Grilled Honey-glazed Creole Pork Tenderloin with Jambalaya Stuffing

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers and celery and cook for 4–5 minutes, until vegetable begin to soften. Add the sausage and bay leaves and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the shrimp and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 more minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and opaque. Add the tomatoes, salt and Creole seasoning. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the rice and mix well. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 20–25 minutes or until rice is tender and the liquid had been absorbed.

Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and stir in green onions. Transfer to a large bowl or rimmed baking sheet and allow to cool.

This step can be done one day ahead and covered and refrigerated.

Butterfly pork tenderloins, leaving ¾” from edge and open up like a book. Place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound into a rectangle to approximately ½” thick.

Place 1 cup of jambalaya onto each tenderloin and spread out evenly, leaving about 1” around the edges. Close up like a book, overlapping edges, and tie in 4 places with kitchen string to secure. You may lose a little stuffing. Reserve it with the remainder of the unused jambalaya in a small tin container covered with aluminum foil. Tuck thyme sprigs under the string. Season with salt and Creole seasoning. Drizzle with olive oil.

Set up grill for indirect medium heat. When grill is hot, sear pork on one side, directly over the heat, for approximately 5 minutes, rotating 45 degrees once, halfway through. Turn pork over and move to indirect heat over a drip pan. Place foil-covered reserved jambalaya next to pork over indirect heat. Cover the grill and continue to grill-roast for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix honey, butter and mustard in a small bowl. After 15 minutes, open lid of grill and brush the tenderloins with honey-glaze mixture. Close the lid and continue to cook for 7–8 more minutes. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing the string, discarding thyme, and slicing each tenderloin on the bias into 4 pieces.

Serve over divided reserved jambalaya and garnish with green onion and chopped parsley.