Marinate Pork Tenderloin In The Makings Of This Classic Cocktail For Major Flavor

Marinating a lean cut of pork like the tenderloin is not only a way to ensure you get a juicy and tender texture, but it also infuses it with flavor. While spirits and beer have become common ingredients in liquid marinades, adding an entire classic cocktail recipe to the mix is a novel idea with a tasty payoff. The margarita is a classic cocktail that will make for the tastiest building blocks for your pork tenderloin marinade.

A zesty blend of tequila, lime, and orange juice will impart the same trifecta of sweet, sour, and smoky flavors you sip out of a salt-rimmed cocktail glass to the savory notes of the pork. The acidity in the citrus also doubles as a tenderizer that'll soften the meat as it marinades and help it stay juicy as it cooks in a high-heat grill or oven. The harsh alcoholic finish of the tequila will burn off with the heat, isolating the smoky notes.

To make the marinade, combine equal parts orange juice and tequila with twice the amount of lime juice in a bag or glass dish with aromatics, herbs, and spices of your choice, and add your pork tenderloins. Leave the tenderloins in the fridge for between one and eight hours to absorb all the flavors. Then, grill the tenderloins on high heat for eight minutes, flipping halfway through. You can also roast the tenderloins in the oven for 20 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Just as margaritas are the perfect cocktails to pair with spicy Mexican food, you can pair tequila and citrus marinade with classic Mexican spices and aromatics. The sweet, sour, and smoky flavors in the liquid ingredients would benefit from savory seasonings like cilantro and cumin, as well as spicy ingredients like diced jalapenos, chili powder, and crushed garlic. You can balance the spice and complement the citrus flavors with a sweetener like honey or brown sugar.

This recipe for simple roasted pork tenderloin utilizes a dry rub with garlic, brown sugar, lemon zest, dried herbs, and smoky paprika that you can adapt into a margarita marinade. Replace the lemon zest with lime zest and blend the rest of the ingredients with tequila, lime juice, and orange juice. The paprika will bring out the smokiness of the tequila, while the citrus zest will add a more concentrated flavor than the tangy citrus juice.

You can boil the marinade until it reduces into a margarita-flavored glaze to baste the tenderloins as they grill or roast. Serve these margarita tenderloins over cilantro lime rice with pico de gallo and this crave-worthy guacamole.