WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: A gingery, garlicky, citrusy marinade is the key flavor component in this quick and easy rendition of grilled pork tenderloins. One of the most common ways to grill pork tenderloin is to turn it into medallions, but this treatment requires you to pay constant attention to the slices lest they overcook or, worse, slip through the grate. Since tenderloin is a mild cut, it does makes sense to cut the roast into smaller pieces to expose more surface area and build up as much flavor as possible on the exterior. To get these benefits without dealing with fussy medallions, we turned our tenderloins into smaller, flatter “steaks” with almost 30 percent more surface area than the tenderloins for a greatly improved ratio of browned exterior to tender interior. We also cut thin slashes in the steaks to promote better penetration of our deeply flavorful marinade. Finally, we left excess marinade on the steaks to help keep their exteriors from drying out on the grill and then thickened some reserved marinade with mayonnaise for a bold finishing sauce. Since marinating is a key step in this recipe, we don’t recommend using enhanced pork.
Serves: 4 to 6
Total time: 40 minutes (plus 45 minutes marinating time)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
- 1½ teaspoons grated orange zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
- 1½ teaspoons grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup vegetable oil 4 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- Flake sea salt (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Slice each tenderloin in half crosswise to create 4 steaks total. Pound each half to ¾-inch thickness. Using sharp knife, cut ⅛-inch-deep slits spaced ½ inch apart in crosshatch pattern on both sides of steaks.
- Whisk orange zest and juice, lime zest and juice, garlic, honey, fish sauce, ginger, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in large bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle oil into orange mixture until smooth and slightly thickened. Transfer ½ cup orange mixture to small bowl and whisk in mayonnaise; set aside sauce. Add steaks to bowl with remaining marinade and toss thoroughly to coat; transfer steaks and marinade to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag, press out as much air as possible, and seal bag. Let steaks sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). - Clean and oil cooking grate. Remove steaks from marinade (do not pat dry) and place over hotter part of grill. Cook, uncovered, until well browned on first side, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip steaks and cook until well browned on second side, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer steaks to cooler part of grill, with wider end of each steak facing hotter part of grill. Cover and cook until meat registers 145 degrees, 3 to 8 minutes (remove steaks as they come to temperature). Transfer steaks to carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.
- While steaks rest, microwave reserved sauce until warm, 15 to 30 seconds; stir in cilantro. Slice steaks against grain into ½-inch-thick slices. Drizzle with half of sauce; sprinkle with sea salt, if using; and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.
