Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin

A few months ago, I saw a recipe on TV for a Grilled Asian Tenderloin that sounded really good! Now that may have been a problem for me to make as it was done on an outdoor grill – which I don’t have. Luckily, I do have a George Foreman Grill and many recipes for the outdoor grills can be converted to an indoor grill with adjustments in cooking times. The original recipe used two pork tenderloins but I cut the recipe in half and also tweaked the ingredients slightly by adding garlic and then cooking the leftover marinade to pour over top of the cooked meat.

So now that we are well into summer, here is a recipe that you can do on your outdoor grill or any time of the year on an indoor grill. I’ve included the directions for both methods. Please note that I have not personally used the outdoor method but am including it as it was written in the original recipe.

Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin
1 pork tenderloin, well trimmed, about 12 oz (0.375 kg)
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger root*
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic, crushed (bottled type)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

Place pork in a zip lock bag. Combine the next six ingredients and pour over pork, turning to coat. Seal bag and marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours to enhance flavour. Note: Depending on the size of the tenderloin, I’ve often cut the tenderloin in half and placed the pieces side by side in a loaf pan (rather than wasting a zip lock bag) and then poured the marinade over it. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge – turning the meat two or three times during the marinating time.

Indoor Grill:
Preheat an indoor grill such as the George Foreman and grill the meat for 5-7 minutes or until internal temp reaches 155ºF/68ºC with a meat thermometer. Do not overcook! While the meat is cooking, pour left over marinade into a small pot and heat on medium heat to the boiling point. Boil for about a minute, then reduce heat to simmer and let cook another 3-4 minutes – stirring occasionally. Remove meat from grill and tent with foil for about 5 minutes. Cut into 1/2 inch medallions, then drizzle the cooked marinade over the meat to serve.

Outdoor Grill:
Preheat barbecue on high; reduce heat to medium. Grill pork on a lightly greased grill for about 20-25 minutes to an internal temperature of 155ºF/68ºC. Turn once or twice. Remove to a cutting board or plate. Tent loosely with foil and let rest 5 minutes. To serve, slice pork into half-inch medallions. Makes 3-4 servings

Note: I have also made this recipe using two large boneless skinless chicken breasts - about 6-8 ounces (170g-224g) each. I marinated the chicken breasts the same way as I did the pork and grilled them on my indoor grill. They were fairly thick so they took about the same amount of time to cook as the pork. That time may be different with an outdoor grill. I also cooked the marinade as I did with the pork. It turned out just as delicous as the pork tenderloin!

*I buy a small piece of gingerroot, peel it and then wrap in plastic wrap and store in freezer until I need it for a recipe. You don’t have to thaw it to grate it. It grates quite easily while frozen. Got this tip from Rachael Ray.

Enjoy!

dn