3402. PORK TENDERLOIN with BLUEBERRY-BACON BARBECUE SAUCE

serves six


For the sauce:
3 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon stone ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice

For the pork:
2 (1-1-1/4 pounds) pork tenderloins (2-2-1/4 pounds in all)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Fry bacon on low until slightly crispy; remove bacon to a paper towel leaving the bacon grease in the pan.  Saute shallots and jalapeno in the bacon grease over medium heat until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add blueberries, sugar, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, salt, lemon juice and cooked bacon.  Simmer until blueberries have split and sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor; pulse until pureed.  Return sauce to pan so you can warm it slightly when the meat comes out of the oven.

For the pork, remove the silver skin, if any, from the pork tenderloin and season the meat generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Preheat oven to 425o F. Heat a large oven proof skillet (if you don’t have an oven proof skillet use a regular one, you will just have to transfer pork to a baking tray or dish for the oven) over high heat, then add oil. Add pork and sear on all sides, turning meat with tongs, about 2 minutes total.

Place meat thermometor in the thickest part of the tenderloin and place skillet or baking tray into the oven. Cook until thermometor reads 155o F (about 20 to 25 minutes) depending on the thickness of the tenderloin.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking, brush a little of the sauce on the tops of the tenderloins, just enough to adhere to the meat.  Serve the rest of the sauce on the side.

Remove tenderloin from the oven and loosely tent with foil and let sit at least 5 minutes before cutting on a diagonal into 1/2″ thick pieces and serve.


bacon recipe source: Cathy Pollak, Noble Pig, March 13, 2012