September 18, 2011 / Hoptrollop

Sweet and Spicy Turkey

Sweet and Spicy Turkey Platter

Jars and jars and jars and more jars of condiments, sauces and pastes, my fridge is full of them. Many of the jars are Asian in origin and since I’m not a traditional Asian cook I blend them as I like, only feeling a tad guilty. One combo worked so well it was worthy of a blog post. I mixed Hoisin, which is a sweet sauce that is used for dipping and in Chinese BBQ Pork; and Black Bean Sauce or Paste, which is fermented soy beans mixed with garlic and chiles making it a salty, spicy condiment with a nice tang to it.

I think this will work equally well with the turkey tenderloins I used or pork. Since most Asian beers are lagers that’s what I decided to use to “brine” the meat. The beer brine really did add moistness to the turkey that must be cooked to 165° or well done. The turkey was grilled and served with a Tangy Mango Sauce, Almond Long Grain and Wild Rice and a salad of Mandarin Oranges, Pineapple and Cilantro that was spiced with a little Jalapeno.

2 ea Turkey tenderloins
12 oz Lager of choice

2 Tbl Hoisin Sauce
2 Tbl Black Bean Sauce

2 Tbl + Grill Seasoning, course ground

200 ml Mango Juice
1/2 cup Lager
1/4 cup Black Bean Sauce
1/2 tsp Ginger, fresh and grated
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce (optional)

4 or more hours before cooking place the turkey tenderloins and the lager into a gallon zip seal bag. Close trying to remove as much air as you can. Refrigerate.

1/2 hour prior to cooking blend the Hoison and Black Bean Sauce. Remove the turkey from the lager, pat dry and dump the beer brine. Rub the tenderloins all over with the blended sauces and allow to come to room temperature.You can do the rub more than a half an hour before just put the turkey back in the refrigerator until shortly before cooking. Allowing the meat to warm slightly all the way through creates a more even cooked product. The outside doesn’t burn before the inside gets to the proper 165°

For the sauce, simmer the mango juice and beer until it reduces by about 1/2. I find a small straight sided pot the best way to do this. Once it’s reduced stir in the black bean sauce, add the ginger and soy sauce then cook for another 5 minutes.

I hope you’ve gotten your grill pre-heated to a med-high temp, say around 375°. Before putting them on sprinkle with the grill seasoning, this is one of my trick to enhance the grilled flavor of whatever I’m cooking. Cook the tenderloins, turning a quarter way around for a total of 20 minutes. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer. You want it to read between 160° and 165°. If it’s not there yet move it off of direct heat and check and turn every 5 minutes until you are there. Cover lightly with foil and allow to rest at least 10 min before slicing.