Greek Pork Tenderloin

This Greek style recipe comes to you straight from Athens, and it will make you want to dance on the table and shout opa!

Pork tenderloins make for a wonderful main course.  They can be marinaded to help retain moisture and provide an ethnic fare to the meal by applying different seasoning blends.  My husband and I traveled to Greece a while back and we loved the fresh food and tasty grilled meats.  One of the dishes we had was this pork dish.  Though I think our meat at the restaurant was on a skewer and a rotisserie, I’ve adapted this recipe and we now cook it on our backyard grill.  Because there is honey in the marinade, it will slightly burn on the outside as you put it on the grill.  Use an internal probe to measure the temperature, to 145* and don’t overcook.  

Greek Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons GF soy sauce

2 tablespoons mustard (I like to use Dijon)

1 teaspoon tarragon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon Greek dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

3-4 tablespoons fresh rosemary striped form the stem 


Instructions

  1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in zip lock bag

  2. Shake the bag to mix well

  3. Trim tenderloins of excess fat

  4. Place tenderloins in the bag with the marinade and seal tightly removing as much air as possible

  5. Marinade for 9 hours to 24 hours in the refrigerator, turning the bag over, every few hours, to evenly distribute the marinade as much as possible 

  6. When time to grill – place on heated grill for 25 – 30 minutes until an internal temperature of 145*

  7. Remove from grill to serving plate and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.  This will help the juices stay within the meat and be moist and flavorful.

Serve with a Greek salad of tomato, bell pepper, onion and parsley drizzled in olive oil and vinegar, a cauliflower rice dish and sautéed spinach, for a yummy and nutrient dense, whole food meal!

TIP: you can prepare the tenderloin and marinade in the bag and freeze at that point.  When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator for 48 hours – again flipping the bag every so often. Grill as described above, once completely thawed. 

Renee MatthewsComment