The Go-To Grill Marinade And Method

A third installment in the "Menus for When People Come to Visit" series - we typically grill out when visitors come to stay, and this is our current favorite!

1 2-pound boneless pork loin, cut into 8 1-inch steaks
olive oil
freshly ground sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Lay pork steaks in a large glass dish in a single layer.  Drizzle olive oil lightly on each pork steak and turn to coat, drizzling more oil if necessary to coat all sides.  Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over steaks and press in.  Turn steaks and repeat.  Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Marinade:
8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 medium or 2 small tomatoes, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard (dijon or yellow also works)
4-6 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Puree garlic, tomatoes, mustard, and olive oil with a stick blender (immersion blender) or in a small blender or food processor until thoroughly combined.  Add a little more oil to reach the consistency of mustard if needed.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

I am no grill expert, but thankfully you probably already know how to grill (the Mister takes care of all things grill-related here.  I'm not sure I even know how to turn it on).  Grill the meat over medium-high heat until done (use a meat thermometer to test doneness).  Then, use a brush to coat marinade on both sides of the pork steaks.  Serve immediately.

Here's something we've learned about grilling and marinades: if your marinade has any kind of sugar in it - including the fruit sugar in tomatoes - it will burn and turn into crispy chunks if you put it on the meat too early.  So we - I mean, the Mister - has started rubbing the meat with just oil, salt, and pepper for grilling.  THEN he applies the marinade just before taking the meat off the grill.  It's our current favorite meat dressing.  We also like to do chicken thighs and legs this way.

The bonus is that the marinade can also double as a salad dressing (since no raw meat juices touched the marinade).  One recipe, two uses ... perfect to maximize time with houseguests!