Food Token

Played a token frenzy today. Looked up at my screen as it started and guess who was right next to me? Give up? Drum roll.....Smokkee. I have only been blogging for a month and just happen to sit next to one of the bloggers I read nearly daily.

Anyhoo, he was playing super tight and, oh I don't know, 6 levels into it, both of us hovering in the bottom ten, it is folded to Smokkee. He pops for about half his stack. I think for a while and put him in with ATos. Thought his range was fairly big here. Oops I was wrong. My AT goes down to KK that became Quad Kings. I go out shortly after. Hope he got his token with those chips.

Little food now.

As spring has sprung and summer is rolling round the bend I thought I would talk about grilling out. Now my goal in the summer months is to minimize dish use and not heat up the house with ovens and cook tops and what not. When it comes to food, I am more of a minimalist. For the complex flavors, I would recommend talking to this guy. He's got pictures even.

One of my favorite meals to make is Pork Tenderloin, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and garlic bread.

For the pork tenderloin make sure you pick out an unseasoned variety. Stay away from the premarinated pork. You can do much better on your own. Take the pork out of the package and put it in a big enough dish that the meat will fit nicely. Rub a little olive oil on the tenderloins. Then, I then like to put at dry rub on mine. You can make your own, but I found one called Hog Wild. It's from a local place in KC. (We do ok with BBQ here). Now apply this generously and put it back in the fridge. Let sit for at least an hour. Now this next part is important. You must take your meat out of the fridge and warm to room temperature before grilling. If you don't you shock the meat and it cooks unevenly. Once it has warmed place the pork on a hot grill. What you are doing here is searing the meat. A few minutes per side. May have to turn it 3 or 4 times, as the tenderloin is a circular cut. Get a nice dark, not burnt, crust on it. Once crusted, remove from direct heat like an upper rack or a non used burner. Let it finish "baking off" for 20 to 30 minutes. Now a lot of people don't know this but pork doesn't have to be cooked till all the pink is gone. That pesky worm problem has been taken care of. I still try to cook it until white all the way through, but if there is a little pink, I don't worry about it. Once the pork is off the grill you must let it stand for 5 minutes at least. This lets the juices settle into the meat and yields a much moister finished product. Cut the pork into 1/2 inch medallions and serve.

Mushrooms are easy. Marinate in olive oil salt and pepper. Let stand for hour or so. Make sure to use sea or kosher salt. It tastes so much better. Place mushrooms on medium heat and grill after pork has seared. Turn them regularly until they have browned nicely and shrunk to about half original size. These are good to grill because they are hard to burn.

Sweet potatoes I cut into cubes and place in foil with kosher salt pepper and butter. Double wrap and place in grill. I have a top rack that I put them on when the grill is heating up. As long as they don't get super hot direct heat they will not burn and can stay on from start to finish.

After everything is grilled and the pork is settling, I turn the grill up high and clean it with a metal brush. I have purchased a roasted garlic loaf and cut it in slices. I brush olive oil or butter on both sides and toast on the grill about 2 minutes a side.

Boom delicious meal. Add a little beer or maybe wine, good to go.

Try it. If you are a burger and brat guy only, your wife or boyfriend will think you went to culinary school.

Next up: easy ribs

MT