by Deborah Harter Williams

Since we didn’t make it to the movies this weekend, we decided instead to share a fun, summer recipe for you to enjoy with the family! This recipe is from Cooking Fearlessly – Recipes and Other Adventures from Hudson’s the Bend written by Deborah Harter Williams, Jeff Blank and Jay Moore.

Imagine late summertime… when watermelons are plentiful and it’s one of those evenings when you don’t want to go inside. Barefoot children will soon be chasing fireflies and it’s a fine night for grilling.

This recipe calls for injecting marinade into pork tenderloin. Injectors or food syringes can be found in specialty food stores but you can also choose to marinate the tenderloin overnight (also works well with London Broil or chicken). For best results inject meat the day before and store in an airtight plastic bag with the extra marinade (for basting).

Meat and Marinade Ingredients –

3 cups diced watermelon meat, approx. 2 cups or enough to yield 2 cups juice
3 jalapeños (for max heat leave in ribs and seeds)
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup Midori liqueur (optional)
2 lbs. pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper

Serves Six

1. Remove seeds as desired, then purée watermelon and jalapeños in a blender
2. For injection – Strain mixture through a sieve and return to blender.
3. Add salt, sugar and liqueur – blend for 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup for basting.
4. Draw marinade up into syringe/injector.
5. Poke and inject marinade throughout tenderloin.
6. Season meat with salt and pepper.

Grilling

1. Use the combination technique of direct and indirect heat. Roll tenderloin over direct heat for sexy grill marks, then move to the slower part of the grill to finish.
2. Baste tenderloin periodically through the cooking process
3. Cook to an internal temperature of 145 º
4. Allow meat 5 minutes to rest, then slice into medallions.

Watermelon Salsa – Combine all ingredients and chill well

2 cups watermelon, seeded and diced fine
1 Granny Smith apple, diced fine
1 red onion, julienne
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 mango, peeled and diced
2 jalapeños, seeded and diced fine
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 limes, juice only
Splash of rice wine vinegar

Deborah Harter Williams works as a mystery scout, seeking novels that could be made into television. She blogs at Clue Sisters and was formerly a mystery bookstore owner.