Mushrooms add the 'meat'

Mushrooms make food “meaty,” adding a tender but chewy texture that makes for a satisfying “bite” to a dish. Mushrooms are also fantastic little sponges, soaking up the briny, salty or savory flavors of liquids in a dish and happily releasing them as you chew.

Pairing mushrooms with pork tenderloin makes the whole barbecue better, adding the smooth mushroom texture to the shreds of pork, both sopped with the sauce they were cooked in. This barbecue is cooked on the grill, but it also works beautifully when simmered all day in a slow cooker.

Quick & Easy Barbecue Pork and Mushrooms

1 whole pork tenderloin, trimmed (about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon barbeque sauce, honey-smoked

2 Portabella mushroom caps, sliced into 1/4 inch strips

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon grill seasoning, mesquite 

Pre-heat grill to 350 degrees. Place pork on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Rub the barbecue sauce on the pork. Spread the mushroom strips around the pork and drizzle oil over the pork and mushrooms. Sprinkle the grill seasoning over the mushrooms.

Fold the sides and ends of the foil up and crimp to seal. Place pork packet on the grill, close cover. Let the pork cook 45 minutes, remove from the grill and let rest 15 minutes. Carefully unwrap the foil and remove the pork.

Cut into 4 sections. With two forks, shred the pork. Mix the shredded pork with some of the remaining juices from the foil to moisten. 

Top with the mushrooms and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: Calories 190; total fat 6g; saturated fat 1.5g; trans fat 0g; cholesterol 75mg; sodium 340mg; carbohydrate 6g; dietary fiber 1g; sugars 2g; protein 26g.