North Carolina’s Whiskey Peppered Pork Tenderloin

America the beautiful, from sea to shining sea. It’s not just the land, it’s the people. People are beautiful. We should be celebrating all the things we have in common rather than to spend so much time picking one another apart.

It really doesn’t matter what your race is, or your politics or economic background. When all of that is stripped away, we are more alike than most realize. We want to provide for our families. We want to love and be loved. That which truly brings us joy and that which truly brings us sadness is the same. Once we recognize that our souls are the same, then we can appreciate one another in lasting ways.

That’s my lecture for today. Today is National North Carolina Day. It’s like anywhere else, really. Every state has its quirky laws and quirky people. That’s what makes us interesting. Did you know . . .

In North Carolina, it is against the law to visit the dead after midnight. I’m really not sure who these people are who want to be in a graveyard at the bewitching hour, but they’ll have none of that in North Carolina.

Having a good time in North Carolina? Wonderful – just remember you can get a DUI even if you aren’t driving a car. You cannot ride a horse or operate a horse and buggy under the influence, either. And you best leave your tractor at home if you’ll be out drinking.

Speaking of tractors, it might be a good idea to own one. Seems in North Carolina it’s against the law to use elephants to plant cotton. Yeah, like that was enough of a problem that they needed to pass a law?

Want to get married easily? Once upon a time, if an unmarried man and woman checked into a hotel in North Carolina and registered themselves as husband and wife, as far as the state was concerned, that was it – they done got hitched.

Do you have a collection of mugs? You know – World’s Best Day, or mugs from place you’ve visited or maybe from place others have been and all you got was yet another mug. There’s a rural home in Collettsville, North Carolina, that has the outside decorated with thousands of mugs. It’s become a bit of a tourist destination and visitors are welcome to bring their own mugs to add to the collection.

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Before we get into today’s recipes, I want to tell you how they came to be. Hormel has a marinated Whiskey Black Pepper Tenderloin that I have been dying to try. It’s been on the menu on and off for a while now, getting pushed aside due to life. You know how that goes. Finally, I was determined to give it a try. Unfortunately, that particular shopping day there were no Pork Tenderloins to be had of any kind. None, as though hit by some strange shortage. Thankful I had one unseasoned tenderloin tucked away in the freezer, so I decided to wing it, and create my own Whiskey Supper. Sometimes winging it can create a nice surprise – this was delicious!

Whiskey Peppered Pork Tenderloin
1 lb Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup Whiskey
1/4 teaspoon Coarse Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Mesquite Seasoning
1/2 cup Chicken Stock

Heat oven to 400-degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack inside the baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place tenderloin on the rack, set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk whiskey with coarse pepper and Mesquite seasoning. Brush seasoned whiskey over the pork, pulling as much of the seasoning as possible up into the brush and over the meat. Turn, brush other side. Place tenderloin fatty side up. Pour any remaining whiskey into the baking pan to prime the juices.

Place tenderloin in the oven, bake uncovered for approximately 25 minutes. Remove from oven; add about ½ cup chicken stock to the pan. Cover with foil and let “steam” in the liquid for about 15 minutes longer.

Remove from oven, place pork on a serving platter. Tent and let rest for about 5 minutes prior to slicing. Pour drippings from the pan over the sliced pork, serve and enjoy.

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Just as the pork tenderloin was born of creative inspiration, so too were these amazingly spicy skillet potatoes. Hubby and I grow our own pepper garden. The peppers we harvest tend to be over-the-top hot. Even the ones that are said to be mild or medium turn out hot. It has something to do with the soil. Anyway, as I was preparing dinner, I chopped up a few peppers to throw in with the potatoes. Without washing my hands after chopping peppers, I saw a fresh cherry tomato in our produce bowl and thought hey, that looks tasty and I’m hungry. So I popped the tomato into my mouth. Wow – it was hot!! As in spicy hot – the oils from the peppers had transferred to the tomato, creating a spicy tomato. That’s when I realized there was no way to add those peppers directly into the potatoes and survive. But we could do something else – season the oil. It was still spicy hot, but manageable. So find yourself some spicy hot peppers and give this a try.

Spicy Skillet Potatoes
8 small Red Potatoes
Kosher Salt to taste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Bacon Drippings
3 Serrano Peppers
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Scrub potatoes, cut into cubes and place in a saucepot. Add just enough water to cover the potatoes, sprinkle with kosher salt. Bring potatoes to a boil, let cook for about 7 minutes or until almost cooked through. Drain well. Let potatoes sit for about 5 minutes to “air” dry.

Meanwhile, heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add oil and bacon drippings to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Stem and dice peppers. Cook peppers, seeds and all, in the hot oil until sizzling and just beginning to blister. Spoon oil over the peppers as they fry. With a slotted spoon, remove and discard peppers. The skillet is now coated in spicy Serrano Oil.

Place potatoes in the skillet, season with salt and pepper. Turn potatoes several times to coat in the spicy oil. Spread potatoes out, let fry over medium heat until browned. Turn, continue to brown, about 10 minutes total.

Transfer potatoes to a serving dish or serve up straight from the pan. These are spicy hot.

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The Lord takes delight in His people.