Chef notes
Feel free to substitute other fruits for the pineapple in the salsa, like peaches, nectarines or apricots. I like to put the sour cream in a squeeze bottle because it's much easier to put on the tacos.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup canola oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds and ribs removed for less spice)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups pineapple, finely diced
- 1/2 English cucumber (peeled and seeds removed), finely diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 jalapeno, minced
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- Corn tortillas, warmed
- Purple cabbage, shredded
Preparation
For the Grilled Pork Tenderloin:
In a blender, combine 1/2 cup of the canola oil with the cilantro, honey, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, lime juice and zest. Puree until smooth. Place the pork tenderloins in a zip top bag or a resealable container and pour in the marinade. Toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Season the pork generously with the salt and pepper on all sides. Brush with remaining one tablespoon of the canola oil.
Preheat the grill to high. Grill the pork until it is nicely charred on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Then move the pork to an area of indirect heat on the grill (a cooler area, medium heat to medium low heat) and continue grilling until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loin registers 150 F, about 10 to 12 minutes longer. Remove from the grill and tent loosely with foil. Let the pork rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice for tacos.
For the Pineapple Cucumber Salsa:
In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, cucumber, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the Lime Sour Cream:
In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and lime juice together and transfer to a squeeze bottle or a container. Refrigerate until serving time.
Assemble the Tacos:
To warm the tortillas, brush a hot griddle or grill with oil and heat the tortillas on each side to brown them up a bit. Wrap them in foil to keep them hot until it's time to eat. To build each taco, place some pork onto the tortilla. Top with salsa, shredded purple cabbage, and drizzle with lime sour cream.
