Pork tenderloins

[Wlodek]

That was last night's treat. No particular recipe followed here, just my nose.

Some 6 hours earlier I marinated two pork tenderloins in the following mixture:

1 big onion chopped
2 red/yellow peppers in small strips
4 cloves of garlic - sliced
1/2 glass (around 125ml) of red wine
small amount (some 50ml) of cheap grappa
a splash of balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, fresh and dried oregano

in a cast-iron lasagne dish.

Just before putting them in the oven (around 250-300C depending where I pointed the pyrometer at) I browned the tenderloins whole on a skillet with a little olive oil. Then they went on top of the mix in the same dish, with a digital meat thermometer ( such as this one ) set for meat temperature of 70C, stuck in the thickest part of the thicker tenderloin. It went off not a long time later - the veg were cooked beautifully too, and the marinade thickened a little.

If I repeat this for my visitors I'll set the meat to rest for a few minutes while I thicken the gravy in the oven.

The meat was served with baked potatoes (from the oven), additional roasted onions (just halved, sprinkled with salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil - also from the oven) and salad (not from the oven!). Went well with some Argentinian Malbec.

Notes:
1. I would never roast meat in a normal home oven at this temperature; I was watching it cook and moving it closer and further from the door.

2.There was a bed of glowing coals in the oven (swept to one side) and I put a piece of green cherry log on it, which gently added to the flavour, but did not give the meat a strong smoky taste.

3. I find that a good head-lamp is a necessary tool for a WFO cook, perhaps FB shop would consider this?

[nissanneill]

Re: Pork tenderloins

Hi Wlodek.
the more we use the ovens, the more adventurous we get and with a little encouragement from other members, the gamer we become in trying new things.
I was interested in your last comment about the head lights. I never use them as they move and are never where you need them, so I built 2 downlights in the chimney void directly behind the front arch. They are angled back into the oven and illuminate the entire floor magnificently and they stand the heat from the fire.
My void is quite large but have never had any problems. See my pics and discussion at:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f21/...10-a-2119.html

permalink #7. I thoroughly recommend it and will always include them in every oven I build or involved in building.

Neill

[Wlodek]

Re: Pork tenderloins

Neill,

I agree that headlamps do move. This is why I have three. Admittedly they tend to congregate, but they are easier to spot as a huddle (or whatever is the collective noun for a group of headlamps).

Seriously though, I do like your solution, it is very elegant and gives the oven a fantastic ambience.

It also makes for a much more stylish appearance of the chef - the pizza making mole impression feels somehow not quite right. (Moles obviously always wear headlamps)

However I did not think about this early enough and now don't have a ridge overhanging the smoke chamber, so the lamps would be exposed. I guess a massive piece of wood would not be too happy there - it could char and possibly ignite. Maybe I could impregnate it with liquid glass (I know, I know ... saturate is a better word). I have a large slab of sandstone, but it would be difficult to install it there at this stage. Not sure really. Perhaps a strip of copper sheet? Will think about it. Temperatures beyond the chimney inlet are not too high, the smoke goes neatly into the chimney so this should work well.

Thanks for planting the idea in my head. I already have the mains connected to the oven (from an RCD protected connection), the transformer will fit neatly in the compartment hiding the thermocouple system (not finished yet), so it all looks quite feasible.

Regarding the cooking - I'll be posting my little reports as I progress. At the moment it looks like it is the fungi season, so pizza porcinella sounds a strong possibility.

All the best,
W.