The grilling saga continues…
Have you gotten your fill of grilling yet?
Great! Me neither!

Here you go kids, another staple of foods that I enjoy grilling over the summertime that you can try. These ones I would not deem as conventional, nor novice. Remember you do NOT need to have the most elaborate Bobby Flay grilling set up, I mean WHO DOES?

Plus, we all know Flay is a cheater…my man, Nick, was the real winner.

But nonetheless, I’m confident that you can all give them a try. Easiest way to get better at cooking is similar to getting better at pullups. Do you know how to get better at pullups? Do more pullups…

Same applies to grilling. Try stuff out, burn things, undercook it, overcook it. Just PRACTICE. We just talking practice.

Even the Fonze wasn’t that good off the bat, it took years to perfect being a shark-jumping, motorcycle-riding, lady-cruising leather-bound dude in Wisconsin.

But I digress.

Grilled Chipotle Lime Spiced Pork Tenderloin

1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
1 lime, zest finely grated
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup local honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat and silver skin.

Place the lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt, and garlic powder in a small, lidded jar and shake to combine. Pour half of the marinade mixture into a 1-gallon resealable bag, add the chipotle pepper, and move around to combine.

Add the pork tenderloin to the bag and seal, removing as much air as possible and place in a container to catch any leaks. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours, rotating the bag halfway through the time. Place the remaining marinade in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the tenderloin from the bag and allow to sit at room temperature while preparing the grill. Remove the reserved marinade from the refrigerator.

If you are a novice to using a charcoal grill, practice by using a chimney starter. It allows you to get a head start on getting the heat for your fire up faster. Fill a large chimney starter with charcoal and light. Once the charcoal is ashy and white, approximately 30 minutes, dump the hot charcoal onto the lowest grate of the grill and spread into an even layer using extra-long tongs. Don’t burn your face off please.

Place the cooking grate back on the grill and cover with the lid; heat the grate to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Brush the grill with vegetable oil. This will help keep the meat from sticking to the grates. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and place in the center of grate.

Discard bag with marinade. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. You want a thermometer for this one kids. Splurge at the store and get one. Pork tenderloin, in my opinion, can be a lot harder to tell its readiness based on ye olde touch test.

Remove the tenderloin from the grill and place on a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil folded at the edges to create a basket, and pour on the reserved marinade. Wrap tightly and rest for 10 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and slice. Garnish with cilantro, look like a foodie badass, and serve.

Coffee Rub Grilled Ribeye Steak:

1/4 cup ancho chili powder
1/4 cup finely ground espresso (a Keurig K Cup will work)
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika (Paprika will suffice)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons chili de arbol powder (chili powder will work too)
2 bone-in or boneless rib-eye steaks, 2-inches thick, approximately 1 1/2 pounds each
Olive oil
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

If you do NOT have all of these in your pantry and spice rack, don’t fret. Hit up your local Job Lot or Aldi Market and you can land these all on the cheap. A little bit of searching and you can get everything on here.

Combine all spices in a bowl and mix throughly with a fork if needed.

Preheat your grill to 400 degrees F.

Brush each side of the steak with oil and then season each side liberally with salt and pepper.

Rub 2 tablespoons of the coffee rub onto 1 side of each steak. Cook the steak, rub side down until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the steak over, cook for 2 minutes and then transfer to a baking sheet and move to the coolest side of the grill. For those not using a gas grill you may want to heat your oven inside when first doing this recipe to be sure to get the steaks cooked properly. If using the oven, after grill searing the steaks, cook in the oven to medium-rare doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Give those a go and don’t forget to post pictures to the internet because how will anyone know you accomplished anything?

SOAP BOX OUT!