Lime-Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

First I wanted to give you an update on the Colorado Wildfires Bake Sale.  We raised $2,130!!! Holy cow, guys that is awesome!!  Thank you so much for all your facebook posts, blog posts, tweets, bids, everything!  I had set a goal for myself of $2000, but I thought that was pretty unattainable.   You guys proved me wrong, I can’t thank you enough!  I did draw for prizes yesterday and the winners were:

Jenni F – Keurig Brewer and Supplies from Green Mountain Coffee
Madeleine O – Year of Cheeses and Butters from Kerrygold
Beth T – Le Creuset French Roaster

Now, onto the pork!

I am obsessed with limes this year.  Not sure what it is, but I am constantly marinating chicken or pork with lime juice, or squeezing it over grilled meat.  I have taken to buying the big bag of limes at the store, instead of just 1 or 2.  I even made Swanky Caribbean Lemonade, which is made with mostly limes!

Back during the school year for our last cooking club, one person brought a pork tenderloin with chimichurri for the island themed day.  It was grilled, and absolutely delicious.  I decided to try it at home, with what I had on hand.  I will admit, I was nervous my husband wouldn’t go for this.  He isn’t a big fan of cilantro, so I wasn’t sure how the chimichurri would go over.  But he loved it.  I didn’t tell him what it was, just told him it went with the meat.  He put some on, and kept going back for more.  After dinner he said, I don’t know what that is, but it is good!  I served this with Curried Potatoes with Chickpeas.

I marinated the pork in a combination of lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil.  You could easily just use some of the chimichurri for the marinade instead.  If you don’t have a grill you could cook the pork under the broiler.  You will still get a good sear on the pork that way.  The chimichurri would also be good on grilled chicken, or steak.  If you have leftovers you could mix it with some greek yogurt and have a great dip!

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Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hrs

 

Lime and cilantro marinated pork tenderloin that has been grilled and then topped with a chimichurri sauce.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the Pork

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup cilantro , chopped

For the Chimichurri

• 3/4 cup cilantro
• 3/4 cup parsley
• 1 Tbls dried oregano (or 1/3 cup fresh)
• 1 Tbls red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbls lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil (approximate)

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a large resealable plastic bag. Squish everything around the pork. Seal and place in the fridge for 2-6 hours.
2. To make the chimichurri, combine everything but the olive oil in a small food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Stream in the olive oil until you get the desired consistency. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
3. Heat the grill to medium temperature. Grill the pork for about 35-40 minutes depending on the size, turning regularly. Top with chimichurri to serve.

Recipe Notes

Chimichurri adapted from Our Best Bites