GRILLED PORK LOIN WITH LEMONGRASS

Grilled Pork Loin with Lemongrass image

The beauty of butterflying and rolling up a pork loin is that the marinade covers more of it, spicing up every bite. Next, refrigerate and wait while the riot of bold flavors-lemongrass, shallots, soy and fish sauces, brown sugar-does its thing. A leisurely 40 minutes on the grill renders the pork tender. Then your job is a cinch: Just tuck it into lettuce wraps and top with fresh herbs and a pickled carrot-daikon slaw.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Meat & Poultry Pork Recipes

Time 10h15m

Yield Serves 6 to 8

Number Of Ingredients 12

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Ingredients

6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
4 stalks lemongrass, thinly sliced
1 medium shallot, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
2 tablespoons Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 piece pork loin (about 2 3/4 pounds), fat cap attached
Kosher salt
Carrot-and-Daikon Pickle, for serving
Thai or Vietnamese chili sauce, such as Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce, for serving
Red- or green-leaf lettuce and fresh herbs, such as basil and cilantro, for serving

Steps:

In a food processor, pulse garlic to chop, then add lemongrass and pulse until finely chopped. Add shallot and pulse to create a fine paste. Pulse in oil, soy and fish sauces, and brown sugar until smooth.
Butterfly pork loin: Place pork on a cutting board vertically (with short sides at top and bottom). Using a large, sharp knife, and starting at top, cut lengthwise down the center, almost all the way through but leaving a hinge of about 1/2 inch. Unfold, as if opening a book.
With knife blade parallel to cutting board, slice through left side of loin, opening meat as you go, and again leaving a hinge. Repeat with right side. If needed, pound loin to an even thickness with a meat mallet. Season with salt, then rub half of lemongrass paste all over meat. Re-form into original shape, tie with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature 1 hour before grilling.
Prepare grill for direct- and indirect-heat cooking. Remove pork from plastic; place over indirect heat, cover, and cook, maintaining a temperature of about 400°F, about 20 minutes. Brush with remaining lemongrass paste and continue cooking, covered, until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork registers 135°F, about 15 minutes.
Transfer to direct heat and cook, uncovered, turning frequently, until charred in places and thermometer registers 138 ̊F, about 5 minutes more. Let pork stand about 10 minutes, then thinly slice and serve with pickles, chili sauce, lettuce, and herbs.