Amazing Marinated Pork Tenderloin Birds
Submitted by jacks54
Stuffed pork tenderloin birds: pounded pork loins rolled around a sage-bread stuffing, marinated in honey, soy, and cinnamon, then grilled and basted until glazed. A showstopper grill dish.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
1½ hrsREADY
8 hrsThese aren’t actual birds. Old-fashioned cookbooks call rolled meat bundles “birds” or “roulades," and that’s what this is: pork tenderloin pounded thin, smeared with a buttery sage-bread stuffing, rolled up tight, tied with string, and grilled over coals.
The marinade is what sets this apart from a standard stuffed pork roll. Soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, garlic, and a surprising hit of cinnamon and ginger give the meat a sweet-savory-warm-spice character that lands somewhere between Cantonese char siu and an old-school Caribbean glaze. An overnight rest lets those flavors penetrate deep into the pork.
The stuffing is classic American sage-and-bread, the same flavor profile as Thanksgiving dressing. The smart move is adding butter to boiling water before tossing with the breadcrumbs. The crumbs should be just moistened, not soggy. Wet stuffing leaks out of the roll during the grill cook.
Grill over medium coals (not screaming-hot), with frequent basting. The honey in the marinade will char fast over high heat, so patience and turning are key. An instant-read thermometer should hit 145°F (63°C) at the center of the roll.
Let the rolls rest 10 minutes after pulling them off the grill. Slicing immediately loses all the juices.
Chef Tips
- Use kitchen twine, not toothpicks. Twine holds the roll closed evenly; toothpicks let stuffing escape from the gaps.
- Pound the tenderloin between two sheets of plastic wrap to keep the meat fibers intact and prevent tearing.
- Reserve a few tablespoons of unused marinade (separate from the meat-contact portion) for basting at the end, so you’re not painting raw-meat liquid onto cooked pork.
- Slice into 1-inch pinwheels for serving. The cross-section shows off the spiral of meat and stuffing.
Variations
- Add chopped dried apricots or cranberries to the stuffing for a fruity counterpoint.
- Substitute chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, pounded) for the pork for a lighter version.
- Stir 2 tablespoons of crumbled bacon into the stuffing for a smoky upgrade.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine marinade ingredients and marinate meat overnight in the refrigerator.
Remove from mixture and drain, reserving marinade. Split (or pound) tenderloins until ⅓ inch thick. Add salt, pepper, sage and onion to bread crumbs.
Mix lightly with fork. Add butter to boiling water, and mix with bread crumb misture just until moistened (not wet or soggy). Add egg to stuffing mixture.
Spread split (or pounded) pieces with stuffing and tie with strings to form six rolled meat and stuffing birds.
Cook over medium coals for one to one and one-half hours, turning frequently. Baste often with remaining marinade.
Comments
