Achiote Marinated Pork Tenderloin Recipes

Steps:

• Put wooden skewers in a pan of water for 30 minutes, so they don't burn on the grill.
• Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the achiote seeds. Turn off the heat and let the seeds steep until the oil turns a vibrant orange-red, about 5 minutes. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a blender: discard the seeds. Add the vinegar, garlic, aji amarillo, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cover the blender and puree until well combined.
• Place the pork in a resealable gallon-sized plastic bag. Add the achiote marinade, turn the bag to coat the pork, squeeze out the air, and seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high (you may also preheat the oven broiler.)
• Remove the pork from the marinade; discard the marinade. Thread the pork onto the skewers alternating with the pineapple and red onions. Grill (or broil) the pork skewers until they are browned on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes total cooking time. Take care not to overcook or the pork will become tough and dry. Serve the pork skewers on a bed of lettuce leaves and garnish with lime wedges. Pull the pork off the skewers onto a lettuce leaf and eat like a taco. For a great presentation, stick the skewers into a whole pineapple and put on the table with the lettuce and lime on the side.

Steps:

• Combine 1/3 cup of the orange juice, the achiote paste, jalapenos, garlic, peppercorns and salt in a blender or food processor. Puree until the peppercorns are completely crushed. Add the cilantro and the remaining 1/3 cup orange juice and puree until smooth.

Steps:

• In a container that will hold the pork loin, mix the sugar, salt, peppercorn and 6 cups water. Add the pork and cover with more water if necessary. Let brine overnight in the fridge. Remove pork and rinse. Pat dry and set aside. Clean out same container and mix the thyme, garlic, achiote, wine and oil. Add the pork and smother with the marinade. Let stand overnight, turning once. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove pork from marinade and wipe off excess. Season with salt and pepper. In a hot oven-proof skillet coated with canola oil, sear the pork on all sides until brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to oven and roast for about 20 minutes. Go for an internal temperature around 150 degrees for medium. The pork should remain pink. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
• For the 'tamales': Pre-heat a large casserole or stock pot. On a plate, mix the cumin, coriander, chile, pepper and sugar. Salt the pieces of pork and season well with the spice mix. Coat the pot with oil and brown the pork on both sides, about 12 minutes. Wipe out pot and coat again with oil. Brown the onions and garlic, about 8 minutes. Deglaze with wine and add the soy, chipotle, bay and cover with water. Check for seasoning. Bring to a boil and let simmer 4 hours until the meat is very soft. Carefully pull out pork and bay leaves. Blend the cooking liquid with a hand blender and check for seasoning. When pork is cool enough to touch, shred the pork by hand. In a large bowl, take 6 cups of shredded pork and mix with the rice, red bells, scallion whites and cilantro. Add the sauce, a small ladle at a time just to moisten the mix. Season and check. Lay the leaves shiny side down, and place 1 cup of filling on each. Wrap by bringing the bottom up first, fold in the sides underneath, then continue folding forward. The package should end up rectangular shaped. Place in a hot steamer for 10 minutes or until piping hot.
• For the syrup: Heat a saute pan to medium heat and an coat with 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Brown shallots, garlic and ginger, about 5 minutes. Add hoisin and saute 3 minutes. Add juice and white pepper. Scrape into a blender and puree all. With blender running, slowly add oil until smooth and emulsified. Check for seasoning.
• Plating: Zig-zag the hoisin syrup and chile oil. Sprinkle the scallion greens around. Place 1 tamale and slice open. Surround with the pork slices.

Steps:

• Crush the salt into the garlic using a mortar and pestle until a paste forms.
• Add the annatto seeds, cumin, oregano, and black pepper and mix well.
• Pour in the vinegar and orange juice and stir well.
• Allow the marinade to sit for 5 minutes before using. You will notice that the marinade will become thicker after it sits for a few minutes.
• If you are not going to use it right away, transfer the marinade to an airtight container and refrigerate.
• INGREDIENTS
• Annato Seed
• This seed, which is also called achiote, gives off a musky and earthy flavor. It comes from the annatto tree and is used for both its flavor and red coloring. It is fine to use annatto powder, but the ground seeds are a much better option. The seeds are rather hard to crush by hand. If you do not have a spice grinder, use your blender to create the powder.
• TECHNIQUES
• Making a Garlic Paste
• When you crush salt into a peeled garlic clove, the garlic will let go of its moisture and turn into a paste. This technique somehow magically mellows out the pungent flavor of raw garlic.
• While you can create the paste using a knife (continue chopping a peeled garlic clove over a small mound of salt until you achieve a paste), a mortar and pestle is the easiest and best way to make the paste.
• ADVANCE PREPARATION
• This marinade can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• This marinade goes incredibly well with chicken, fish, and pork.

Steps:

• Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Place the pork loin in a large resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Transfer the pork loin to a baking dish; pour marinade over the pork.
• Cook in the preheated oven until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, vinegar, juices, salt, and cumin. Pulse until well combined. Crumble in the achiote and pulse to combine into a very soft paste; add more vinegar by the tablespoon to loosen it up if necessary. Blend in the cilantro.
• Cut the meat into lenghtwise slices 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Lay the meat between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness of 1/4 inch. Coat the slices generously with the paste and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and no more than 12 hours.
• Half an hour before cooking, clrean the grill thoroughly with a brush and wipe it down with an oil-dampened rag. Preheat the grill on high.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and shake off as much of the paste as possible. Place the meat on the grill, close the lid, and grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, checking often to make sure the meat doesn't burn or cook too quickly; if it does, move it to a cooler part of the grill. The meat is done perfectly when it has an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Do not overcook or the meat will dry out. (I used my George Foreman grill and just made sure to wipe it with a paper towel between batches) Set the meat aside, loosely covered with foil.
• To serve, split the rolls and toast on the grill, then layer from the bottom up: cheese, meat, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, onion, jalapenos, and salsa. Skewer with a couple of toothpicks and cut in half.