Going meat-on-meat: the anti meatless monday

February 21, 2012

A while back on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, there was a segment about a diner ~~probably not a drive-in or a dive~~ that made a porchetta sandwich. If you’re not familiar with this dish, you take pork belly, tenderize it and wrap it around a pork loin. Season everything and allow it to roast for a while. The outcome is a tremendously tasty dish, with a crispy pork skin exterior and a juicy stuffed middle, enhanced by the fat of the pork belly.

With this in mind, my meat-on-meat creation was born.

I had a pork tenderloin and was thinking about how to prepare it. Pork tenderloin is not as flavorful as say, beef tenderloin. You need to marinate it, season it, do something with it to add flavor and juiciness, as there’s very little fat.

Inspired by the aforementioned DD&D episode, I took the pork tenderloin, seasoned it with salt, fresh minced garlic and pepper, and spread a nice helping of Dijon mustard over the entire surface. Next, I took fresh rosemary leaves and scattered them around the tenderloin on all sides. Finally, I took three or four slices of bacon and wrapped the slices around the tenderloin, sealing in the mustard and rosemary.

From here, I seared the bacon wrapped tenderloin in my cast iron skillet. This basically started the process of browning the bacon and sealing in some of the flavors. After all four sides had some color, I placed the skillet in a 375 degree oven until a meat thermometer registered slightly higher than 145 degrees (it was under 150)—around 15 minutes.

Finally, I placed the tenderloin on a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes, tented with foil.

The meat sliced so easily, and was a nice pink to reddish in the middle medium. The mingled aroma of smoky bacon and rosemary was amazing. The meat was juicy and tender. We served it with some farro grains, and stir fried kale finished off with a dash of champagne vinegar. A tasty midweek meal that was relatively quick and easy.

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David

David Moss is a writer, marketer, and seasoned foodie with a taste for all types of cuisine. After toiling for several years in the restaurant industry (cooking, waiting tables, bartending, eating) and considering a career as a professional chef, David switched gears to attend Wayne State University and receive a degree in journalism and public relations. As a marketing professional in the non-profit industry, David has experience in Public Relations, Social Media, Grant Writing and Donor Development. But let’s get back to food. When not at his day job, David explores the Detroit area’s best (and sometimes not so best) spots for food, drink and value. He’s part of Yelp’s Elite Squad, and regularly tweets about food, wine and craft beer. You can find him on twitter at @dave_moss.