For the pork
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
12 ounces root beer
½ cup molasses
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup Smoked Jalapeño Sauce (recipe follows)
2 cups Apple Salsa (recipe follows)
Cut the tenderloin diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the root beer and molasses, mixing thoroughly. Pour over the pork loin. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour (We went overnight). Heat the canola oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat until the oil is 350 degrees on a deep-fat thermometer. Drain and discard the liquid from the pork and place the pork slices in hot oil, searing for about 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked to medium. Serve immediately drizzled with the jalapeño sauce and topped with the salsa.
Smoked Jalapeño Sauce
We have found this sauce to be good on lots of other things like burgers or chicken. I think the flavors are a great blend of heat and sweet. You can use chipotle peppers in adobe, if you don’t smoke your own peppers. Thats what we did and is excellent and easy. But try smoking your own if you have time. The recipe for that is below if you're feeling adventerous.
1 smoked Jalapeno (we used 1 pepper from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo)
¼ cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup tupelo honey or what ever honey you like
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup V8 juice
1½ teaspoons chili powder
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons roasted garlic purée
¾ teaspoons ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1½ teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
Combine the smoked jalapeño, marmalade, honey, orange juice, V8 juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic purée, coriander and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and stir thoroughly. Decrease the heat to medium and add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan with a whisk. Cook for 2 minutes, decrease the heat to low, and cook for about 5 minutes longer, or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Purée the cooked jalapeño in a food processor and add back to the sauce. Add the lime juice and cilantro. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Makes 1½ cups.
Smoked Jalapeños
To make the jalapeños, put 2 cups hickory chips in the bottom of a 4-inch deep heavy roasting pan. Cover with water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain the water and cover the chips with aluminum foil. Place 4 whole jalapeño peppers on the foil, cover the pan tightly with additional foil, and put in a 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes. (The foil will puff up like you’re making Jiffy Pop popcorn.) Turn the oven down to 250 degrees and cook for 20 to 20 minutes longer, until the peppers are slightly browned. Allow the peppers to cool before removing the seeds and membranes.* Store peppers in refrigerator. (The same method may be made for smoking tomatoes, by coring tomatoes and scoring the tops and bottoms with an "x" using a sharp paring knife.)
Apple Salsa
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
1 medium poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ large sweet onion (such as Vidalia), diced
2 tablespoons tupelo honey or what ever honey you like
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Combine the apples, peppers and onion in large bowl and add the honey, salt, pepper and parsley. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Makes 3 cups.
We served with mashed sweet potatoes, it would also be good with Tupelo's goat cheese grits.
