Apple tenderloin kebabs

Nick Hodson

Ingredients

1 lb pork tenderloin in 1" cubes (larger rather than smaller)

1 Apple cored (I use Royal Gala but others would work) and quartered then halved to give you 8 chunks.  You need equal numbers of pork and apple chunks.  Do more apple if you need to.

4 (or more) soaked bamboo kebab skewers

Chunk of soaked apple or cherry wood for smoking

Marinade

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp mango vinegar (see below)

1 tsp fresh thyme (1/2 tsp dried will also work)

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Instructions

Mix all but pork and apples in bowl or jug.  Whisk until emulsified.

Put pork and apple chunks into ziploc bag pour in marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours (less will still work - so will more).

Thread pork and apples alternately on skewers. 

Fire up Egg to 400 F and add wood. 

Grill direct for 2 minutes a side and one more side or until internal pork temperature is no more than 160 F.  I stop around 150 F and let it rest for 5 minutes.  After 150 F tenderloin begins to dry quickly.

Mango vinegar you can buy in the specialty vinegar section at the grocery store or make easily yourself.

2 cups white vinegar (you can use wine vinegar but regular vinegar works as well)

1 ripe juicy mango (Unripe non juicy won't cut it)

1/4 - 1/2 cup mango nectar (grocery store juice aisle)

Peel and slice flesh off mango. Dump flesh into blender add 1/4 cup mango nectar and 2 cups vinegar.  Blend until completely smooth.  taste for sweet/acid blend and add more nectar to taste, or not.  Decant into bottles/jars and refrigerate.  Keeps for weeks.

Notes

Serve with small tomatoes roasted on the Egg at the same time the kebabs are grilling (lift off very gently) and basmati rice steamed with a cinammon stick, bay leaf, six cloves and six green cardamoms - or whatever aromatic spices you have. Pick out spices before serving.

Number of Servings: 3 - 4

Time to Prepare: 10 minutes