Grilled Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

August in Milwaukee. The Brewers are in the playoff hunt, which means the entire city is on edge in the best possible way. Tom calls me after every game to either celebrate or complain, and there is no in-between. Tuesday night they won on a walk-off and Tom called at 10:15 PM and said, "Did you see that?" I said, "I saw that." He said, "Unbelievable." I said, "Unbelievable." We sat in silence for ten seconds. He said, "Okay, good night." This is how we process joy.

Megan and I went to a Brewers game this weekend — our first since the game where we met. We sat in the same section, not on purpose but because the tickets were cheap and fate has a sense of humor. She ate nachos. With a fork. I did not comment. I have learned. She caught me watching her and said, "Still judging?" I said, "Forever." She leaned over and kissed me with nacho cheese on her lips and I thought, I will never care about forks again.

At the brewery, the Oktoberfest lager is in the fermenter. Six weeks until it's ready. I'm also working on a pumpkin ale, which I personally think is overdone but the market wants what the market wants. I'm trying to make ours subtle — actual pumpkin puree, not just pumpkin spice, with a light hand on the cinnamon and nutmeg. If I'm going to make a pumpkin beer, it's going to taste like pumpkin, not a candle.

Made golabki this week — stuffed cabbage rolls with ground pork and rice, simmered in tomato sauce. Babcia's recipe. It's labor-intensive: you have to blanch the cabbage leaves, make the filling, roll them tight, arrange them in the pot, and then let them simmer for two hours. The apartment smelled incredible. Megan came over and said, "It smells like someone's grandma lives here." I said, "Basically." She ate three and asked for the recipe. I gave her Babcia's card. She held it carefully, like she understood what it meant. She's starting to understand all of it — the food, the family, the weight of what gets passed down. She's starting to become part of it.

Golabki takes most of a Saturday, and I’m not always sorry about that—but when the weather is still holding and the grill is already hot from the weekend, this grilled stuffed pork tenderloin is how I carry that same spirit forward without spending two hours watching a pot. It’s still stuffed, still built around pork, still the kind of thing you plate for someone you want to impress—the kind of thing you hand over a recipe card for. If Megan’s going to start understanding what gets passed down in this family, this is a good next chapter.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 lbs), trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Kitchen twine, for tying

Instructions

Prepare the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted, about 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and feta. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool slightly.
Butterfly the tenderloin. Place the pork tenderloin on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice lengthwise down the center about 3/4 of the way through—do not cut all the way through. Open the tenderloin like a book and cover with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
Stuff and roll. Spread the spinach-feta filling evenly over the inside of the tenderloin, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Starting at one long edge, roll the tenderloin tightly into a log. Tie with kitchen twine at 1 1/2-inch intervals to secure.
Season the outside. Rub the outside of the rolled tenderloin with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix the oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper together and press the spice rub evenly over the exterior.
Grill. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Grill the stuffed tenderloin, turning every 4–5 minutes, for 25–30 minutes total, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145°F.
Rest and slice. Transfer the tenderloin to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the twine. Slice into 1-inch rounds and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Stuffed Pork Tenderloin — The Pork Was for Babcia