Grilled Pork Loin Filet with Asian Cabbage and Apple Salad

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media®, Smithfield®, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #SummerSizzling http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH

Summer’s here folks, and it’s hot. Way too hot for the oven, or for heavy soups and stews. Yep, summer calls for something you can toss on the grill while you keep in the shade. That’s where a straight-off the shelf Smithfield® Applewood Topped Bacon Pork Loin Filet comes in to play. But of course that wouldn’t cut it, so I added on a quick, simple Asian cabbage and apple salad with a sweet and tangy ponzu dressing. Just add a bowl of any kind of rice and viola, dinner is served, and you didn’t have to raise your cooling bill.

For this recipe I was actually going to dress up the pork loin with a few other ingredients, but once I opened the package I decided to run with it as-is. It was just too darned beautiful with its covering of bacon and the sweet smell of smoke to mess with. All I could do was fire up the grill, move the coals around the outside and pop it on a sheet of foil in the middle. Lid down and let it cook (No grill marks, but I wasn’t about to lose any of that bacon!)

While that was cooking, I tossed some rice in the rice cooker and went to work on the salad. Nothing fancy, just a few ingredients and boom. Done. With about 35 minutes to spare before the pork loin was done. Score another win to Walmart for having everything I needed in two aisles. In, out and gone. But let’s get to that Asian cabbage and apple salad. You’re going to love this one.

Making Asian cabbage and apple salad:

For this salad you can use red and green cabbage like I did, or if you prefer an even faster salad, just grab a package of coleslaw mix and toss that in a bowl. I had cabbage already, so I went with it.

First, whack a your cabbages into 4 pieces, as shown.

Get rid of the stem by cutting a “V” around it on both sides with a  sharp knife. (You’ll only need 1 piece each of the red and green cabbage, so feel free to put the rest back in the fridge at this point.

Slice both cabbages thinly.

Now, grab a medium to large apple and cut the core out of it, then slice it into little match sticks. That goes in the bowl with the cabbage.

Next, slice a green onion or two (depending on preference) into thin rounds or, if you want to be a little fancy, into little strips like I did. That goes in the bowl, too.

Time for the dressing! Pour about 1/4 cup of ponzu in a bowl, add some toasted sesame seeds and a tablespoon of Aji-Mirin, stir them with a fork and pour them over the salad in the bowl. (If you can’t find ponzu, just use 1/4 cup of light soy sauce, a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of orange juice. You’re golden.) Squeeze on just a bit of lemon juice to help keep the apples gorgeous, then toss everything to coat. Cover that and toss in the fridge to chill and get happy. (You’ll note that this is a lot like my recipe for Mentsuyu, and it is similar, but the ponzu here makes all the difference.)

When the pork is done cooking, pull it off the grill and cover loosely with foil for about 10 minutes, just to keep it gorgeous and juicy when you slice it, like this…

Did you SEE all that bacon on the top! It was so worth making sure none of it fell through the grill.

All that’s left now it to plate this bad boy up and eat. No frills here, just a good pile of the Asian cabbage and apple salad, two slices of the Applewood Topped Bacon Pork Loin Filet, and a bowl of rice on the side. Garnish f you want, but for us, all it needed was a little more ponzu on the rice and all was good.

I know you’re going to want to give this a shot. You should, this was a crazy good meal. And because I want you to enjoy a simple, hassle free dinner this summer and because I want you to save a few dollars while you’re doing it, I’m passing along a deal. Save $2.00 on any ONE (1) Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork Product” through this digital coupon offer.(While Supplies Last). You don’t have to get the Applewood smoked Bacon, you can grab one of 6 different flavors of pork, all ready to hit the grill when you are.

So what are you waiting for?

Oh, right. The recipe! Silly me. Here you go!

Yield: 8 servings

Grilled Pork Loin Filet with Asian Cabbage and Apple Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Succulent ready-to cook pork loin paired with a sweet and satisfying Asian cabbage and apple salad. Prep takes just a few minutes but will definitely have everyone coming back for seconds!

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Ingredients

• 1 Smithfield® Applewood Topped Bacon Pork Loin Filet
• 1/4 head of green cabbage
• 1/4 head red cabbage
• 1 medium apple
• 1 to 2 green onions
• 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Aji-Mirin
• 1 Tablespoon toasted Sesame seeds
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• 4 cups cooked white rice (or any other kind of rice that makes you happy.)

Instructions

For Gas Grill:

1. Turn grill to high heat on one side.
2. Place pork on cool side of grill, bacon side up. Cover and cook until pork reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees. (About 40 minutes)
3. Remove from heat and cover loosely with foil for 10 minutes before serving.

For Charcoal Grill:

1. Light grill and allow coals to burn until covered with white ash.
2. Move coals to one side of the grill, place pork on cool side of grill, bacon side up. Cover and cook until pork reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees. (About 40 Minutes)
3. Remove from heat and cover loosely with foil for 10 minutes before serving.

For the Oven:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place pork on a baking sheet, bacon side up, and cook until internal temperature reads 150 degrees. (About 40 minutes.)
2. Remove from heat and cover loosely with foil for 10 minutes before serving.

For the Asian Cabbage and Apple Salad:

1. Remove stems from cabbages and slice into thin strips.
2. Remove core from apple and slice into matchstick sized strips
3. Chop green onions finely
4. Mix together ponzu, mirin, sesame seeds and a good squeeze of lemon juice in a small bowl. pour over salad and toss to coat.
5. Serve with rice, if desired.

Notes

Feel free to skip prepping the cabbage and use a bag of ready-made coleslaw instead.

No ponzu? No problem. Ponzu is just citrus infused soy sauce, so add a little lemon juice to some soy sauce and you're golden!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 240mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 11g

Be sure to grab that digital coupon for $2.00 off your next Smithfield® Pork Product. And while you’re at it, why not follow along with Smithfield® on the interwebs. You can find them here:

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• Instagram

And that’s it for me today.  I’ll be back soon with some cool reviews and more great recipes.  Be good guys!