A Taste of Tennessee from our Winemaker

Winemaker by day and grill master by night! After a long day in the vineyard, our winemaker, Don Crank III retreats to his Traeger for some chill and grill time. His authentic and go-to recipe for a rub and BBQ sauce is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next cookout! Be sure to tag Hawks View @hawks_view_winery on Instagram when you try it yourself!

MEMPHIS PORK TENDERLOIN

By: Winemaker Don Crank III 

“I’ve decided to offer up a taste of home with this at-home BBQ recipe. I am originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and love the smoky and tangy flavors of dry rub BBQ. The 2019 Syrah and 2019 Jack’s Pinot Noir are especially well-suited for grilled foods. 

As the days get longer and warmer, all I want to do is make dinner outside on the grill! This is a simple recipe that I usually use with pork shoulder, but that takes all day and night to get just right. So, I have adapted it here to a much quicker version for you to enjoy the flavors of my hometown in one quick hour.”

Memphis Blues BBQ Sauce 

10 oz frozen blueberries (or fresh!)  
2 cups tomato sauce 
1/2 cup cider vinegar  
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
1/3 cup molasses 
4 tbsp packed dark brown sugar  
2 tsp yellow mustard  
2 tsp Louisiana hot sauce 
2 tsp Kosher salt 
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper  
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 

Tenderloin Dry Rub 

Two 1 - 1.5lb pork tenderloins  
4 tbsp American paprika  
2 tbsp powdered garlic  
4 tbsp mild chili powder  
2 tbsp ground black pepper  
2 tsp whole yellow mustard seed 
1 tbsp crushed celery seed  
1 tbsp dried crushed thyme 
1 tbsp whole allspice seeds 
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds 
1 tsp ground coriander 

Instructions: 

“I use a Traeger pellet grill, but a foil packet of wet hickory chips on the hot side of a conventional grill works great too. This rub makes enough for two recipes, but extra spice never hurts! Keep the grill temp low and slow until the internal temperature of your tenderloin is 145°F (about 45min to 1.0 hrs)."

• Preheat grill to 225°F. 
• Combine all BBQ sauce ingredients in a medium pan and cook on med-low, about 30 minutes. 
• Take off heat and allow to cool. Once cool, place in a food processor and blend until smooth. 
• Adjust the thickness of the sauce with extra cider vinegar and set it aside. 
• Combine all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and cover tenderloins liberally with the rub. 
• Baste both sides of the tenderloins with BBQ sauce using a brush or ladle on with a spoon. 
• Place in grill and cook until a final internal temperature of 145°F. 
• Let rest for 5 minutes, slice, and serve with more BBQ sauce!