Spicy Coconut Pork Tenderloin

Recipe No. 2
Spicy Coconut Pork Tenderloin

Serving size for this recipe: 6-8 people

Average cost: $25 or less


Summertime makes me think about grilling. Taking whatever I want to eat and putting it into a vessel that is made to impart flavors that are smokey and delicious. This is a recipe that I am excited about making for friends to enjoy at a party, hanging around the pool- relaxing. Lets get started!

To prep the tenderloin for marinating- remove any silver skin that may be left on it and then you should be good to go. Go ahead and pre-heat your oven for 325 and get your grill going. I prefer to use charcoal on this just because of the great smoky flavor you get. Now, besides the star- The Tenderloin- these are the other ingredients you'll need:
5 cloves of fresh garlic
1 1/2 cans of coconut milk
1 poblano chile
1 lime
½ a white onion
1 small tomato
1 ½ cups of fresh chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp of Cumin
1/4 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper
A good amount of flour tortillas (enough for 8 people)
3 cups of Oaxaca cheese (substitute Monterrey Jack if unavailable)

Now, place your poblano chile on the grill to char the skin, then place the chile in a bowl- cover with plastic and let it set for 2 minutes (this will help when you’re removing the waxy outer skin of the chile) then remove the stem, seeds and inner ribs. Dice it up and set it back in the bowl. Next you're going to chop 1 cup of the cilantro, mince the onion, and garlic - combine with the pablano, cumin, cayenne and stir in the coconut milk, salt and pepper - this completes your marinade.

Okay- take a deep breath, you made it through the marinade!!! Now back to business.

With a fork, make 8-10 punctures up and down the tenderloin (this will help the marinade get in for maximum flavor.) Place the tenderloin in a large zip tight bag, add the marinade and let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight would be amazing!) when you're grill is smokin' hot- remove from the fridge let it sit for 10 minutes out to come up to temperature. Place on your grill sear all sides, this should take 7 minutes at most. Then move it to a baking sheet- cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.
While that's going- let's make some salsa. Take your tomato and dice it as fine as you like. then chop the remaining cilantro, add fresh lime juice, a pinch of cayenne, and salt & pepper and you're done!

Once your pork has cooked and rested(at least 10 minutes) slice it into equal portions for your guest. I recommend that you fill your tortillas with the pork, sprinkle on some Oaxaca cheese and fresh salsa.

You're going to taste the smokiness from the grill on that pork- the coolness of the coconut should come through with a little kick from the cayenne and garlic, some great flavor and texture from the cheese and salsa to round it out.

You see- summertime is a state of mind. Put out some cold drinks, great food and add some good friends/family and you're guaranteed a good time. Enjoy!