Juicy and Flavorful!
Recently I wondered why I hadn’t prepared Jamaican Jerk dishes more often. The marinade’s blend of sweet and spicy combined with tasty herbs are always delicious. I think my main concern is that we always grill the pork and lose most of the marinade in the process. The marinade paste falls through grill and makes a royal mess of the grates in the process (which Greg is never happy with). You’re left with a nice char on the meat, but with most of the marinade gone, you don’t have the tasty combo of sweet, spicy and herbal.
Since last night was a cool summer evening I decided to bake the pork in the marinade instead of asking Greg to grill it. Perfect! The Pork was succulent and the marinade was not lost. All the flavors I love.
This recipe works great with skinless chicken too. I usually serve Jerk Pork with a cool salad (like this cucumber salad in an avocado dressing) and with some fruit to the side.
When preparing this dish don’t worry too much about measurements (I don’t). Just taste as you go and you’ll get the exact flavors you like. Enjoy!
Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin
This recipe is inspired by several recipes from Cooking Light and Bon Appetit. Coffee beans soften the heat of the chile and bring out the other flavors in this paste-like marinade.
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 tablespoon ground coffee
1 1/4 teaspoons ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
2-3 teaspoons chopped seeded jalopeno chile
2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins
Add all ingredients except pork to food processor; blend until wet paste forms. Place pork in large glass baking dish and coat with paste. Cover; chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer pork coated with paste mixture to rimmed baking sheet. Roast pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 150°F for medium, about 35 minutes. Let Pork rest about 10 minutes and then slice and serve.
I have a tenderloin in the freezer which really needs to be used soon…
I was thinking, when I first saw your post that grilling it (as jerk usually is) would result in a very dry dish as the tenderloin doesn’t have much fat (brining it would help). Still, oven baking seems to have turned out nicely. Your looks nice and moist.
It was very moist. Making the pork into tacos tonight with an avocado dressing.
Wow, this looks delicious. And perfect timing. I have a tenderloin in the freezer, too! I was wondering about doing the rotisserie on the BBQ, but this sounds much better. Thanks for the recipe!