Chipotle Bourbon Barbecue Pork Tenderloin on a Hickory Plank

Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.

Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.

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Ingredients:

1 pack of pork tenderloin (usually 2 to a pack)
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 cup of mesquite style barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
1/2 cup of bourbon
1 chipotle pepper
1 clove of garlic
Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Instructions:

Serves: 6

One hour before cooking, submerge a hickory plank in water. In a large bowl or Ziploc bag, add water, salt, garlic powder and thyme and mix well (this creates a brine). Add pork tenderloin and allow to soak for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, add barbecue sauce, bourbon, chipotle pepper, and garlic clove to a food processor or blender and blend for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove pork from brine and season with salt and pepper. Heat grill to high heat. Place soaked plank on grill and allow to “cook” for five minutes.

At the same time, sear pork tenderloin on each side for about 2 minutes. Flip plank over and place seared pork tenderloin on the blackened side of the plank. Close grill lid and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until pork registers 150 F (for medium). Slather with the Chipotle Bourbon Barbecue Sauce in the last three to five minutes of cooking. Allow pork to rest 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Top (drown) with the remaining Chipotle Bourbon Barbecue Sauce.

Adapted from barbellsandbellinis.com