Recipe: Grilled Pork Tenderloin With Pickled Watermelon Relish
Ingredients
- For the watermelon relish:
- 3 pounds pork tenderloins, cleaned
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 pounds watermelon rind, green skin and soft pink flesh pared off, rind cut into small squares or thin 1/4-inch strips, approximately 4 to 5 cups
- 3 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 1 quart boiling water
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
Preparation
Preheat the grill to medium high heat. When ready to grill, oil the grate and wipe down to remove any residue so grates are clean. Arrange pork tenderloins on grill. Brown on all sides and just cook through (firm to the touch) 8 to 12 minutes in all, or until internal temperature in center is 150°F. Let meat rest for 5 minutes. Place pork tenderloins on a cutting board, slice, and transfer to a serving platter or plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with watermelon relish. Serve extra relish on the side if desired.
For the watermelon relish:
Place ground cinnamon, peppercorns, whole cloves and allspice in a small piece of cheese cloth and tie into a sachet so that spices are not floating around in pickling liquid. Mix 1 quart of cold water with salt and pour over rind. Cover and let stand overnight. Drain; cover the rind with 1 quart of fresh water and cook over high heat for 10 minutes and drain again. In a stainless steel pot, combine the quart of boiling water, vinegar, sugar and spices. Bring to a rolling boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Boil for 10 minutes. Add the drained rind and simmer gently until rind becomes transparent, about 45 minutes. Remove spice sachet and serve fruit as needed; can be served hot or cold as a relish.
Serving Size
Yields 2 pints