Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Spice Marinade

This brined and grilled pork tenderloin is a staple at my house. I make some variations. This recipe uses the Spice Marinade that appears in The Way to Cook by Julia Child. This recipe makes more spice marinade than you need for this recipe. You can keep it for later use.

Two simple variations consist in: (1) use chopped up rosemary mixed with cracked black pepper, you can crack the pepper on the kitchen counter under the bottom of a clean heavy pan; (2) use Montreal steak spice mixture.

Ingredients (Spice Marinade):

 

• 2 tablespoon of each of the following ground spices:
  • bay leaf
  • clove
  • mace
  • nutmeg
  • paprika
  • thyme
• 1 tablespoon of each of the following ground spices:
  • allspice
  • cinnamon
  • savoury
• 5 tablespoon of ground white peppercorns

Ingredients:

 

• pork tenderloins
• salt
• sugar
• cooking spray

Procedure:

 

1. Trim, brine, and air dry the pork tenderloins
   • Remove the silver skin from the tenderloins using a boning knife
   • Cut off the thin ends of the tenderloins – I usually save the ends to make another dish, such as pork schnitzel.
   • Make a brining solution with the following proportions: for each two quarters of water, add 1/4 cup of table salt and 1/4 cup of sugar.
   • Brine the tenderloins for at least two hours, but you can brine it overnight.
   • Place the tenderloins on a baking tray and put in the refrigerator for several hours to dry the outside surfaces – you can leave in the fridge drying for up to 24 hours.
2. Marinate the tenderloins
   • Lightly spray the tenderloins with cooking spray.
   • Spread some of the marinade on a plate and roll the tenderloins on the marinade until each tenderloin is fully coated with the marinade.
3. Grill the tenderloins
   • Get your grill as hot as you can (my gas grill gets to 550F)
   • Brush the grill with a hard grill brush to make sure it is clean
   • Pour a small amount of oil in a small dish, fold a piece of paper towel several times and holding the folded paper towel with kitchen tongues, deep it in the oil and smear all over the grill. Cover the grill to let the oil burn for a minute. Repeat the process three or four times to reduce the stickiness of the grill.
   • Reduce the temperature of the grill to a moderate high heat.
   • Place the tenderloin on the grill.
   • Keep turning as it browns in each side.
   • Grill until it register 140F on an instant thermometer.
4. Cool and serve
   • As soon as you remove the tenderloins from the grill, put on a covered container and let rest for ten minutes.
   • Slice on 1/2 inch slices and serve.