You'll be in Heaven when you make this sweet, tangy and smoky pork tenderloin. It's made with delicious, fresh blueberries, bacon, brown sugar and other ingredients to die for.
Barbecue Sauce:
3 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
1/2 c. minced shallots
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 c. fresh blueberries
1/2 c. packed golden brown sugar
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 T. Dijon stone ground mustard
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. kosher salt
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pork Tenderloins:
two 1 1/4 lb. pork tenderloins
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 T. olive oil
Cook bacon in a skillet on low heat until slightly crispy; remove to a paper towel, leaving bacon grease in the skillet. Saute shallots and jalapeno in the grease over medium heat until soft, about 2 minutes. Add blueberries, sugar, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, salt, lemon juice and cooked bacon; simmer until blueberries have split and sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor; pulse until pureed; return sauce to skillet to be warmed slightly when the meat is removed from the oven.
Pork Tenderloin:
Remove the silver skin, if any, from the tenderloins; season generously with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet (or use a regular one, and transfer pork to a baking tray or dish for the oven) over high heat; add oil; add pork; sear on all sides, turning meat with tongs, about 2 minutes total.
Place meat thermometer in the thickest part of the tenderloin; place skillet or baking tray into the oven. Cook until thermometer reads 145 degree, about 20 - 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the tenderloin.
During the last 5 minutes of cooking, brush a bit of sauce on the tops of the tenderloins, just enough to adhere to the meat. Reserve the remaining sauce for serving on the side.
Remove tenderloin from the oven; loosely tent with aluminum foil; let sit at least 5 minutes before cutting on a diagonal into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
Serve with the reserved sauce on the side.
6 servings.