BBQ, come rain or shine

Last night, I felt particularly British: I persuaded my husband it was a great night to grill outside, despite the fact that it was raining (admittedly, it was a very Californian-spring poor effort at rain, but there was definitely water coming down from the sky and spotting on the patio. Seriously, it left wet marks!). As a Brit you get used to deciding to grill, without knowing what the weather will bring. Generally, you go ahead whether it is raining or not, because otherwise, you fear you would never eat BBQ, and in any case, it is easy to grab the goretex and umbrella every self-respecting Brit keeps handy by the back door.

Last night's BBQ experience was a great spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with bacon BBQ sauce (yes, we're getting through a lot of bacon in this house at the moment!). I'm also including here a great BBQ chicken sandwich recipe which is a great alternative if the rain really is British-spring-total-downpour type rain (or if you are a wimpy Californian, and the temperature has inexplicably dropped below 60 degrees), since it doesn't require stepping out of the kitchen at all.

Rise up BBQ-lovers, and show the rain who's boss.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Barbecue Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light Way to Cook: Grilling
Serves 6

Sauce:
1/2 cup pancetta, chopped into small dice
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard (all the Brits out there, not your strong, clear-your-sinuses yellow mustard! A mild American-style burger mustard)
5 TBSP liquid honey
3 TBSP ketchup
2 TBSP cider vinegar
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Pork:
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
1 TBSP smoked paprika
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 1lb pork tenderloins, trimmed
Cooking spray

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. To prepare sauce, cook pancetta in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until becoming crisp, then add onions and continue to cook for a further 4 minutes until onion is softened and starting to color. Add mustard and next 5 ingredients to pan, and bring to the boil stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes until slightly thickened. Keep stirring frequently, as otherwise it may stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. To prepare pork, combine brown sugar and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Rub  mixture evenly over trimmed tenderloins.
4. Grill pork over a rack coated with cooking spray for around 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 145 degrees F, turning once half way through. Let pork stand for 10 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/2" thick slices and serve with sauce.

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Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
From Cooking Light Magazine
Serves 6

1/2 cup ketchup
2 TBSP dijon mustard
2 TBSP water
3/4 tsp ancho chile powder
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp kosher salt
3 cups shredded skinless cooked rotisserie chicken
3 TBSP mayonnaise
2 TBSP cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
3 cups shredded cabbage (I used a package of coleslaw mix)
1/3 cup chopped green onions
6 hamburger buns, toasted

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in a pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking.
2. Combine chicken and sauce.
3. Combine mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar with a whisk. Add coleslaw and onions and toss together.
4. Place about 1/2 cup of chicken mixture on each bun, followed by 1/2 cup coleslaw.