Our favorite local pizza place also makes a mean souvlaki, and one day, after (as always) thoroughly enjoying our lunch there, Rich suggested I try a marinade that was kinda like Mama K’s.
I also happened to have – thanks to a tip off from a friend – a package of pork tenderloin tips in the freezer. Tips are slightly higher in fat than tenderloins, but they take to marinades and the grill so very well. They are also pretty inexpensive, so seek them out at your local market. You will not be sorry.
INGREDIENTS
Pork:
•1 kg pork tenderloin tips, or 2 pork tenderloins (1-1/2 tp 2 lb total)
•4 or 5 cloves garlic, smashed
•Sliced sweet onion
•Fresh rosemary
Marinade:
•12 oz beer
•3/4 cup water
•1/4 cup olive oil
•1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce*
•2 sprigs fresh rosemary
•4 cloves garlic, smashed
•1 tsp dried oregano
•1 tsp dried thyme
•1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
*No Sherry Peppers Sauce? No problem! Simply substitute one tablespoon of decent sherry (none of that “cooking” stuff”), and your fave hot sauce, to taste.
Stir the marinade ingredients together and pour over the tenderloin tips in a gallon sized zipper bag.
Add the smashed garlic, sliced onion, and fresh rosemary, then close the bag, pushing out excess air, and flip a couple of times to get the marnade all around the pork pieces.
Place the bag on a rimmed plate (to catch any drippage) and stash in the fridge for a couple of hours or, always more better, overnight; giving the bag a flip and a squeeze whenever you think to.
About an hour before you plan to grill, remove the tenderloin tips from the marinade, saving the rosemary, and let rest and come up to room temperature.
Brush the grill with some oil – I prefer peanut – then arrange the tenderloin tips on the grates, cover, and cook for five minutes or so.
Note: tenderloin tips are kinda like thick, juicy, boneless pork chops, so they will cook a bit faster than your regular tenderloin.
Flip the tips over, close the grill cover, and cook for another five minutes or so, until the tips register 140º to 145º on your instant read thermometer.
Remove from the grill, loosely cover, and set aside to rest for ten minutes or so. (If your tips were not quite up to temperature when to took them off the grill, this rest should finish the jobs, as well as allowing all those tasty juices to settle.
Slice the tips and serve. We like ours with grilled asparagus.