Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Asian Rub Recipe
One of the great things about my Bradley is that I don’t hesitate to get outside and smoke something. It doesn’t matter if I’m not working with a big cut of meat or a whole fish.
For this recipe, which made a perfect Sunday dinner for two, with a decent amount of leftovers, I used a one pound Pork Tenderloin. Let me tell you that the Cucumber Salad was wonderful with the pork. However, it was even better on a sandwich of pork slices the next day! It’s so easy, delicious and a perfect foil for all of that smokey goodness.
Ingredients
The Asian Rub:
For a one-pound tenderloin
One tbsp of five-spice powder
Ground Ginger – 1 tbsp
“Sugar in the Raw”, Demerara sugar or light brown sugar – 1 tbsp
Cracked Szechuan peppercorns – one tsp or more if you want more kick
Granulated garlic – one tbsp
Half tsp of salt
About ¼ cup of bacon fat – this holds the rub together and, of course, imparts even more flavor.
Mix all of the above together very well and smear the mixture all over the tenderloin.
Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.
Let the tenderloin sit outside of the refrigerator for at least one hour before putting it in the Smoker.
Cucumber Salad:
Half a cup of rice wine vinegar
Asian sweet chilli sauce – 2 tbsp
Lemon zest – one tsp
One medium cucumber, thinly sliced
Medium carrot, julienned
Half small red onion, thinly sliced
About ½ cup of thinly sliced radishes
Fresh cilantro chopped – ½ cup
Chopped, dry roasted peanuts ¼ cup (be mindful when adding salt when using salted peanuts)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation
The Smoking Process:
First, heat the Bradley Smoker to 220 degrees, then oil a rack well. For the one-pound tenderloin, the smoking time to an internal temperature of 160 degrees was about two hours.
As always recommended, let it sit for a few minutes before slicing.
Cucumber Salad:
In a bowl, whisk vinegar, chilli sauce and lemon zest together. Next, add cucumber, carrot, radishes, and onion then toss. After seasoning with salt and pepper, cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
For service, drain the salad and top it with the cilantro and peanuts.