My parents are famous for their grilled pork tenderloin! Every year we take it to our family reunion and it is gobbled up in seconds. What can I say? My Dad knows how to grill! My parents grill almost every night, but my most favorite is the pork tenderloin they fix. This week Winn Dixie has theirs B1G1, so Mom got a couple for my brother's birthday dinner. She said she has also done this same recipe with a pork loin, sliced long-ways down the center to resemble a pork tenderloin. Just as yummy! The pork loin goes on sale sometimes in the grocery stores for as low as $1.99 per pound. That's a definite stock-up price when you see it that low. This is a quick, easy and healthy way to cook pork. And one of the only ways I'll eat it. I'm not a huge fan of pork (aside from bacon!). Cook a pork chop for me any kind of way, and I'd rather have a chicken breast in its place. I'm just a nut for chicken, I guess. Its a good idea to make extras of this pork when you're grilling, because it makes a fabulous sandwich for lunch the next day. Slice it really thin, and then bathe it in the juices that accumulate in the bottom of the plate. Heaven.
2 pork tenderloins
salt and pepper
Italian Dressing
Trim the pork tenderloins of any excess fat and the "silver skin". Season generously with salt and pepper. Place in a large zippy bag with a few squeezes of Italian dressing. You want enough to cover the meat. Squish the meat around and let marinate in the dressing for about 15-30 minutes in the fridge. Take out about 5 minutes before grilling to take some of the chill off. Grill over low heat for 25-35 minutes, depending on the size of the tenderloins. The internal temperature needs to read about 160 degrees. Let rest for about 5 minutes then slice into thin slices.
Enjoy!
(recipe from my Mom and Dad, Sandy and Charlie Sumlin)
Let me start out by saying how incredibly full I am! Today has been filled with great things to eat. I need to pull out the stroller and push the girls around the neighborhood tomorrow! First, it was the Snowball Cookies I snacked on all afternoon. Then, it was the delicious BBQ Rub Ribs and Corn Bread Bites! In the words of our friend, Robbie, "These are the best ribs I've had in a long time!" They were delicious, if I do say so myself. Ribs are not on the top of my list of favorite things to eat, but they will be after today. These are simple and fuss-free. Quick and easy. And the little Corn Bread Bites are just so darn cute. My husband would have preferred me to leave out the green onions, but I loved the flecks of green color it gave the muffins. This is the perfect recipe to get the grill going outside for a cookout with friends. They will love you even more than they already do. I know Robbie does!
BBQ Rub Ribs
Baby Back Ribs (I purchased 3 slabs- 1 pack- from Sam's at $2.98 lb)
Stubb's BBQ Rub (found mine at Bruno's)
Salt
Worcestershire Sauce
Take the ribs out of the plastic and rinse in the sink. Pat dry. Season both sides lightly with salt. Then generously season with the Stubb's Rub (this rub is also great for roasting potatoes in the oven). Flip over so that the "meaty" side is facing up. Sprinkle with the Worcestershire Sauce and rub slightly. Let them sit on the counter for about 10 minutes while the grill is heating up.
Put the grill on low heat (I use a propane grill). Grill the "meaty" side down first for about 15 minutes or until browned. Flip over and grill another 10 minutes or until browned. At this point, transfer the ribs to the top rack of the grill to get off of the direct heat. Leave on the grill another 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. If you don't have the small top rack on your grill just turn off some of the flames and leave the ribs on the grill away from the direct heat. Remove the ribs from the grill onto a platter and let rest on the counter for about 10 minutes covered loosely with foil. Cut and serve!
Corn Bread Bites
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 cup cream-style corn
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Combine cheese and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened.
Divide batter evenly among miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray (it will fill 36 cups- my pan only had 24 so I had some batter leftover. It also fills 12 standard muffin cups). Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in cups 2 minutes then move to wire racks.
Enjoy!
(Corn Bread Bites adapted from Cooking Light)
Yay! Something besides chicken! Publix had a pretty good price this week on the center cut pork chops. I've made an apricot chicken before (surprise, surprise) so this recipe looked yummy. The potatoes and pork cook together in the oven (though not in the same pan) so its easy to multitask while its cooking. The Stubb's rub is the secret ingredient for the potatoes. They are still good without it, but I love the way they taste with it. I bought mine at Bruno's a while back. I'm sure other places carry it. I used to have a hard time finding it. Now that I have the apricot jam I have to come up with other recipes to use it!
Crispy Apricot Pork Chops:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices multi grain sandwich bread
4 bone-in pork loin chops (8 oz each, 3/4" thick)
course salt and ground pepper
4 teaspoons apricot jam (I used low sugar)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
Tear bread into large pieces; place in food processor. Pulse until large crumbs form (I used my blender). Drizzle with oil, pulse once or twice, just until crumbs are moistened (you should have about 1-1/2 cups crumbs).
Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper; spread one side of each chop with 1 teaspoon jam. Dividing evenly, sprinkle breadcrumbs over jam, and pat them on gently.
Transfer pork, coated side up, to prepared baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden and pork is opaque throughout (meat should register 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), 14-16 minutes. Serve immediately (don't put too much jam like I did, it soaks up some of the breadcrumbs and doesn't allow them to get crunchy).
Roasted Potatoes:
(this is more of a method, than a recipe!)
red potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
Stubb's rub
Preheat oven to 425-450 degrees (depending if you have something else to go in the oven with it). The hotter the oven, the quicker the taters will cook. Cube potatoes in 1/2-inch bites. Put on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (you want enough to coat them, but they don't need to be swimming). Season liberally with salt, pepper and Stubb's rub. (Stubb's rub is a BBQ rub seasoning that I have found at Bruno's. It by no means is necessary for the potatoes to be good!) Toss the potatoes in the oil and seasoning. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes (depending on the temperature) tossing halfway through baking. They are ready when fork-tender and slightly brown and crispy on the outside.
**If you have time to spare for the potatoes, they are really good when cubed a little bit bigger, then put in a 35o degree oven for about 45 minutes. This lower temperature helps them soften to a creamy texture. Then crank the oven up to about 450 and get the outside good and crispy for about another 20 minutes. This makes the perfect potato- creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside!
Enjoy!
(Pork Chops adapted from Everyday Food)
