Grilled Pork Tenderloin With Avocado Apricot Salsa

Ingredients

3 large pork tenderloins (about 2-1/4 pounds total) 

1 jar (16-ounces) Frontera Roasted Tomato Salsa or 2 cups Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (recipe follows)

 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

1 medium-large red onion, cut into 1/3-inch thick slices

 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, tossed with a little hot water to soften 

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

 2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest 

1 firm-ripe avocado from Mexico, halved, pitted, peeled and diced 

Salt to taste

For the Salsa (yield about 2 cups):

1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed 

4 to 5 serrano chiles, stemmed 

1 small white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 4 ounces)

 3 garlic cloves, peeled

 1/2 cup water

 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon sugar, optional 

Preparation

Trim fat and whitish “silverskin” from pork tenderloins. Cut each in half, making six 6-ounce portions.

Mix together 1 cup of the salsa with the Worcestershire and vinegar. Place the pork in a large dish, smear all sides with salsa mixture, cover and refrigerate for several hours or as long as overnight.

Preheat a gas grill to medium or light a charcoal fire and let burn until charcoal is covered with a thin layer of gray ash. Use tongs to arrange the pork in the center of the grill; reserve the marinade.

Lay the onion slices on the cooler section of the grill. Cover and cook until the pork is nicely browned underneath and onions are softening, about 10 minutes.

Turn pork and onions over. Baste pork and onions liberally with reserved marinade.

Re-cover the grill and cook until the pork feels nearly firm* when touched or reads 150° on a meat thermometer, about 5 minutes more.

Remove pork to cutting board and tent with foil.

Chop the onion slices and remove to a bowl.

Add remaining salsa, apricots, parsley, lemon zest and avocado; season with salt and stir gently. To serve, thinly slice pork and generously spoon salsa over slices.    

For the Salsa:

Heat broiler. On a foil-lined baking sheet, lay tomatillos and chiles.

Set sheet 4 inches below broiler; roast until tomatillos are soft and black in spots, about 5 minutes. Turn tomatillos and chiles; roast 5 more minutes; set aside to cool.  Set oven to 425⁰F. Separate onion into rings.

On a baking sheet, combine onion rings with garlic. Bake, stirring frequently, until onions are roasted and garlic feels soft and brown in spots, about 15 minutes. Cool.

In a food processor, pulse the chiles, onions and garlic until finely chopped; remove to a large bowl.

To food processor, add tomatillos; coarsely puree; add to bowl. Stir in water, cilantro and salt. Add sugar to soften the tartness of the tomatillos, if desired.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days.   