Double Take: Margarita Pork Tenderloin

Margarita Pork Tenderloin (p 254) was one of the first recipes Hubby noticed in the all-new ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, but we've only just now gotten around to making it. Sorry, Hubby!

Notice I mention my jalapeño was still good, I didn't say it was still green!

This recipe greatly appealed to me. I like how easy it is to get great flavor from grilling pork tenderloin, and the addition of margarita fixings just seemed like the perfect bonus.  But for some reason, I had a block against this recipe. We've had it on the calendar now for well over a month, but I've kept putting it off. In fact, I bought the ingredients for it twice, and ending up putting a spice rub on the pork tenderloin instead. Then, we were going to post it last week... but on Monday I still hadn't made it and circumstances came up such that I wasn't going to be able to make it before Thursday night. So I begged Tabitha to agree to posting the risotto instead, and told myself I wasn't allowed to put if off again. So when Hubby suggested grilled pork tenderloin for dinner tonight, I knew I had to make it even though it was on the calendar for tomorrow.

Pork chops in their marinade.

I perused the ingredient list: pork tenderloin (obviously, but I'm just buying the loin rather than the tenderloin), garlic (check), green onion (do I really have to purchase a whole bunch of green onions for ONE?), jalapeño (that's the one thing that hasn't gone bad since I bought the ingredients the first time around), cumin (oh phew, there's just enough), chili powder (I go through it so quickly that I generally buy three bags at once), salt (instead of iodine, it has added fluoride), lime juice (oh goodie, limes are on sale this week!), orange juice (the recipe seriously wants me to buy a bottle of orange juice for one tablespoon?? oh, it says fresh, i'll buy an orange), and tequila (yay! a use for the bottle of that I bought 6 months ago and still haven't used it).

Margarita Pork Loin on the grill. 

This is one of those simple recipes that requires very little effort: mix ingredients, add meat to bag, soak one hour, turning occasionally (I turned it every 15 minutes... don't use tongs because the meat will be too tender). Grill (covered). Eat.

It was pouring outside, so I went with the grill pan. Nicely, I have two grill pans (Total fluke, I put one in my cart and while it was there my aunt ordered me on from my wishlist. They fit together perfectly, so I am able to "cover" my grill quite effectively.)

Margarita Pork Tenderloin

from the all-new ultimate Southern Living Cookbook 

Ingredients

3  garlic cloves, minced

1  green onion, minced

1/2  jalapeño pepper, minced

3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro

2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice

1 1/2  tablespoons  tequila

1  tablespoon  fresh orange juice

1  teaspoon  salt

1  teaspoon  ground cumin

1/2  teaspoon  chili powder

2  (1-pound) pork tenderloins

Preparation

Combine first 10 ingredients in a shallow dish or large zip-top plastic freezer bag. Cut pork diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices, and add to tequila mixture. Cover or seal, and chill 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over high heat (400° to 500°) 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until done.

THOUGHTS:
The pork was quite flavorful, and I definitely want to make it again. The recipe stated half a jalapeño, but did not specify that one should seed the jalapeño, so I didn't. Big mistake. It was a bit on the hot side. Thus, if you are not a heat lover, you should leave out the jalapeño. If you like pork tenderloin, make this recipe! :)

VERDICT:
Make-again-without-the-jalapeno: 1 vote
Make-again: 1 vote

Serve with steamed green beans and brown rice for an easy, healthy meal.

For Tabitha's take of Margarita Pork Tenderloin, head on over to Double the Garlic!