By Jacob Mathias

Hello, fellow eaters.  If the last few weeks has taught us anything about Wisconsin weather, it’s this: it cannot be trusted. Still, I did manage to get out to the grill this week and made a delectable dalliance of fire and meat.

Adobo is a word that you may have seen before in recipes, restaurant menus or seasoning cans; the term is usually seen on little cans of roasted red peppers. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula, especially in Spain.

Adobo is a preparation of meat in which you immerse the meat in a combination of vinegar and spices, often paprika, garlic, oregano and salt. It used to act primarily as a preservation method but has more modernly been used as a flavoring agent.

Since we’ll be grilling the meat, I’ve omitted the vinegar from the cooking process in an attempt to create a better sear and bark on the meat that would be hard to achieve if using a wetter preparation.

Adobo goes well with vegetables, just sprinkle a little of the adobo seasoning below onto your vegetable for a perfectly paired side. It’s also great mixed in with macaroni and cheese.

You will need:
2 pork tenderloins, rinsed and dried
2 tsp olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1⁄2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder

In a dry container, mix together all the spices for your adobo seasoning. The can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month.

Prepare your grill.  I’m a big advocate of using charcoal, but if you have gas, go ahead and use gas. You’ll want a solid base of hot charcoal or your gas on high. Let set for about 5 minutes so your grill grate gets good and hot as well.

Brush your pork tenderloins with the olive oil and sprinkle liberally on all sides with the adobo seasoning. Don’t do this ahead of time or your salt will dissolve into your meat, making it overly salty.

Place the pork on the grill. There will most likely be fire and smoke- just let this happen. Remember, smoke and fire make flavor.

Grill the meat for about 5 minutes then rotate 90 degrees and grill another 5 minutes. Continue this process until the pork reaches an internal temperature of about 140. Remove loins form grill and tent with foil, allowing to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with seasoned vegetables, beans or macaroni and cheese.

And remember, Live to Eat.