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1 can (19 ounces) hominy, rinsed and drained

½ cup chicken or vegetable broth

½ cup chipotle salsa

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. For the pork: Put the brine in a 2-gallon zipper-lock bag. Add the tenderloins, press out the air, seal, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Remove the tenderloins from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the tenderloins all over with the chile rub. Cover loosely with foil and let the meat rest for about 1 hour at room temperature.

3. Heat the grill as directed.

4. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Grill the tenderloins until browned all over, about 2 minutes on each of the 4 sides. Reduce the heat under the chops to medium-low (on a gas grill) or move the tenderloins to the low-heat area (on a charcoal or wood grill), cover, and grill until the meat is just firm when poked and an instant-read thermometer registers 145°F, another 2 to 3 minutes on each of the 4 sides. Transfer to a platter, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

5. For the hominy: While the tenderloins cook and rest, combine the hominy, broth, and salsa in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

6. Slice each tenderloin into 6 thick slices. Serve 3 slices per person, with some of the hominy and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

TIMING

Prep: 10 minutes (plus 10 minutes for brine and rub)

Brine: 2 to 3 hours

Rest before grilling: 1 hour

Grill: 16 to 20 minutes

GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Long-handled tongs

GETTING CREATIVE

• For smoky-tasting tenderloins, soak 1 cup of hickory or oak wood chips in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the soaked chips to the high-heat area of the grill until they begin to smolder. Grill the tenderloins as directed, covering the grill to trap the smoke.

TIPS

• Pork tenderloin is covered with a thin, shiny membrane called silver skin. If left on, the silver skin can cause the tender-loin to curl up during cooking. Remove the silver skin by grabbing it at the thick end of the meat and separating it from the meat with a small knife.

• If you don’t have chipotle salsa, combine ½ cup salsa with ½ to 1 teaspoon ground chipotle powder or 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles en adobo. Try the Fire-Roasted Tomatillo Salsa on page 277.

• Hominy is whole, dried white or yellow corn kernels that have been treated with an alkali, such as lye, to remove the hull. They have a firm texture and a slightly sweet, earthy taste that’s featured prominently in the Mexican stew known as posole. Sometimes whole hominy is labeled posole because it is used so often to make the stew and to differentiate whole hominy from hominy grits, which is hominy that has been ground coarse, medium, or fine.

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Chile-Marinated Pork Loin with Grilled Polenta Cakes

Lean, tender, and fine grained in texture, center-cut pork loin remains the most popular pork roast available (read more about pork loin roasts in “Choosing a Pork Loin Roast” at left). We love Latin American flavors with pork, so we’ve flavored this roast with a spicy beer marinade and then rubbed it with a coarse chimichurri paste inspired by Argentina’s national table sauce. Grilled squares of polenta provide an earthy note of corn.

THE GRILL

Gas:

Indirect heat, medium (350°F)

3- or 4-burner grill–middle burner(s) off

2-burner grill–1 side off

Clean, oiled grate

Charcoal:

Indirect heat, medium ash

Split charcoal bed (about 2 dozen coals per side)

20 replacement coals

Heavy-duty drip pan set between banks of charcoal

Clean, oiled grate on medium setting

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS)

For the polenta:

¾ cup coarse yellow cornmeal

3 cups cold water

1¼ teaspoons kosher salt

½ cup crumbled queso blanco or grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Oil for coating baking dish and polenta

For the pork:

1¾ cups Fire Beer Marinade (page 354)

1 boneless center-cut pork loin roast, 2½ to 3 pounds, surface fat trimmed to ¼ inch

½ cup Green Chimichurri Rub (page 381)

Oil