Pork Board BBQU Experience

Imagine winning an all expenses paid trip to learn from the BBQ master himself? Diane Stallings from San Antonio in the USA was lucky enough to win an all expenses paid trip to the Steven Raichlen BBQU held in the US from June 2-6. This fantastic prize was courtesy of the US National Pork Board who held a recipe competition during their summer (June to August) of 2007.

Diane Stallings used her innovative pork recipe of Fajitas de Puerco to win over both the judges from the Pork Board and the American public. The competition was judged based on three factors: ‘regional creativity, ease of preparation and mouth-watering appeal’.

Diane says she ’saw (the contest) and entered it on a whim’ and once she had won the prize, was looking forward to attending the BBQU. Diane was looking forward to learning, ‘how to grill pizza’, she said “every time I do it, I burn it awfully bad. I need this university more than any other woman in America.”

Lee Gilmour, Managing Director of Auschar, met Tracy Rodemeyer, the Manager of Pork Information for the National Pork Board (USA), whilst honing his grilling skills at the Steven Raichlen BBQ University a few weeks ago. Tracy describes her position as working with ‘the media and consumers to educate people about the benefits of pork’. Tracy is also a big fan of grilling, as she states it, ‘fits everyone’s lifestyle. For people looking for a fast and easy way to prepare a meal, direct grilling is convenient and quick. For cooks who have plenty of time and who enjoy a social and relaxed atmosphere, indirect grilling and smoking is the perfect way to get a delicious meal prepared while spending time with family and friends’.

Tracy explains further how this fantastic BBQ recipe competition, named the ‘Grilling greats from 50 States’, worked. She says the winning recipe needed, ‘pork tenderloin on the grill (and) no more than 5 ingredients’. Tracy recalls the popularity of the competition “we received 350 recipes, we narrowed it down to five on the basis of answers to the question˜why does it represent where you live?” The five finalist recipes were posted on our website and the U.S. voted for its favourite recipe.’

Diane’s winning recipe is listed below so you can try out this innovative grill recipe for yourself at home!

Fajitas de Puerco
Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons chile powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2.cup hot pepper jelly, melted
2 oranges, cut in half
3/4.cup fresh coriander, loosely packed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Butterfly the pork loin by cutting down the length of the loin about halfway, starting at the thick end. Flatten it so that it is of even thickness, about 6cm thick. Mix chile powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and massage into the meat on both sides. Place in a plastic bag, refrigerate, and let it marinate for a minimum of two hours.
Grill the pork tenderloin over a hot grill, about 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Brush with the melted hot pepper jelly on each side to glaze.
Remove to cutting board, slice on the diagonal side into thin slices and place slices onto a warm platter. Squeeze oranges over the sliced meat and sprinkle with cilantro.
Serving suggestion: Serve immediately with warm flour tortillas and tomato salsa, made with mango, avocado, red onion, jalapeno and garlic or peach salsa.