Holy Mole' Pork Tenderloins

Ingredients

Basic Rub for One Pork Tenderloin

1 1/2 tbls. Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/8 tsp. groung cloves

BBQ Finishing Sauce (makes about 2 1/2 cups)

3/4 cup tomato sauce + additional for thinning sauce

3 tbls. tomato paste (no salt added)

1/4 medium brown onion finely diced

2-3 cloves of garlic finely diced

Butter to brown onion & garlic

1 tbls. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbls. quality balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbls. olive oil

1/2 tbls. brown sugar

2 tsp. ancho chili powder

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/8 tsp. cinammon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 oz. or about 2/3rds of one bar of Chuao Spicy Mayan chocolate Bar

Preparation

Begin at least one day ahead of when you plan to serve.  Flavors of the BBQ sauce are better as they age.

Prepare your rub by combining all ingredients thoroughly.  Sprinkle and pat rub on all sides of the tenderloin. Wrap and store pork for at least 12 hours or overnight.  This rub will cover one tenderloin liberally or two tenderloins lightly.  Rub is also excellent on roasted sweet potatoes or sprinkled over onion rings.

Prepare your sauce preferably two days ahead to let flavors blend.  To make this sauce begin by dicing the onion and garlic.  Brown them in butter.  Add all ingredients except for chocolate.  Simmer on stove for 20 to 30 minutes.  Add more tomato sauce if it becomes too thick.  When the flavors have sufficiently combined, remove from stove.  Sauce will be quite thick.

Please note that I have added a minimum of salt since worcestershire is also in this sauce.  You may want to adjust to your own taste.  

In a new pan on very low heat, melt 2 ounces of the Chuao Spicy Maya chocolate with a splash of water, continually stirring.  When completely melted, slowly add the BBQ sauce while you continue to stir.  Thin with additional tomato sauce as needed.  When all ingredients are throughly integrated,  pour the chocolated BBQ sauce into a jar to cool before capping and refrigerating.

Liberally oil your grill with olive oil. Cook the pork tenderloin using medium heat until its internal temperature has reached 155 degrees,.  Turn frequently to brown all sides.  When removed from grill, let tenderloin stand for a few minutes.  While the pork is resting, heat your chocolate BBQ sauce in the microwave or stove, thinning as needed.  Slice pork in thick slices and drizzle this wonderfully dark sauce over meat.  Serve additional sauce in gravy boat.

Roasted sweet potatoes make a wonderful accompainment to this dish. 

Chocolate

and coffee

add a subtle

and intriguing

 twist to this

delicious 

short rib

recipe

CookLocal.com's Chocolate &  Coffee Braised Short Ribs

Thanks to Patricia & John for their permission to reprint this savory chocolate recipe on our site.  Their adaptation of short ribs from the Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook results in a flavorful fall standard with a twist.  Chocolate and coffee are the secret ingredients which add depth and richness to this dish.

Ingredients

Olive oil

4 to 5 lbs beef short ribs

Salt and pepper (see coffee rub for additional flavor)

1 large onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped  -  ( Note: I substituted chili en adobo to taste for the jalapeno)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

2 cups strong coffee

1.5 cups chopped tomatoes, with juice or (1) 28 oz can

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup high quality dark chocolate with 70% or higher cacao 

My choice for chocolate was one bar of Chuao's Todasana 74% cacao (minus two squares that I couldn't help sneaking as I cooked).

Coffee Rub by Fred Thompson for Bon Appetit Magazine July 2009 issue:

1 tablespoon freshly ground coffee granules

2 tsp golden brown sugar

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

This will make enough to store for other recipes.

Preparation

Rinse short ribs and pat them dry.  Season meat liberally with salt and pepper or try the coffee rub for additional flavor.  I left the coffee rub on for 2 hours before proceeding with the recipe.

When you are ready to cook, chop the onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno or chipotle chilis.

Heat olive oil and brown a few short ribs well on all sides.  Transfer to a plate as you continue browning the rest of the ribs.

Reduce the heat to medium and add more olive oil then onion, bell & jalapeno pepper and cook 5-10 minutes until onions are translucent.  Mix in the garlic and cook for another minute.  If you are using the chipotle en adobo as a substitute for jalapeno put that in the sauce last and carefully add "to taste".

Stir brown sugar, chili powder, oregano and cumin into the vegetable mixture and cook for 5 minutes longer.  Add coffee, chopped tomatoes, and tomato paste and bring the whole mixture to a boil.

Cover the ribs with mixture and braise in 325 degree oven for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until meat is tender.  Just before serving mix in chocolate until melted.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with cilantro or parsley.

Note:  I cooked my ribs in a crock pot on high for 2.5 hours because they were unusually meaty ribs.  I also stirred the chocolate into the tomato sauce before braising, making sure that it was well integrated before adding the sauce to my ribs.  

Additional note:  This recipe makes plenty of sauce.  Strain off the fat  before serving to ensure a thicker and more visually presentable sauce.

Favorite

Whisky Pairing

Auchentoshan

Three Wood 

Don't just use it in your marinade...enjoy a sip or two along the way. 

Auchentoshan Marinated Tri-Tip

Enough marinade for one 2.75 - 3 lb. Tri Tip

Auchentoshan adds a wonderful depth of flavor and juiciness to this inexpensive cut of meat. 

ingredients

MARINADE:

1/3 cup Auchentoshan Three Wood or other favorite whisky

1/3 cup good quality olive oil

1 tsp. brown sugar

2 tbl. reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tbl. Lee & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

2 tbl. herbs such as thyme, sweet marjoram, savory, lemon verbena & parsley (finely chopped)

Fresh cracked pepper 

2.75 - 3 lb. Tri-Tip Roast

Parsley or other greens for garnish Individuals may want to add salt to taste after roasting

preparation

Recipe works best if Tri-Tip sits in marinade at least overnight.

Whisk Auchentoshan and olive oil together until well blended.  Add all other marinade ingredients and blend well.  Bathe Tri-Tip roast in marinade in a large zip lock bag overnight.  Turn every couple of hours to distribute marinade.

When ready to cook, let meat stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to shorten cook time.  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees or set grill to medium-high heat.   Drain the marinade.  If using the oven method, set your tri-tip fat side up.  Cook 20 minutes or less until meat registers 125 degrees in the thick part of the roast and 150 degrees around the edges.  This will give you medium rare in the middle of the roast.   Cook until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees for a medium roast (additional 5 - 10 minutes).

If using a grill, set it up for indirect cooking over medium-high heat and cook about 15 minutes per side, watching it closely with the meat thermometer after the first 15 minutes. When done to your liking, let roast rest for a few minutes on your carving board before slicing so that it will retain its juices. Garnish plate with parsley or other beautiful greens. Serve with a horseradish sour cream sauce, or add Auchentoshan to store bought Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauce for another tasty condiment for this roast.