I love to cook and I love to eat.  And for the past couple decades eating healthy has not always been a priority.  As I’ve gotten older, and hopefully a little wiser, I’m starting to realize that I need to put more emphasis on healthier eating.

For those of you who have enjoyed all the bacon, sauces, butter and other fun stuff, don’t worry they aren’t going away.  But I will be posting more “healthier” alternatives on the blog than I have in the past.  And pork is going will be a big part of my healthier eating lifestyle change.

Today’s pork makes it easier to eat healthier. Today’s pork cuts, on average, have 16 percent less total fat and 27 percent less saturated fat than they did just 21 years ago.  Compared to many other outdoor cooking alternatives pork is one of the healthier proteins to cook.  And with the USDA agreeing with what many of us already knew, that pork may be served medium rare (145 degrees followed by a three-minute rest) you can get some great tasting, tender and juicy dishes.

Since I diced the pork loin after cooking I and wasn’t going to be able to get that tasty caramelization on each piece from being on the grill I wanted to insure good flavor in every bite I decided to brine the pork loin with a little seasoning.  The brine process helps give the pork additional flavor and will help you keep the juiciness of the pork at it juicy best.

After you’ve removed the pork from the brine make sure you rinse all the salt off of it.  It’s a good idea to soak the brine in clear water for 3o minutes or so after you’ve rinsed it.  Just make sure you get the salt off.  Then season the pork with the same seasoning you used in the brine.  In my opinion it’s a good idea to try to use a seasoning that’s a little lower in salt.

Grill the pork over high direct heat on all sides.  Make sure you get some grill marks.  Grill marks aren’t just for looks, they add flavor, so get some char on that pork.  Once you’ve grilled it all the way around move the pork to indirect heat and cook to 140 degrees internal.  After a three-minute rest you’ll have a perfect 145 degree, medium rare.

Dice, chop or slice the pork into whatever shape and size you want for the tacos  Fill your tortilla with the pork and whatever fixings you want and you’ll have a great meal.

My tacos were served with black beans and avocado slaw and tasted just about as good as can be.

Check back tomorrow for the rest of the recipes to complete this great meal.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Larry Gaian

I love meat.  There’s just no getting around the fact that for many people meat is BBQ.  Over the past year or so I’ve been trying to expand my grilling horizons with some Meatless Monday dishes and the mushroom tacos were both easy to fix and quite filling.

All you need to do is slice and remove the seeds and veins from two poblano peppers, slice some red onion.  Also remove the gills from a couple portobello mushroom caps and cut them into large, thick slices.

Place all the veggies in a bowl and drizzle them with a little olive oil.

Place them on the grates and grill them until done.  Don’t worry about the darkness of the poblanos.  Once the veggies are done rough chop them and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle with a little cumin and cover while you heat the tortillas.

When the tortillas are done fill them with the veggie mixture and your normal taco toppings.  I used a little cilantro and some salsa.

Simple…simple…simple!  Give them a try.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Larry Gaian

Grilled beef tenderloin tacos was on the menu tonight.  I picked up some great tortillas at the local Bel Air grocery store.  These great tortillas from La Tortilla Factory in Santa Rosa have a fantastic flavor.  The green chili tortillas, which oddly enough aren’t listed on the companies website, have just enough green chili flavor to enhance the meat without overpowering everything else.  The combination of corn and wheat gluten gave the tortillas a nice texture.  They grilled/heated up great on the grill grates of my Weber kettle.  Unlike most commercially produced tortillas these are “hand made style” and are thick enough that you don’t need two tortillas to hold your taco fillings.

I seasoned the beef tenderloin with Fajita Seasoning from Lantana of Texas.  I received this seasoning in a BBQ trade with a fellow member of the BBQ Brethren.  I have not been able to locate any information about the company on the internet.  There are some listings for places that sell it, but nothing on the actually company.

Anyway, the seasoning is good but nothing really special.  You can probably find a fajita seasoning in your local store that is just as good and won’t have to worry about tracking it down and paying a shipping fee.

I left the seasoning on the meet for about 30 minutes while the charcoal was being lit in the chimney.  Once the charcoal was in the kettle and ashed over I grilled the tenderloin pieces for a couple of minutes on each side and them moved them to indirect until they were medium rare.

I heated the tortillas right on the Weber kettle while the meat was resting.  They didn’t dry out or curl on the ends like a lot of cheaper commercial tortillas will.  The tortillas from La Tortilla Factory are great.  At $2.5o for 8 tortillas they are a tad pricey and I doubt I’d use them for normal everyday tacos but when you’re breaking out the beef tenderloin a few extra pennies for a quality tortilla is worth it.

Just a simple taco with meat, avocado, tomato and cilantro.  These were outstanding tacos.  Tender and full of great flavor.  Here’s a couple shots of dinner with a River City Root Beer from Vine Park Brewing Company in St. Paul, Minnesota.

What’s really funny about the root beer is that I live near Sacramento, California.  Sacramento is located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers and is known as River City.  I thought I was buying a local product, only to get it home and find out it’s from Minnesota.

Another shot of the final plated meal.