A few years ago, our friends from New York and my hubby and me were wine tasting in Oregon’s famous Willamette Valley that has a rich history of producing fabulous pinot noir. We were having a good time tasting at a few wineries, and then we met Michael. He was the tasting room manager at the last winery we visited. He greeted us like we were long lost friends showing up for a family reunion. We felt like royalty really, being treated to a special barrel tasting along with the usual tastings offered. Michael even brought out elk sausage he had made to enhance our experience.
We were quite impressed with Michael and his wine and culinary talents. After talking food, best recipes, and wine pairings, Michael told us about his Herbaceous Pork Loin. Rose and I were like two star-struck teenagers, hanging on every word that described this delicious dish. And then, Michael shared the recipe with us. It was like we hit the jackpot in Vegas. Whoo hooo!
Fast forward to this year. When Rose and her husband were visiting, the request for dinner was Herbaceous Pork Loin, of course!
What do YOU do when you misplace or lose a recipe? Scour the cupboards, the cookbooks, the end tables, drawers, the dog cupboard? Curse, and curse some more? Jump up and down in frustration? Well, you get the picture. I was beside myself with grief because I could not find Michael’s recipe anywhere. I have boxes of recipes in mid stages of organization that did not yield the requested recipe. Too embarrassed to reveal to Rose that I had lost the recipe, I began to scour the internet.
I didn’t find exactly what I wanted on the internet or at least thought I wanted, so I put this recipe together with the herbs I had in the garden, added olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a marinade, and hoped for the best.
While this recipe is not the original (shush don’t tell Rose), it did a good job of creating the flavor I wanted in the meat and covered up the fact that I temporarily lost Michael’s recipe.
Season the pork with salt and pepper.
Use fresh or dried herbs. During the summer I like to use fresh herbs because they are so abundant in my garden and add such a wonderful flavor.
Chop fresh herbs to use as a rub.
Wrap pork loin with seasoning and herbs and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
Results were yummy!
Serves 8
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 pork tenderloins
- 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons basil
- 2 tablespoons rosemary
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chop herbs and then mix with oil and vinegar.
- Marinate pork loins in mixture for 2 hours or overnight.
- Grill pork over direct heat in BBQ until brown, brushing with some marinade occasionally.
- Move pork to cooler part of BBQ and check temp.
- Continue to brush with marinade and cook until pork registers 145F degrees. (about 20-25 minutes) depending on the heat of BBQ.
- Transfer pork to platter, let rest 10 minutes, then cut, and serve.
Notes
Use herbs you prefer if you want to substitute the ones listed in this recipe. I use what I have on hand so herbs change with the season when I make this sometimes. Delicious served with a cherry chutney, apricot, peach or plum preserves, or fig jam.
Nutrition
P.S. We followed Michael as he progressed in the wine business for years. He has moved on from the wine industry now and is now working in the field of corporate marketing. We miss you Michael! And Michael, if you’re reading this, please send me your Herbaceous Pork Loin recipe.
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