New Mexican Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Tamale and Pecan Butter

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Tried this dish at Mesa in Bahamas, came home, and followed the recipe from the mesa grill cookbook exactly. The pork tenderloin and sauce came out great. The tamales however, tasted way too much like onion, and despite several hours of cooking, they were watery, until i refrigerated them and reheated the next day. I was able to nail the tamales on my second attempt. First, and foremost, I eliminated the onion, because these were sweet, not savory, at Mesa Bahamas. This not only got rid of the strong onion flavor, but also a lot of the water, so after 90 minutes of cooking, they were firm enough, not mushy or runny. I think the recipe online calls for chicken stock, it's completely unnecessary.

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This was one of the most amazing meals I have ever made. The sauces made the dish and were so worth the time and effort. They made a ton so I cut two of them in half. The bourbon ancho sauce was incredible.. I made the sauces a couple of days ahead of time since I was making this for Christmas dinner, I didn't want to be cooking all day. The tamales took longer than I had thought they would. However, I looked at a tamale recipe in a different cookbook I have and it said the tamales may seem moist/mushy/soft but to turn off the heat and let them rest in the steamer and they will firm up. They totally did. So this recipe does work - just make sauces ahead of time and the tamales are worth the work as well. A perfect compliment to the spicy pork not to mention the pecan butter is insanely good. Thanks Bobby Flay for helping us make a very memorable Christmas dinner!!

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I teach family and consumer sciences in a high school. My foods students made this recipe in an area "Iron Chef" competition and WON! Delicious and impressive!

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Delicious. I could drink that sauce, and I don't even like bourbon. Hubs liked too. Served with parmesan grits & green beans.

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This is my FAVORITE meal!! I visit Mesa in the Bahamas at least once a month for it!!!

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Well worth the time and effort! Best tenderloin I've had in quite some time. I didn't make the tamales, but did make the pecan butter to put on cornbread--wonderful! Make the bourbon-ancho sauce ahead of time as it does take awhile to reduce. I served this with cornbread/pecan butter, garlic mashed potatoes since we aren't fans of sweet potatoes, and roasted squash/zucchini/cherry tomatoes/pasilla peppers. I will definitely be making this again!

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Very easy to make mostly ahead. First, if you are able to find whole, but not ground chilis, you can easily grind whole, toasted dried chilis: remove the seeds and stems from dried chilis and toast 5-10 minutes, turning once, in a 350 degree oven; cool and ground in a spice (i.e., coffee grinder. You can substitute all ancho for the pasillas (or use other less-spicy chilis, like negro omit the arbol if you are heat-averse. I read several comments that the dried chilis did not soften--the way around this is to fry the dry chilis in 2-3 tbsp. of oil until reddish and puffed (about 1 min. max, and cover with boiling water for 20 min. If you are going for the wow-factor, make a cilantro oil to drizzle as a contrast to the black sauce (super-easy--just puree about 2 cups of cilantro with 1 cup vegetable oil and a pinch of salt and let sit in the fridge--the flavor is mild, so even my cilantro-hating dad like it. Start with a salad, to balance the lack of green veg.

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I only made the pork tenderloin and boubon sauce. The pork is fantastic, it takes time to make, so prepare a few hours ahead of time to make the sauce. I make mashed sweet potatoes with the pork, it is simple and a perfect companion to the pork. I would highly recommend this recipe- you won't be disappointed.

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I had the sweet potato tamale at MESA on paradise island. It was fabulous!!! I can't
wait to make it at home!

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to @dworsell: you probably just need to simmer it longer. I've made this dish several times and I did note that the sauce took a long time to reduce and thicken. Be patient, it's well worth it. This sauce is delicious. I had this dish at the Mesa Grill in Las Vegas and this recipe exactly duplicates the restaurant version.