Grilled pork tenderloin with corn and zucchini
Smoky, garlicky pork tenderloin on the grill with charred corn and zucchini beside it, a whole summer dinner with nothing to wash.
- 60 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.76 a serving
- 380 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pork tenderloin, about 1¼ lb
- 4 corn on the cob, husked
- 2 zucchini
- 2 tbsp butter (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 380 calories, 35 g protein, 26 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $2.76 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No zucchini? Yellow squash works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Stir 2 tbsp of the oil with the garlic, brown sugar, smoked paprika, rosemary, vinegar, 1 tsp of the salt and the pepper in a dish.
the silver skin from the pork, turn it in the marinade, and it in the fridge, covered, for 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
Trim. Trimming means cutting off the parts you don’t eat, like stem ends, tough bits or thick fat. It keeps chewy or bitter bits out of the finished dish.
How you’ll know: What’s left is the good part, with no dry ends, woody stems or thick white fat.
Marinate. Marinating means letting food sit in a flavorful liquid, called a marinade, before you cook it. Always marinate in the fridge, and never reuse marinade from raw meat unless you boil it first.
How you’ll know: The food is coated all over, sealed in a bag or covered dish, and chilling in the fridge.
Timer: 30 min
Heat the grill to medium-high with the lid closed for 10 minutes, then scrub the grates clean and wipe them with an oiled paper towel held in tongs.
Dolly’s tip: Clean, oiled grates are what stop the pork from sticking and tearing.Cut the zucchini into ½-inch planks and brush them and the corn with the rest of the oil and salt.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Grill the pork with the lid closed, turning it a quarter turn every 4 to 5 minutes, for 16 to 20 minutes total, until the thickest part reads 145°F.
Timer: 18 min
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
While the pork cooks, grill the corn 10 to 12 minutes, turning it now and then, and the zucchini 3 to 4 minutes a side, until in spots.
Char. Charring means cooking over very high heat until some spots turn black. Those dark spots add a smoky, slightly bitter flavor that balances sweet or rich food.
How you’ll know: You see black spots and blisters in places, while most of the surface keeps its own color.
Timer: 11 min
the pork 5 minutes, then it into rounds and serve with the corn, butter for the corn, and the zucchini.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
