce to make sure the sugar thoroughly combined into the sauce.  If not, put it back on the grill while the roast rests, stirring occasionally.  
9. Slice and serve with sauce.

Notes

• Substitute 2 tsp of red pepper flake if you don't have dried red chili.
• Do NOT substitute turbinado sugar for the piloncillo or brown sugar.  I used a cup of piloncillo and a cup of turbinado.  Seemed reasonable.  It took the turbinado forever to melt. 
• Big Green Egg set up was:  lump coal to top of fire ring, 2 chunks cherry wood, plate setter legs up, drip pan, cast iron grate.  
• The slow roast took about 2 hours and 15 minutes.  A similar bone in pork loin last year done at 350f the whole time only took 1 hour and 30 minutes.  I'd say the difference in texture was worth the extra 45 minutes.
• The "carryover cooking" during the rise maxed out at 151f  about 20 minutes after coming off the grill.

The pork roast was very juicy, extra tender, and flavorful.  The sauce was rich and sweet, but not too sweet.  Very worthy of a holiday meal.

Time	Target Grill Temp	Actual Grill Temp	Meat Internal Temp	Notes
0 hr 0 m	250	250	41
0 hr 30 m	250	250	50
1 hr 0 m	250	300	78	Very windy, temps got away from me. Nudged vent shut by 1/4”
1 hr 30 m	250	300	105	Put roast in the roast pan. Opened bottom vent back by 1/4”
2 hr 0 m	350	350	127
2 hr 30 m	350	350	150	Pulled the roast at 137f at 2 hr 15 min
3 hr 0 m	N/a	N/a	144

Pork roast getting its "beauty treatment".

Piloncillo must be Spanish for "Grates as easy as hardened cement" but it's a mild tasting sugar.

I cooked it right on the grate during the low temp roasting portion so all sides were exposed.

I used stoneware for my roasting pan.  Was just about to add the liquids here.

Resting on a raised rack helps retain the juices inside the roast.

Plan for 1 rib or 3/4 lbs per person.

*Citations list the Kindle page number

Grilling 101: How To Fire Roast Chile Peppers

The smell, taste, and texture of fire roasted chiles made fresh cannot be replicated out of a jar or can.  Fire roasting your own is easy, lets you use the freshest ingredients, and gives you the ability to control the blend of flavor and heat.

Fire roasted chiles make salsas, burgers, and chili con carne so much better than diced raw or canned chiles because they bring the smoky spicy flavor but tame the heat just a bit.

Here are the basics of how to fire roast your own chiles.

Selection

I say variety because I find a blend usually delivers much more flavor than just one type of chile.  I like to use a blend of mild (bell peppers, pimento), medium (poblano, jalapeno, serrano), and hot (habanero, birdseye). Generally, fleshy and meaty chiles are more suited for fire roasting than thin walled chiles. 

Fire roast

Preheat a charcoal grill to high heat (450-500f).   Roast the chiles over direct heat until well charred (2-3 minutes per side).  

They should look blistered and burned when done, don't worry.  It's hard to overdo them.  The blacker they are, the easier they will peel.

Steam

When scorched on all sides, place in a bowl and cover with Glad Cling Wrap.  This will use the residual heat of the chiles to steam the skins lose.

De-seed

Cut the top (vine end) of the chile off.  Sliced down one side of the chile and open it flat on a surface.  Use a sharp knife to scrape off the seeds.

Peel

Flip over and use your knife to peel off the charred skin.  Hold the sharp knife perpendicular to the chile and lightly drag across, that should pull most of the skin off without damaging the flesh.  If some bits of skin are left, don't worry, it doesn't have to be perfect and that will add flavor to your final dish.  

One strip of the skin peeled on the right side.  The better you char it, the easier the skin peels off.

Grilling 101 is a series of posts that I am using to support basic techniques that I use in my normal recipe posts.  I plan to update these posts as I think of addition stuff to add.  Feel free to add any tips you might have in the comments.

Grilled Pork Chops with Two Chili Sweet Sauce

 Wow, it's hard to believe that the holiday season is almost behind us.  There are so many great memories to cherish and you kind of hate to see the season pass by.  But to be honest, I think many of us are thinking the same thing....."GREAT!  I don't have to watch that stupid [ENTER YOUR MOST HATED HOLIDAY TV COMMERCIAL HERE] spot again!"

Speaking of holidays, I had this big hunk of pork crown roast for New Year's and realized there was no way my little family of four could eat it all.

So I cut it down into 4 kick butt, nice and thick, bone in rib chops and a smaller roast that we're saving for New Year's Day.

Here's what I did with the pork chops after a quick 1 1/2 hour brine in apple juice, water, salt, fennel and pepper.  A brine does many great things for lean pork...but in this case the best thing was it gave me 90 minutes to figure out how I was going to cook it!  Here's what I came up with.

Served with cilantro quinoa (ick) and Black Bean Fiesta (yum).

The Two Chili Sweet Sauce really surprised me because I thought it might be a little too spicy hot and I have the higher heat tolerances in the family.  But Brett didn't think it was and Alexis loved it, using more on her quinoa to cover up the blech factor of that dish.

Grilled Pork Chops with Two Chili Sweet Sauce

Serves:  4 hungry people

Ingredients

• 4 ea pork chops, bone in, 1" thick
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

For the sauce

• 2 Tbsp butter, unsalted
• 1 ea shallot, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp habanero chili, seeded and finely diced
• 2 Tbsp roasted sweet red pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup red pepper jelly
• slurry (2 Tbsp cold water, 1 Tbsp corn starch whisked together)
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat charcoal grill to 450f set up for both direct and indirect cooking.  Have your hot coals on one side (direct) and nothing on the other side (indirect).  I was using my Smoke Hollow Smoker/Grill combo and used about 3 quarts of Kingsford briquettes with hickory for a little smoke flavor.
2. Pat pork chops dry and season all sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  (Not "both" sides, ALL sides)
3. Grill chops over the direct heat for 4 minutes per side.  
4. Reduce heat (shut down your grill's air intake vents) and move chops to indirect heat. Roast until the chops reach an internal temperature of 135-137f degrees.  This took ours roughly 15 minutes but go by temps, not times.
5. Remove pork chops from grill and rest on a rack raised over a plate.
6. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat.  Add butter.
7. Saute shallot and garlic for two minutes.
8. Add the habanero and red pepper and saute another minute.
9. Deglaze the pan with sherry and let almost evaporate away (1-2 minutes)
10. Add the chicken broth and simmer until reduced in volume by half.  Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper as needed.  I did a pinch of salt and about 6 twists with a pepper grinder.
11. Whisk in the jelly and the slurry.  Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon when dragged through the sauce.
12. Plate the chops and drizzle the Two Chili Sweet Sauce over them.

Notes

•  I had some scraps from trimming the pork roast into chops and seared the scraps in the saute pan first to get some sucs (French for "brown stuff stuck on the pan") before sauteing the veggies.  
• The final target internal temp AFTER resting is 145f.
• If you like more heat, double the habanero.  If you don't like heat, drop the habanero and use something milder like jalapeno, chipotle, or poblano. 

Don't forget to season the sides too.

Tomahawk pork chops!

I like the habanero not only for it's heat but it also brings a zesty citrus flavor.

I know I probably shouldn't ask this because your answer will remind me of how bad that commercial is, but what is the holiday commercial you'll be so glad to see disappear?

Reverse Seared Prime Rib Roast

Prime rib is one of my favorite holiday meals.   It is buttery tender, rich in taste, and so....so....beefy.

I've mentioned this before but the "prime" in "prime rib" is just a common term, it is not referring to the USDA grade of prime.  It's also called a standing rib roast or beef rib roast. [Click here for my 20 Tips for Beef Rib Roasts]   

This year I cooked a USDA choice boneless rib roast for Christmas and I used the reverse sear method on my Big Green Egg.   I have cooked rib roasts a variety of ways (high temp roast, low temp roast, sear/roast) and in my opinion, a reverse sear gives the most tender and evenly cooked rib roast.   If you cook it at 350f straight, you'll end up with the outer edges (the "lip" or "cap") a dull grey medium while only the center is medium rare.  Reverse searing a roast creates the same degree of doneness all the way through, edge to edge.

Perfect medium rare, all the way through.  Even the spinalis dorsi is pink.

You can do this on any grill that you are comfortable with holding low temps for several hours.  Heck, you could also do this method in your oven and broiler, but I promise it would be better on a grill or smoker.

Reverse Seared Beef Rib Roast

serves:  8-10

Ingredients

• 5 lb boneless beef roast, left off refrigeration to temper for up to one hour
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
• 1 tsp dried minced garlic 
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed but left whole
• 1 sprig rosemary

Instructions

1. Set up your grill for indirect heat and preheat to 225f as measured at the grate (250f dome temp on a Big Green Egg).  
2. Tie your roast and season on all sides with a dry rub made of the salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes.
3. Place the roast on a roasting rack above a roasting pan filled with the stock, garlic, and rosemary.
4. Place the roasting rack/pan on the grill over the indirect (no coals or heat) area.  Roast until the internal temp reaches 10 degrees less than your desired final temperature (see chart).
5. Rest the roast while you raise the grill temp to 500-550f and change to a direct heat set up.  Watch the internal temperature of your roast after it comes off.  You want to "carry over cooking" to finish and you should actually see the internal temperature of your roast start to drop before it goes back on the grill for searing.
6. Remove the garlic and rosemary from the au jus that has formed in the roasting pan and discard.  Season au jus with salt and pepper as needed.
7. Sear the roast directly over the coals for 1 minute per side on all sides.
8. Allow roast to rest another 10-15 minutes after the sear.  Slice and serve.

Notes

• For your guests that want more than medium rare, a quick "bath" in beef broth in a heated skillet will quickly make the pink disappear and get the slice of roast to their liking. 
• Big Green Egg set up details:  lump coal, no wood, platesetter in "legs up", V-rack set on top of platesetter and stoneware drip pan.
• You can use a bone in rib roast as well but make sure to have the butcher slice the rib bones off.  Make sure to season the roast all over and THEN tie the bones back on.  After roasting and prior to searing, remove the bones so you can sear on all sides.  

Here is the roast rack set up.  Rendered fats will drip into the beef stock below, giving flavor.

Resting on a raised rack avoids steaming the surface of the meat, which loses juices.

Contrary to popular believe, searing does NOT seal in juices but it does create color and flavor.

Don't forget to remove the twine before slicing.  If you do forget, just tell guests that it's floss.

Here is the cooking log for this cook.  Click on the picture to make it larger so you can read it.  

Be sure to check out my posts on Twenty Tips: Prime Rib on the Grill and Tips for Making a Good Au Jus.