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Bobby Flay's New Mexican Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin Recipe - Exclusive

There are few culinary TV personalities as ubiquitous as Bobby Flay. If you're a longtime Food Network fan, you probably remember him as a fierce and fiery competitor on the early "Iron Chef America," often winning competitions with his unmatched grilling expertise. Though he's known for several decades of fun television, engaging cookbooks, and high-end restaurants across the nation, the multi-hyphenate is now poised to introduce audiences to a pre-stardom Bobby Flay. In his newest cookbook, "Bobby Flay: Chapter One," Flay gives readers an inside look of his storied career, supplemented with some of his most beloved recipes made along the way.

Beginning his career in New York, Flay worked alongside some of the best chefs in the nation. Under the leadership of Jonathan Waxman of Bud and Jams, Flay earned his culinary expertise in southwestern and Cajun cuisine, which went on to define his career. As the executive chef at the long-standing Mesa Grill, Flay churned out some of the nation's most memorable Southwestern-inspired fare, and many of those dishes are highlighted in "Chapter One." The New Mexican spice-rubbed pork tenderloin, served with bourbon-ancho sauce and sweet potato tamales, was a Mesa Grill signature for decades. Ahead of the book's October 29 release, Flay shares the recipe exclusively with Chowhound.

And as for a potential return of the restaurant that put this dish on the map? "Mesa Grill 2.0 is definitely on my mind," Flay tells Chowhound. "I just need to find the right opportunity."

About Bobby Flay's New Mexican spice-rubbed pork tenderloin

One of the defining characteristics of New Mexican cuisine is the chile, especially its application in sauces. Flay doesn't shy away from the ingredient in this dish, which he says is inspired by his trips to New Mexico. "The red chile sauce laced with the caramel tones of bourbon is a nice balance to the ancho chiles and spice rub," he says. The spice rub is made with a trio of chiles, each adding layers of flavor and intensity to the pork. Ancho chile, explains Flay, "has a dried fruit flavor like a raisin, and minimal heat". Pasilla has a more "earthy flavor" and chile de árbol "has the power of cayenne in heat." Together, the three offer a refined, balanced flavor.

Also included in the recipe are sweet potato tamales, which Flay refers to as "my version of a baked potato on a classic pork dish". The combination of corn and sweet potato has a mild nutty flavor that delicately balances the heat of the spice rub. Together, the tender pork, bourbon-ancho sauce, and soft sweet potato tamales make an unforgettable dish that brings the flavor of Mesa Grill to your kitchen table.

Recipe adapted from "Bobby Flay: Chapter One" by Bobby Flay with Emily Timberlake. Copyright © 2024 Boy Meets Grill. Photographs © 2024 Johnny Miller. Reprinted by permission of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Bobby Flay's New Mexican Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Ancho Sauce and Sweet Potato Tamales Recipe

5 (4 ratings)

Bobby Flay's new book "Chapter One" walks readers through his beloved recipes. Learn how to make the pork tenderloin that was a fixture on his Mesa Grill menu.

Prep Time
2
hours
Cook Time
2
hours
servings
8
Servings
pork tenderloin and tamale on plate
Total time: 4 hours

Ingredients

  • For the Bourbon-Ancho Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 3 dried ancho chiles, soaked, seeded, stemmed, and pureed
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup thawed frozen apple juice concentrate
  • 8 whole black peppercorns
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • Kosher salt
  • For the Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
  • 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
  • 2 teaspoons chile de árbol powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground allspice
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 pounds pork tenderloin
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • For the Sweet Potato Tamales
  • 1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 24 dried corn husks
  • ¾ cup fresh (preferably) or frozen corn kernels
  • ½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • Cloves from 1 head roasted garlic
  • 2 cups chicken stock or water
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1½ cups yellow cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ cup small-diced raw sweet potato
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • For the Chive Butter
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup finely chopped chives
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Make the bourbon-ancho sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cups of the bourbon, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to a few tablespoons, about 6 minutes. Add the ancho puree, stock, apple juice concentrate, peppercorns, and brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
  2. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer, then return it to the pan and cook over high heat until thick but still pourable, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons bourbon and cook for 2 minutes, just until the alcohol has mellowed, then season with salt. (You can cool the sauce and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day; just reheat it in a saucepan before serving.)
  3. Make the chive butter: In a food processor, combine the butter and chives and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Alternatively, shape the butter into a log, wrap it in parchment paper, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  4. Make the sweet potato tamales: Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  5. Brush the sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a sheet pan and roast until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Allow to cool, then peel. Place in a bowl and mash with a fork. Set aside 2 cups of the puree.
  6. About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, rinse the corn husks under running water. Soak them in warm water for 2 hours, or until softened.
  7. In a blender or food processor, puree the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the butter. Using your fingers, mix in the cornmeal, honey, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper until there are no visible lumps of fat. Fold in the sweet potato puree, diced raw sweet potato, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and maple syrup. The mixture will be a lot looser than you think it should be—don't worry, it will firm up when the tamales are steamed.
  8. Remove the corn husks from the water and set aside the best 20 husks, whole and having the fewest tears. Drain and pat dry. Tear the remaining husks into 1-inch-wide strips—you will use them to tie the tamales. Lay 2 husks flat on a work surface, with the tapered ends facing opposite each other and the broad bases overlapping by about 3 inches.
  9. Place about ⅓ cup of the masa mixture in the center of the corn husks. Bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and pat down to close. (It's no problem if the masa drips out a little at the seam.) Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of corn husk, pushing the filling toward the middle as you tie. Trim the ends to about ½ inch beyond the tie. (The tamales can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated before steaming.)
  10. Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes.
  11. Meanwhile, make the spice-rubbed pork tenderloin: Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  12. In a small bowl, stir together the ancho chile powder, brown sugar, pasilla chile powder, chile de árbol powder, cinnamon, allspice, and 1 teaspoon salt.
  13. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the pork in the spice rub and tap off any excess. Place the pork in the pan and sear until golden brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the pork is medium doneness (the internal temperature should register about 155 F), about 8 minutes. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the tenderloins against the grain into 1-inch-thick pieces.
  14. To serve: Ladle the bourbon-ancho sauce into the center of each of eight to ten large plates. Cut an opening in each tamale through the top of the corn husk, running from end to end, to expose the masa. Push both ends of the tamale toward the middle to further expose the masa. Place a tamale on top of the sauce on each plate, top it with some chive butter, then divide the sliced pork evenly among the plates. Serve immediately.
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