My recipe for these rosemary pork tenderloin skewers with chipotle cherry port sauce turned out amazing and is perfect for any party. “Meat on a stick” internationally has been around for centuries because of the portability of serving it and ease of cooking it. That’s why you see this street food staple at so many fairs, outdoor markets and restaurants. I’ve served so many different skewered meats, chicken or vegetable kabobs over the years and they always put a smile on party guests’ faces. I came up with this recipe because I wanted to serve something exciting for a change instead of always serving beef or chicken satay and not everyone is a fan of curry. No need to wait for cherries to be in season, I used frozen pitted cherries in the sauce and it turned out delicious with a slight kick from the heat of chipotle chili. This isn’t your mamas pork chops and apple sauce, there’s nothing wrong with that, believe me, I always asked my mom to make that for me when I was a kid and I poured the apple sauce all over my pork chops. Sweet sauces go so well with pork and I think my cherry sauce really raises the bar for any ordinary “pork chop” or in this case, pork skewers.
Rosemary Pork Tenderloin Skewers with Chipotle Cherry Port Sauce
These tender Rosemary flavored pork skewers paired with the sweet & smoky chipotle cherry port sauce is perfect for party food for appetizers or an entree
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp minced fresh Rosemary
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp course ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 lbs pork tenderloin
- 24 6 inch bamboo skewers soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
Chipotle Cherry Port Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp fresh Rosemary, minced
- 1 1/2 cups frozen, pitted cherries, thawed and cut in half
- 1 cup Ruby Port wine
- 3 tbsp cherry preserves
- 1 tbsp chipotle chili in adobo, minced
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
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For the marinade, in a bowl mix together the Dijon mustard, rosemary, olive oil, white wine, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, garlic and lemon juice and set aside
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Cut the pork tenderloin in half vertically, and cut into 3 inch strips horizontally adding to the marinade, mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour
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In a medium saucepan over medium/high heat, melt the butter and add the shallot, garlic, caraway seeds and rosemary. Stirring occasionally, let cook for 4 minutes
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Add the cherries, port wine, cherry jam, chipotle chili, salt & pepper and bring to a slight boil and then turn down to medium and let cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes
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With a hand emersion blender puree until smooth, let sauce reduce on simmer for another 12 minutes, set aside to cool.
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Thread each piece of pork onto a bamboo skewer
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Heat a stove top grill or outdoor grill on medium/high and brush with some oil, grill the pork skewers for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until there is nice charred grill marks.
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Drizzle sauce over pork skewers and serve some extra sauce on the side for those that want their skewers extra saucy
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Options: this sauce would be great over duck, chicken thighs, turkey and of course, pork chops as well.
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