Bourbon Molasses Pork Tenderloin–YUM

Have you noticed that pork tenderloins have been on sale a lot lately? They have been in my area and since I love this cut, I stock up big time.

Pork tenderloins are a great choice for when you want “roast” pork but want it quickly. Generally, they take less than an hour when oven roasted so that’s pretty quick. However, here we take the low and slow approach by using indirect heat on an outside grill. Even though this may take twice the time than in a regular oven, this method has many advantages. One of those is that the meat remains juicier.

Indirect Cooking Method

Indirect cooking is outside cooking’s version of slow cooking. A smoker uses the same method but with the addition of wood chips for extra flavor. As an aside, that will work very nicely here too so if you have a smoker, try it. The time will be approximately the same as the indirect method.

You can achieve indirect heat by either charcoal or gas grills. The charcoal grill will require a lid so if all you have is a a topless model, it won’t do here. A Weber kettle is the perfect instrument.

What you do with the charcoal is light it, let it catch so the briquettes are uniformly grey, then pile them up over on one side of the grill. Then place the meat on the side with no briquettes under it. With this method, you have to monitor the heat periodically so I tend to avoid it with longer-cooking pieces of meat. It does, however, produce great flavor.

Using a gas grill is so much simpler because it’s pretty much fuss free. Merely light one side of the grill and cook on the unlit side. No worries with a cover since they all have covers. And there’s little to no monitoring the temperature. This is my preferred method.

Let It Rest

As with all roasts cooked by any method, letting it rest is important. I can’t stress that enough here. Tent with foil and let these babies rest for at least 15 minutes.

You won’t be sorry.

The Recipe

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Bourbon Molasses Pork Tenderloin

Perfect for grilling

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Marinate8 hours hrs

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bbq tenderloin, boozy pork marinades, pork tenderloin on the outside grill

Servings: 6

Calories: 282kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin trimmed of membrane

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup black coffee at room temperature
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 3 tbs molasses
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs fresh thyme chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Mix all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
• Place the tenderloins in a large plastic freezer bag and pour the marinade over the pork. Put the pork in the fridge and let it marinate for 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking. On a gas grill, this means cooking on the UNLIT side. On a charcoal grill it means piling up the charcoal on one side of the grill and cooking over the side with no coals (see photo in post). FYI the charcoal grill must have a cover (like a Weber kettle)
• Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. You're going to baste the tenderloins with this.
• Place the tenderloins on the prepared grill, cover and grill for about 2 hours or until internal temperature is at least 145F/70C. The ideal temperature is 160F/80C.
• Move the tenderloins to the lit side of the grill to sear--about 5 minutes.
• You can do this in a regular oven, but roast at 400F/200C for about 40 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 762mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg

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Grilling Season Is Here

Yep, the grilling season has arrived! This makes grilling veggies all the more convenient–and tastier.

But even when outdoor grilling isn’t in season, this roasted red pepper relish is easy to make. You can always roast peppers in your oven when you can’t cook outdoors. Since it will be a big hit, you’ll want to make it year round.

It’s ridiculously easy to make and comes together in a flash. It lends itself to many different foods and it’s quite versatile. You can even eat it by itself! Yes, it’s that good!

Roasting The Peppers

Roasting peppers is a rather easy affair no matter which way you do it.

In order to prepare them, what I do is slice them in half and take out the seeds and the white filaments. This way, I don’t have to deal with it after they’re cooked. However, that’s a personal preference and not an absolute requirement.

You can also roast them whole, but bear in mind, the process will take a bit longer. Regardless, it produces the same results.

If you want to do them on your BBQ grill, just coat them with a bit of oil–and that’s optional–and place them on the grill over a medium heat making sure to turn them so they’re evenly seared.

In the oven, do the same as the grill in a 400F/200C oven. If you’ve got a convection setting on your oven, that’s perfect for this task. Of course an air fryer is also excellent.

If you want to easily peel the skin, again optional, all you have to do is cool them slightly and put them in a plastic bag then seal it. Once the peppers are cooled completely, the skin will just slip off.

If You Like Some Heat

For those who would like a bit of zip in this relish, then by all means substitute part of the sweet bell pepper for something with a bit of sass. My choice is my beloved jalapeño, but use whatever you like.

You can also do the whole recipe with hot peppers if your taste tends toward that. So why not make it both ways–one for the heat lovers and one for the non lovers.

The Recipe

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Roasted Red Pepper Relish

Great on...everything!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: relish recipes, roasted pepper relish recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 96kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 medium onion roughly diced
• 1 1/2 cups roasted red bell peppers
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 tbs fresh parsley chopped
• 2 tbs olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• To roast the peppers--cut them in half and remove seeds and filaments. Toss with a light coating of olive oil. If doing on the outside grill, roast over medium-high heat, skin side down, until the skin begins to blister and the skin begins to scorch. Remove and cool completely. In the oven, place skin side up and roast at 400F/200C for about 10 minutes or until skin blisters and begins to scorch. Air fryer--same as conventional oven. When cool, roughly dice.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until caramelized; about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl (oil and all) then add remaining ingredients.
• Serve warm or cold.

Notes

Store-bought roasted red peppers may be substituted for your homemade.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 722mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

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Shrimp So Delicious But So Easy

First I have to say I love shrimp. I buy it a lot because it’s often on sale for a great price–yes, even now!

I make a lot of shrimp recipes. My most recent was a Cajun shrimp and it was great, although it was the rice that was the star of that show.

In this recipe, the star is the grilled jalapeño shrimp and it’s due to the delicious marinade! The marinade combines pretty ordinary flavors, however when they’re mixed up together, it becomes something a lot more than the sum of it’s parts.

These shrimp are also easy to prepare and cook. And they’re perfect to make on the outside grill.

Jalapeños Supply The Heat

I have lots of jalapeños at the moment. I got on another rip with them when my Instacart shopper substituted them for Thai chiles. OK I wasn’t thrilled with the substitution because I actually needed small skinny red peppers, so I wanted to use them for something else other than scrambled eggs with cheese and diced jalapeños (this is a guilty pleasure of mine–try it). I found a similar recipe on my grocery store’s website whilst shopping and decided to make it with what I had.

The heat from the peppers offset the sweet and garlicky flavor of the shrimp. The effect is perfect. You also have the added “roasted” flavor that grilling gives the peppers.

If you don’t like heat, then a great substitution would be green or red bell peppers cut into about 1-inch/2.5cm squares. There is jalapeño in the marinade, but the slight amount of heat is offset by the other ingredients. Again, if you don’t want to take the chance, then substitute about 4 tablespoons of bell pepper. It won’t taste exactly the same, but it’ll be good.

A Word About Wooden Skewers

If you don’t have nice, long stainless skewers and use the wooden kind, make sure they are at least 10-inches/25 cm long. Remember you can always put small amounts on a large skewer but not the other way around.

You also must soak them in warm water for at least 30 minutes before using them. This retards them burning up and breaking. They will still singe, but the soaking makes the rate of burn much slower.

What I do to stop the bottom of the skewer burning or getting hot is I place that part off the front side of my gas grill so there’s no heat on it. Alternately, you can place a strip of foil under that part to prevent the burning and the end getting hot if you don’t want the ends hanging off the side of the grill.

The Recipe

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Boozy Jalapeño Shrimp

Grilled skewers of yummy shrimp & peppers

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Marinate20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, GRILLING, Main, Main Course, Seafood

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cilantro marinade for shrimp, grilled shrimp with jalapeño, marinades with jalapeños

Servings: 4

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra large shrimp peeled & deveined
• 4 jalapeños seeded & cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 4 long wooden skewers

Marinade:

• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 2 tbs honey
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place all marinade ingredients and 1 of the jalapeños in a blender and process until liquified. This will make approximately 3/4 cup.
• Preheat grill on high heat.
• Place the remaining jalapeños and shrimp in a plastic zipper bag. Pour in HALF the marinade. Seal bag and massage contents to coat the shrimp & peppers. Let this sit for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the skewers in warm water for 20 minutes.
• Skewer shrimp & jalapeños, alternating a shrimp with a jalapeño piece.
• Place on grill and cook about 10 minutes, turning and basting with remaining marinade.

Nutrition

Serving: 1skewer | Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 286mg | Sodium: 1028mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 218IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 2mg

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Roasted Vegetable Medley–Camping Recipe, BBQ Recipe Or Oven Recipe

This veggie combo is one you can enjoy year round.

Because of the way it’s cooked on the grill, it’s easily adaptable to indoor oven cooking. When you cook it on the outside grill, it uses the indirect heat method. That essentially turns your BBQ grill into an oven.

This method is often used for low, slow cooking for ribs, brisket, etc. However, these are cooked at a higher heat, so they don’t take hours to cook.

If you go camping, this vegetable medley is perfect for “campfire” cooking too!

Use Any Assortment Of Vegetables

This is one of those recipes where you can use any combination that suits your family’s tastes.

If you don’t like mushrooms, substitute something else for them such as zucchini or summer squash. Don’t like onions? Leave them out!

The only two veggies that I would consider a must in this combo is the bell peppers and the asparagus. And now that you can get fresh asparagus year round, this can be enjoyed throughout the year. These particular vegetables are the flavor makers in this recipe and every other add-in just builds on that flavor.

Use Fresh Herbs

Whenever possible, I always advise using fresh herbs. The taste difference between fresh and the stuff in the jar is really noticeable. I grow herbs in containers outside in the summer and also have a couple of Aerogardens so I can continue to grow what I use indoors. So, I have easy access to fresh, but you can buy what you like at the store–it’s in the produce section.

I’m a thyme nut, so I tend to use that and I did in this recipe. However, rosemary would work as well as dill. Fresh oregano or marjoram too. In fact, just changing the herb will make this vegetable medley into a new dish so experiment wildly.

The Recipe

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Roasted Vegetable Medley

Make this veggie combo indoors or outdoors. Excellent for camping too!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: BBQ recipe, camping recipes, grilling, roasted vegetables, vegan recipe, vegetable recipes, vegetarian recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 59kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh asparagus trimmed
• 1 each sweet red yellow and green pepper, julienned
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium tomato chopped
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp minced fresh parsley
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a disposable foil pan, combine the vegetables, olives and garlic; drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme; toss to coat.
• Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
• To make in the oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F then follow the above instructions for the grill method

Notes

*Post contains affiliate links

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1022IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

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Get Grilling

After a rather long and hard winter here in New York, I am so looking forward to outdoor cooking. The bleak and cold weather hung on through May and my heat actually came up Memorial Day weekend, so you better believe I am so happy that it’s warmer and I can do some BBQing!

These Cornish hens celebrated the maiden voyage of my new Weber Spirit over at my office. I’m a real poultry nut so I was really looking forward to making these.

With larger chickens, I either partially cook the pieces or cook them on the grill over indirect heat and just finish them off over direct heat. Since Cornish hens are small, they don’t have to be par-cooked or done over indirect heat. They cook quickly too, but it’s always best to use an instant-read thermometer to make sure. The thickest part of a game hen that’s split is funny enough, the breast. Make sure to check the temperature there.

Wonderful Flavors For Cornish Hens

Rosemary is a great herb to use with chicken. It really enhances the flavor.

Combining that with garlic and a hint of lemon takes it from great to totally awesome. The addition of fresh parsley gives the Cornish hens a slight earthiness too. I can’t say it enough; these flavor combinations are marvelous.

You do have to rub the “paste” all over the hens and let them sit in the fridge for at least one hour. It’s important not to cover them because you want the skin to dry out a bit so the herbs will adhere. The skin will also be crispier.  Ideally, they should sit for about 3-4 hours. They will taste better the longer the marinade has time to work it’s magic.

Grease The Grates

The last thing you want to have happen is the skin sticking to the grill grates and tearing–especially if you are making this for guests! Therefore, it’s important to oil the grill grates right before placing the Cornish hens (or anything else you don’t want sticking) immediately before placing the food on the grill.

I actually got away from doing this quite a while ago. My answer is to use non-stick BBQ grill pans. Some have “wells” where the grease will collect so it keeps the grill clean and pretty much eliminates the need for the grill’s grease catcher. Some don’t have that feature, but it still keeps the grill clean and prevents sticking. The one you see in my pics I got off QVC. It’s the Copper Chef brand. What I really like about this pan is that the design will automatically give you the cross-hatch marks (quadrillage if you want to get fancy) without having to do the 10 o’clock then 2 o’clock turns.

The Recipe

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Rosemary Garlic Cornish Hens

These quick and easy rosemary garlic Cornish hens are nice enough for guests, but great for family too.

Prep Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cornish hen recipe, cornish hens

Servings: 4

Calories: 575kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 cornish game hens cut in half

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbs chopped fresh garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Puree the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor.
• Coat the cornish hens with the marinade and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat your grill to medium (450-500 degrees F). Brush the grates with oil or use a non-stick grill pan (like you see in my pics).
• Grill skin side up, brushing with any remaining marinade for about 10 minutes, covered. Turn the hens and grill (covered) for an additional 10 minutes, being careful that they do not burn. Internal temp should be 165 degrees F.
• Remove from grill, tent with foil and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 575kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 1301mg | Potassium: 531mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 323IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

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Neil’s Special Angus Steak

Nothing says summer like meat cooked on the BBQ!  Make Price Chopper your headquarters for tasty Certified Angus beef and summertime savings!  

Thinking about summer and getting outside and grilling has often gotten me through many northeast winters. Especially this past winter which seemed as if it would never quit!

I’ve already started planning for my big BBQ for 4th of July. It’s something I always look forward to doing because I’m totally in love with my gas grill and cooking outdoors!

I’m also picky about my meat and want only the best quality beef to serve my guests.  For this I trust the experts at #PriceChopperBBQ.  I know I can get advice on selection and how to cook a particular cut from any of their butchers. When they say, “We Know Meat,” it’s an absolute fact and their meat is the main reason I’ve been a “Chopper Shopper” for close to 30 years.

With the help of one of Price Chopper’s service butchers, I chose a top round London broil for the party’s main event. 

Price Chopper’s self-service meat counter (left), Service butcher (center), Neil’s Special Sauce Kiosk (right)

Certified Angus Top Round London Broil & Neil’s Special Sauces

Grilled to perfection with seasoned mushrooms

Certified Angus Beef is tender and juicy

Hillshire Farm’s America Craft Smoked Sausage

Smoky Bourbon Sausage Kabobs

Betty Crocker Supreme Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix

You only will need a couple of additional ingredients to make these delicious treats. You may not even have to buy anything since they are pretty standard pantry and dairy items!

Yummy brownies

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Brownies

• 1 box (18 oz) Betty Crocker Supreme Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix (and necessary ingredients listed on box)
• 2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray or grease the bottom of a 11 x 7-inch oblong baking pan.


Prepare mix as directed on box.  Spread in prepared pan and set aside.


In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the extract.  Spread cheese mixture over brownie mixture.


Place preserves in a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 20 seconds, stir–the preserves should start to look like sauce–this is the consistency you want. Drop preserves over top of cheesecake mixture.  Using a knife, cut through the batters lightly to produce a marbled effect–be careful NOT to mix the 3 layers.  It’s marbling we’re after here, not a mixture!


Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cheesecake is set.


Remove and cool completely on a rack.  May be eaten at room temp, but I prefer the taste and texture if they are well chilled.


Makes about 12 bars, depending on how you cut.

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Brownies

Price Chopper has some pretty neat videos on their YouTube Channel, so make sure to take a look, and to keep abreast of specials and coupons, remember to “like” their Facebook page.

And last but not least, here’s some collages of the recipes on this page for your Pinterest pinning pleasure!

Neil’s Special Angus Steak

Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix

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