Wood-Grilled Berkshire Pork Tenderloin

From: Chef de cuisine Eric Dreyer, Fearing’s Restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas. Yield: 4 servings.

4-6 oz. Berkshire pork tenderloin fillets, trimmed of all fat and silver skin
to taste, Fearing’s Garlic Powder (recipe follows)
to taste, salt and pepper
as needed, D1 Sauce (recipe follows)
as needed, Poblano Pepita Pesto (recipe follows)
as needed, Crispy Sweet Onion Rings (recipe follows)
2 heirloom tomatoes, medium size
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Fearing’s Garlic Powder:
24 cloves whole garlic, peeled

D1 Sauce:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, rough chopped
¼ cup carrots, rough chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 Tbsp. cracked black peppercorns
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups rich beef stock, recipe to follow
½ cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
¼ cup corn starch
¼ cup water
to taste, salt

Sweet Onion Rings:
2 qt. safflower oil
1 cup tempura flour
1 cup corn meal
1 bottle bock beer
2 Texas sweet onions sliced in ½” rounds

Rich Beef Stock:
2 lb. beef bones
2 onions, peeled and cut into large dice
2 celery ribs, cut into large dice
1 carrot, peeled and cut into large dice
2 cups red wine
3 ancho chilies, seeded
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh parsley
1 small bay leaf
1 tsp. black peppercorns
2 qt. chicken stock

Poblano Pepita Pesto:
½ lb. basil leaves, washed
½ lb. spinach leaves, washed
1 poblano pepper, roasted, seeded and peeled
1 lemon, medium-sized, juiced
2 Tbsp. cotija or Mexican farmer’s cheese, grated
¼ cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds), roasted
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. water
½ cup olive oil
to taste, salt and pepper

For pork tenderloin: Fire up the grill. Season pork with salt and pepper to taste. Place as many fillets on hot grill as possible without crowding. Cook fillets for 3 minutes on each side. Meat should be medium-rare. Repeat as necessary. A minute before pork fillets are finished grilling, brush on a generous amount of D1 sauce to glaze. Turn each fillet and cook until glaze thickens, about 1 minute. Remove fillets from grill and keep warm.

Slice each of the tomatoes in ½” round slices, drizzle evenly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Slice the pork in ½” slices on an angle.
 
On each of four warm plates, place 1 Tbsp. pesto and equally divide slices of tomato in the center of the plate. Lean each fillet of sliced pork against the tomatoes; place two of the onion rings behind the pork as a garnish.

For Fearing’s garlic powder: Preheat convection oven to 200°F. Fill a medium-size sauce pot ⅔ full with water and add garlic. Over medium-high heat, bring garlic to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes or until cloves are soft. Drain garlic; add to a blender and puree until smooth. On a half-size sheet pan sprayed with nonstick spray, spread the mixture into an even layer, about ¼” thick. Place pan in the oven for 4 hours, or until garlic is completely dried and mixture is hard. Cool to room temperature. Scrape dried garlic mixture into blender and turn on high. Blend until powdered. Using a fine sieve, push powder through to separate any large pieces.

For D1 Sauce: Bring a large saucepan to medium-high heat and add oil. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes or until lightly brown. Add carrots, garlic and black peppercorns and sauté for an additional 2 minutes until lightly brown. Add Worcestershire and balsamic vinegar; deglaze pan then reduce by half (about 2 minutes or until lightly browned). Add beef stock, ketchup and brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, add cornstarch and water; mix to combine thoroughly. Slowly pour cornstarch into mixture in a small stream while stirring until thick. Cook an additional 5 minutes at a simmer; remove sauce from heat and puree until smooth.

For rich beef stock: Preheat oven to 400°F. Lay beef bones out on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast beef bones for 15-20 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Add onions, carrots and celery to sheet pan and continue to cook beef bones for 10 minutes.

Bring a large sauce pot to high heat and add roasted beef bones and vegetables. Deglaze pot with red wine and continue to cook until wine has reduced by half. Add ancho chilies, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns and chicken stock to cover.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour, skimming the surface fat as necessary. Remove pan from heat. Place a strainer in an empty container to hold a large amount of liquid. Pour stock into strainer and strain.

For poblano pepita pesto: In blender, combine all of the ingredients and puree until smooth. Adjust consistency with water as needed until mixture is a thick paste.

For sweet onion rings: In a medium-sized pot, add oil and heat to 350°F. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine tempura flour, cornmeal and bock beer. Whisk mixture together, forming a loose batter. Add water if necessary to adjust consistency. Individually dunk the cut onions into batter; remove onions from batter and drain off excess. Place onion into oil, turn after 30 seconds to evenly brown both sides. When golden brown, remove onion ring from oil. Place on paper towel to drain and season with salt. Repeat process.