I have made this recipe for a number of years for summer cookouts when I want a little play on barbecue. Simple seasoned pork tenderloins finished with and easy to make Asian barbecue sauce and served with cold sesame noodles.
Hoisin sauce is the base for the barbecue sauce with a little Chinese 5-spice mixed in. The sauce is sweetened up a bit with brown sugar and honey, so be sure to apply it in the last few minutes of cooking – just long enough to to caramelize the sugars, but not burn them.
The beautiful thing about the cold sesame noodles is that they can be dressed up or down. Serve them simply by themselves with some chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds, or like I have here with some fresh vegetables and shiitake mushrooms to make them more of a meal. The truth is, I had some vegan friends coming over in addition to the usual crowd and didn’t want to worry about cooking a separate dish. Oh, if you can’t find tahini or just don’t want to, you can subtitute in peanut butter.
- For Asian Barbecue Sauce:
- ⅓ cup hoisin sauce
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- -
- 2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- make barbecue sauce by combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly just until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Sauce can be store covered in the refrigerator for up to a month.
- Place tenderloins on a tray. Combine the salt, pepper, and five spice powder. U all of the mixture to season the the tenderloins. For best results, cover and refrigerate tenderloins for a couple hours or overnight before grilling.
- Set up grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Brush and oil grate when ready to start cooking. Place pork on the hot oiled grill. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side (four sides) for a total of 14 to 18 minutes or until internal temperature registers a minimum of 140˚F (medium rare) and up to 160˚F (medium). Brush tenderloins liberally with barbecue sauce allowing the sauce to caramelize slightly on the grill.
- Remove from grill, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Brush with any remaining sauce and slice across the tenderloins on the bias.
- 14 ounces soba noodle or linguine pasta
- -
- For Dressing:
- ½ cup tahini (or creamy peanut butter)
- ¼ cup hot water
- 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
- 3 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon honey (2 tablespoons if using peanut butter)
- 2 teaspoons sambal, chili-garlic paste, or sriracha
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
- -
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
- ½ red bell pepper, julienned
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish
- Cook noodles per package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain well. If using pasta, toss with a little neutral oil to keep from sticking; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth.
- Add the cooked noodles, carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, and scallions. Toss to combine and chill for 1 hour.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.
Cheers and Happy Grilling!
~Jeff
Jeff, for the cold noodle salad, is it 1/2 “cup” of Tahini? Thanks. Sounds really good, will definitely be giving this a try.
Good catch, thank you! Yes, 1/2 cup tahini. Let me know what you think… Cheers – Jeff