One of the great things about my Bradley is that I don’t hesitate to get outside and smoke something. It doesn’t matter if I’m not working with a big cut of meat or a whole fish.
For this recipe, which made a perfect Sunday dinner for two, with a decent amount of leftovers, I used a one pound Pork Tenderloin. Let me tell you that the Cucumber Salad was wonderful with the pork. However, it was even better on a sandwich of pork slices the next day! It’s so easy, delicious and a perfect foil for all of that smokey goodness.
The Asian Rub
For a one pound tenderloin
- One tablespoon of Five Spice powder
- Ground Ginger – 1 tablespoon
- “Sugar in the Raw”, Demerara Sugar or light brown sugar – 1 tablespoon
- Cracked Szechuan peppercorns – one teaspoon or more if you want more kick
- Granulated garlic – one tablespoon
- Half teaspoon of salt
- About 1/4 cup of bacon fat – this holds the rub together and, of course, imparts even more flavour
- Mix all of the above together very well and smear the mixture all over the tenderloin.
- Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.
Let the tenderloin sit outside of the refrigerator for at least one hour before putting it in the Smoker.
The Smoking Process
First, heat the Bradley Smoker to 220 degrees, then oil a rack well. For the one pound tenderloin, the smoking time to an internal temperature of 160 degrees was about two hours.
As always recommended, let it sit for a few minutes before slicing.
Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- Half a cup of rice wine vinegar
- Asian sweet chili sauce – 2 tablespoons
- Lemon zest – one teaspoon
- One medium cucumber, thinly sliced
- Medium carrot, julienned
- Half small red onion, thinly sliced
- About 1/2 cup of thinly sliced radishes
- Fresh cilantro chopped – 1/2 cup
- Chopped, dry roasted peanuts 1/4 cup (Be mindful when adding salt when using salted peanuts)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Technique
In a bowl, whisk vinegar, chili sauce and lemon zest together. Next, add cucumber, carrot, radishes, onion and toss. After seasoning with salt and pepper, cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
For service, drain the salad and top it with the cilantro and peanuts
Enjoy!
by The Philly Foodist
