What to Cook This Weekend: Ginger-Marinated Pork Tenderloin
I made this delicious pork recipe for the first time for Christmas Eve dinner. It was simple to prepare, and won raves from the whole family. The original recipe comes from the November 2003 issue of Gourmet, though I have adapted it slightly to my tastes. Serves four to six people.
Ginger-Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons ketchup
6 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1-1/2-pound pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
1. Whisk together broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, ginger, garlic, and vinegar and divide between two large, sealable plastic bags. Add one half of the tenderloin to each bag and seal, then marinate, chilled, turning bags over occasionally, 2 hours.
2. Remove bags from refrigerator and bring tenderloins to room temperature, about 1 hour.
3. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
4. Pat tenderloins dry and reserve marinade. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown tenderloins on all sides, turning with tongs, about 3 minutes total. Transfer skillet to oven and roast pork until thermometer inserted diagonally into center of meat registers 155°F, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes.
5. While meat is roasting, pour marinade through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and boil until reduced to desired consistency, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve slices of tenderloin with sauce.
--KitchenMaus
Dolly on December 29, 2007 at 06:42 PM
Kitchenmaus is absolutely correct about this recipe. I made this in 2003 when I received the issue of Gourmet magazine and I still have it today. When I made this EVERYONE raved about the flavor, especially the fresh ginger. As I think most of us cooks do, we end up making the recipe our own and add to the ingredients. Mom used to call this "doctoring it up". I added Hoisin sauce,freshly cracked pepper corns and about a 1/4-1/2 cup of orange juice.The OJ adds to the sweetness of the brown sugar and is a nice contrast to the balsamic vinegar. I marinated the tenderloin in this mixture for a couple of days and whenever I went into the refrigerator I'd turn the bag and lightly "squish" the sauce onto the meat to help the pepper corns to adhere to the meat. I chose to grill the tenderloins as aposed to roasting in the oven. Grill over a medium flame to avoid charring. Keep an eye on them to avoid flame-up and let it stay in one place for a few minutes to seal in the juice. Grillers have a tendency to keep moving and turning the meat every minute. You can check if its done when the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. I also, to the horror of my fellow cooks, cut into the meat and just do a visable check. Also when you take it off the grill let it sit for a few minutes before slicing. This meat is even great the next day cold and sliced thinly over a fresh salad. Of course you have to have the Tuscan Peasant bread, and a glass, or two, of a nice Toscano Chianti wine. Some of my favorites are DaVinci 2005 and Monte Antico 2003. Both of these wines are under $12.00 and are perfect to go with a lite dinner. I do have a tip for you about the ginger. When you buy a fresh root look for one that is firm and has as few knobs on it as possible. Then put it in a freezer bag and freeze over night before grating or slicing. Not only will this make the grating much easier, but the ginger will keep for much longer than if you put it in the refrigerator and it won't dry out. Try this recipe the next time Pork Tenderloins are on sale so you can get a couple of packs because I know your familiy and friends will want more than just a few slices!