Kosher-Style Pork Cracklins

Jay and I perused the Summer Grilling issue of Cook's Illustrated again because we just love using the grill! We found a recipe for grilling pork tenderloin along with two wet rubs and one dry rub. We decided on the Orange-Garlic Wet Rub. This was my first time grilling pork tenderloin, so I was a little worried that it might be too dry. The recipe called for an hour of brining the pork in the fridge, so I did that while preparing the wet rub. The timing worked out well, and the recipe was pretty simple.

The grilling instructions weren't quite as clear as they usually are, but it said to grill on four sides. Well, with our cuts, we only found it possible to grill on two sides. I had visions of dry meat, charred black on two sides. As Jay grilled the meat, I prepared some asparagus to be grilled. As the meat cooled, he grilled the asparagus, and did an even better job grilling it than last time!

The pork tenderloins were unbelievably juicy. Next time I'll need to place them on a cutting board with grooves to collect all the juices! It was really really yummy, too!

• How to Grill Pork Tenderloin (Cook's Illustrated, Summer 2006, p.36)
• Orange-Garlic Wet Rub (Cook's Illustrated, Summer 2006, p.37)
• Grilled Asparagus (Cook's Illustrated, Summer 2006, p.42)

Jay invited me to ride with him and I said "sure". This was early in the day, by the time he got home, I was dragging and really did not want to ride. "How about I cook dinner?" So while Jay rode on the trainer, I went to the store. Then another store since not only was I out of gnocchi, but so was the store! Dinner was ready about 2 minutes before Jay got off the bike. Perfect!

One thing I like about this recipe is that it uses a lot of ingredients you're likely to already have at home. I'd definitely make this again, and next time, I will remember the Parmigiano cheese!

• Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Bacon, Onions and Peas (Fine Cooking, May 2007, p.84a)

Amy said this would be good, and she was right. I don't have much to say about this, except that it was terribly easy to make. I like that the only fresh ingredients you need to buy is the meat and limes. Also, you can prepare it a few hours ahead of time, perfect for preparing before a workout and then cooking and eating it right after. The only thing to watch in this recipe is the drippy sauce. If you're not careful you will drip it all over the grill, countertops, cutting boards, floor, etc.

While it does have coconut milk in it, the recipe calls for light coconut milk, so it doesn't have nearly the same amount of saturated fats.

The sauce was super yummy. But then, so was the pork, with or without the extra sauce added after grilling. This also made excellent leftovers.

• Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce (Fine Cooking, July 2007, p.78a)