So I was standing at work yesterday, enjoying the fact that is was not too hot outside, when the desire to grill hit me. From then on, all I could think of was running out the door, hitting the grocery store for some great veggies to grill and opening a beer as I waited for the grill to warm up...too bad I still had like 4 hours till I went home! So instead, I spent my breaks and most of my lunch pouring through the recipes I had saved on my Epicurious and AllRecipes apps on my iPhone. I finally found what I was looking for on my last break, a recipe for pecan-crusted pork tenderloin pinwheels with carolina mustard sauce. The picture looked amazing and the recipe did not seem too time consuming or difficult, perfect for a shift that ended at 5pm. As soon as I clocked out, I drove straight over to the grocery store, grabbed everything I needed and was home in record time.
Now, I must admit that I did not exactly follow the recipe last night for two reasons. One, I kind of didn't really read the recipe again after I got home, I just went on ahead and did it from memory and two I just didn't want to waste the time rolling the pieces of pork in pecans if they were all going to fall off anyway. With that in mind, I will go ahead and write what I did down, but will include the link for whoever wants it to the actual recipe on epicurious.com.
1 pork tenderloin
6 thick cut bacon strips
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Carolina Mustard Sauce:
3/4 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
To make the sauce, add all ingredients to a bowl and stir until well combined. It is best done the night before, but tastes pretty good even if made right before grilling.
Take the pork tenderloin and cut it into 6 long 1/4 inch thick strips, about the same size as the bacon. Take a piece of the pork tenderloin and place a slice of bacon on top. Roll it up carefully, ensuring that the bacon does not slip out and tuck it into place using two toothpicks. Roll the remaining 5 pieces of pork tenderloin and bacon in the same manner, being sure to secure each one with toothpicks. Now rub the outside of each pinwheel with the salt and pepper and spread a small layer of the Carolina Mustard Sauce on as well, then take each pinwheel and slice it down right through the middle, in between the toothpicks. Let them sit and marinade on a sheet pan while the grill warms up.
This is a great time to go clean off the grill or get some yummy veggies ready too. I chose some great summer veggies, including summer squash which I only just tried for the first time ever this year...man I did not know what I was missing! I sliced it up with some zucchini, a red, green and yellow pepper and a shallot that I had sitting around and tossed them with a couple of tablespoons of EVOO and some lemon pepper.
When the grill was hot (I just used a propane grill btw...) I tossed the pinwheels on there on their sides for a few minutes and then turned them over. Now I must warn you, I don't know if it was the sauce or the bacon grease, but I did have a few minor flare ups...nothing major though. I only coated one side with the carolina sauce too cause it contains quite a bit of mustard, and well, the hubby doesn't like mustard so there you go. I regretted it though! The sauce is AMAZING after it is grilled, very flavorful with a hint of sweet at the finish, so go crazy with it! When they were done, after maybe 15 minutes or so, I threw the veggies on there in a grill basket I bought at Williams-Sonoma this year. (One of my favorite stores I may add...) They took only about 10 minutes too as I only cooked them till warm, I love when grilled veggies still have some crunch to them. I made some plain white rice to go along side. It was quite yummy. The family ate it all up...no leftovers, much to our friend's dismay when he came over and saw pictures of these later.
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