Pork Tenderloin 7-6-5

Pork tenderloin is a perfect “go-to” dish – you can serve at your most formal dinner or you can throw it on the grill for a casual meal with family or friends. The trick to grilling pork tenderloin, however, is to try not to dry it out on the grill since it is small and lean.

I came across this fool-proof method for grilling pork tenderloin from Fine Cooking and it really works {every time} for perfect, tender, juicy grilled tenderloin. It’s called the “7-6-5” method and I think it’s brilliant!  Here are the basics: First marinate the meat overnight if possible.Grill it on high heat for 7 minutes, turn it over for another 6 minutes, then turn off the grill, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Keep the grill cover closed for each step. It’s so simple and takes away all the guess work!  

2 pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds total)
Use any marinade sauces you like. We like to use Hot Chili Oil, Sesame oil, light soy sauce, grated ginger, grated garlic and freshly ground black pepper. Marisa  introduced me to the frozen ginger and garlic cubes that are sold at Trader Joe’s.

Marinate the tenderloins in a medium bowl or zip lock bag. Trim the tenderloins of excess fat and silver skin and submerge them in the marinade; let stand about 45 minutes or overnight. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry.

Heat a gas grill, turning all the burners to high until the grill is fully heated,10 to 15 minutes.

Put the pork on the hot grill grate. Close the lid and grill for 7 minutes. Turn the pork over, close the lid, and grill for another 6 minutes. Turn off the heat (keep the lid closed) and continue to cook the pork for another 5 minutes. At this point, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the thickest end of the tenderloin should read 145° to 150°F. (If not, close the lid and let the pork continue to roast in the residual grill heat.)

Remove the pork from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before carving. Cut across the grain into 1/2-inch slices and serve immediately.

Note:  Don’t worry about flare-ups, the tenderloins are so lean they won’t drip much on the flame. Comes out perfectly tender and juicy down to the last bite!

Pat Muma