I have always wished that I had gotten a chance to know my Uncle Jim better. I know him mostly through stories that my father would tell me about his big brother, as we never lived in the same city and he died tragically from cancer when I was a teenager. According to my father, he was one of those brilliant men from some enviable, unattainable, next-level outer-space echelon of genius. Never incredibly social as a kid, my Dad remembers him being instead fascinated with science, reading, and building computers in his room (this was in the late 1950′s-early 1960′s, mind you…). He went on to work for Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and one of the last projects he worked on before he died (in conjunction with NASA!) was a stunningly advanced oceanography and weather prediction system that worked via satellites bouncing signals off of the ocean floor and back. The name of the project was TOPEX Poseidon. Um, awesome much??? Plus, he was a serious foodie and an even more serious devotee of fermented grapes. Uncle Jim and my lovely Aunt Macrine also gave birth to two of the coolest girls I know, who he would have every reason to be proud of if he could see them now. The man was a total badass. Utterly and totally nerdy…..but a badass. And that is my kind of guy.

My Mom was kind enough to send me his recipe for a wonderful sake-based marinade for pork.  For my taste, there was one ingredient that was glaringly absent from his concoction, and that’s the fresh ginger.  I’ve taken the liberty of adding it.  I’ve used it with an un-trimmed pork tenderloin roast, but I’m sure that it would work extremely well with pork chops too.  Enjoy, and throw some sake back for my Uncle Jim while you’re at it.

Ingredients:

1 boneless, center-cut pork tenderloin roast (about 3-4 lbs.)

3/4 cup chicken stock (preferably homemade)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sake (NOTE:  I know virtually nothing about sake.  I know only the most basic guideline, which is that when you see “ginjo” on the label, it’s pretty good, and when you see “daiginjo,” it’s premium.  Here we used Momokawa Organic Ginjo.)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon honey

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, minced fine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Neutrally flavored oil such as vegetable or canola

Instructions:

1.  Trim pork loin of undesired fat, if necessary.  (Keep in mind that pork tenderloin is a fairly lean meat and fat will help the flavor in the end.)  Rub meat with just enough of the neutral oil to coat it, and set aside.

2.  Mix all remaining ingredients in a bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  (NOTE:  Go easy on the salt in this particular recipe.  Keep in mind that you have soy sauce included in the marinade liquid, and soy sauce is very salty!)

3.  Place pork tenderloin in a container with high sides so that marinade doesn’t spill everywhere and make a mess.  Pour marinade over the meat, distribute evenly coating all sides, and cover with plastic wrap.  Place container in the refrigerator and marinate for about 4 hours.

4.  Preheat oven to 350º F.  Remove pork from refrigerator and give it one last toss in the marinade .  Shake off the excess marinade from the meat, and reserve the marinade liquid for basting.  Heat a few tablespoons of the neutral oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat and, when oil is hot, sear the meat on all sides until golden brown.  Transfer meat to a foil-lined half-sheet pan and slowly roast the meat for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until fork tender.  Open up the oven one or two times during the cooking process and baste with the reserved marinating liquid.  (You’ll want to work quickly when doing this, as leaving the oven open for too long isn’t good for the cooking process since it lowers the oven temperature.)

5.  Remove the meat from the oven, cover with foil, and let rest for about 15 minutes.  Slice tenderloin into 1/4″ thick slices, arrange nicely on a plate, garnish as desired, and serve.

Yield:  One delicious pork roast to centerpiece any Asian-inspired meal.