Pork Tenderloin Tips w/ Apple-Pear Marinade

This past weekend, May 12th and 13th, I had the pleasure of displaying my products for Long Pond- Hot Tub | Fireplace | Fence at the Zoo Crew – Relay for Life Carnival at the Brooklyn Fair Grounds in Ct. During the event I had time to meet some of the other vendors. One in particular was Shannon’s Jammin’, Shannon makes homemade jam from scratch in her kitchen in Old Lyme, Ct. I sampled a couple of her jams and bought the Bacon Jam and the Apple-Pear Jam. I told Shannon I would create a marinade and pass along along the recipe and results of the pork tips. The tips were great and you could get a little hint of the Apple.  BTW – I put the Bacon Jam on an egg sandwich this morning – Yummy.

Here’s the recipe, ENJOY!

Pork Tenderloin Tips

Pork Tenderloin Tips w/ Apple-Pear Marinade

1 1/2 lbs Pork Tenderloin Tips

2 TBS Apple-Pear Jam

2 TBS Bourbon

3 TBS Olive Oil

2 TBS Soy Sauce

2 TBS Fresh Sage Chopped

1 Garlic Clove Chopped

1 tps Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, whisk together and add Trimmed pork tips ( remove silver skin ), marinate for at least 8 hours, overnight is better.  Set grill or smoker to 300°, smoke with maple chips until internal temp is 165°, let rest for 5 mins. and serve with favorite sides.

Outdoor Cooking with Grills and Smokers

SearMagic Grates

I have been fortunate to retail Grills and Smokers for the last 3 years. This has given me the opportunity to cook on some of the best equipment that is not found at the Big Box retailers. I retail some of the best brands – Kamado JOE, Green Mountain Grills, MHP and Broil King. I have cooked Ribs, Chicken of all configurations, Boston Butts ( Pulled Pork ), Pie, Pizza, Burgers to die for, Steak and Prime Rib. I have to say for a Gas Grill you can’t beat the MHP ( Modern Home Products ).  Made in the USA, Lifetime Warranty and cooking on Searmagic cooking surface is unbelievable. The MHP’s have great accessories including rotisseries, Cooking Tools, Baskets and Infrared Burners.

Kamado Joe is a ceramic grill that is made from High Fire Heat-Resistant Ceramics. These grills use ONLY lump charcoal or real wood. The ceramic holds in all the heat and keeps food moist while cooking. I have had great results using this type of cooker. In fact some of the best tasting pork came from this grill. I used the Kamado Joe lump and added a chunk of apple wood. Extremely yummy! One of the most delicious meals I recently produced involved a men’s night. I cooked 2″ thick New York Strip steaks first on the Kamado Joe to sear at 600° then finished them on the Green Mountain Grill at 250° for about 15 minutes. The guys eating these were almost drooling. Grills and Smokers of this type are found at fine retailers and specialty shops. Big Boxes can’t compete with these type of retailers, we take pride in knowing and using everything we sell. I have vast knowledge of the performance of everything I sell and most retailers also. If you’re in Eastern Connecticut stop by Long Pond – Hot Tub | Fireplace | Fence in the Plainfield, CT village of Wauregan and see these great grills and smokers. Always cooking on Saturday’s around lunch time.

Spring

Today is March 14th, 2012 and Spring is definitly in the air. Temperatures are in the mid 60’s and a whole lot of sun. Who would of thought after the winter of 2011 we would have gotten off with such a mild winter this year. Very little snow and mild temperatures, today’s weather brings thoughts of BBQ, Outdoors, Backyards and Good friends.  Are you thinking of beautifying your property this summer. Don’t be the person that procrastinates in the spring and when summer does get here your upgrades are not to be seen. Spring is a great time to start a project that adds value to your home. Some great ideas are Pavers, Fencing, Landscaping and Hot Tubs incorporating all these.

Bullfrog Spas

Long Pond – Hot Tub | Fireplace | Fence in the Plainfield Ct village of Wauregan is proud to be the Authorized dealer for Bullfrog Spas and Evolution Fence

Landscapers and Contractors are already booking into the summer – don’t get caught being one of the customers put off until later in the season, plan ahead. With the fuel prices continuing to rise this may be the best year to plan a back yard remodel and a stay-cation this summer.

Fire Pit and Patio

Grillin’ Time – Green Mountain Pellet Grill

The Green Mountain Grills are absolutely fabulous. I have been cooking on these grills going on 4 years this April. I have seen these units go from basic small pellet grills/smokers with only Smoke/Med/High settings to the new units that have digital controls from 150°f to 500°f. Standard now is a meat probe that reads on the control panel the internal meat temperature without having to open your grill lid. Some other great standard features are the textured paint finish, all urethane green wheels, casters, low pellet alarm and fan only setting to blow the pellets out of the burn pot when you have completed your cooking. The grills come in two sizes –

GMG Daniel Boone

The Daniel Boone with 27X16 (432 sq. in.) stainless steel grate, and 13.5” clearance inside weighing 152 pounds and the Jim Bowie with stainless steel grate measures 37.5” X 16” (600 sq. in.) and the inside clearance is 13.5”. It weighs 183 pounds.

GMG Jim Bowie

Both grills have optional Stainless Steel Lids and Remote Control available. The peaked lid is unique to GMG and allows the cooking of Beer Can Chickens and Turkeys without the birds touching the lid.

As for the cooking – what can I say YUMMMMM! I have cooked everything from your standard baby backs, brisket, burgers, steaks and even PIE. The choices are endless and each one comes out perfect. Just the right amount of smoke and the best smoke ring. The recipes on the GMG site by Mountain Man Steve are all designed to be cooked on the GMG. It is great when people love a product, photos of great looking food cooked on the GMG are posted on Facebook pages and pellet grilling forums across the USA. The ease of cooking really good smoked food on the GMG is surprising, until you’ve done it you just don’t know. I do tastings regularly and once you eat the food you are hooked.

Appetizers

The Best Pulled Pork

The grills have a burn pot like a pellet heating appliance, but unlike a pellet stove the burn pot has a flash shield over the pot and a drip tray below the cooking grates. This setup protects your food and you practically can’t burn your food. The fan puts just the right amount of smoke into the grill and with a convection principle your food gets cooked.

GMG Friends

Green Mountain Grills can be found at select retailers in the USA or at Long Pond – Hot Tub | Fireplace | Fence in Wauregan CT