Grilled Pork Tenderloin – The Power Of Pork
I am a huge fan of firing up the grill on weekends after a long work week. It is great when family or friends are visiting and we can be outside catching up during the cooking time. And, clean-up is easier than cooking indoors. I just close the grill after cooking and don’t worry about it until the next day. And of course, one of my all time favorites is grilled pork tenderloin.
Grilled pork tenderloin is a little tricky. But, if you get right, it is absolutely delicious. Pork tenderloin is a bit different cut of pork compared to pork loin. It is very lean, so you want to be careful not to overcook it or it will dry out. Out of the pork recipes available on-line, this one is pretty simple to follow. And it's especially cool to try it out if you're tired of all the chicken recipes
Pork tenderloin actually lends itself well to grilling if properly prepared. There a few tips to doing this correctly so that your pork is moist on the inside and nicely charred on the exterior.
- Marinate the meat overnight.
- Rotate the meat frequently while grilling for even cooking.
- Pay attention to the temperature using a good meat thermometer.
- Allow the cooked tenderloin to rest before slicing it.
Everything You Will Need for Delicious Grilled Pork Tenderloin
You will need to be prepared a day in advance so that the meat can marinate for 6 hours to overnight.
- Small sharp knife, such as a flexible filet knife
- Clean cutting board
- Paper towels
- Bowl for mixing the marinade
- One gallon sealable plastic bag
- Deep baking dish or a large bowl to hold the filled bag
- Charcoal grill or gas grill
- Charcoal, chimney, newspaper, and matches or a lighter
- Oven mitt
- Long BBQ Tongs
- Vegetable oil or olive oil
- Reliable meat thermometer
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins (1 to 2 pounds total)
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1/2 cup drinkable dry rosé wine (or white)
- 1 TBS pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp brown mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or a teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
You can also add a pinch of kosher salt to taste, or brown sugar, depending on what flavor profile you want to get. Note that if you would like a glaze to serve over your grilled pork, you can double the marinade ingredients and reserve half of it for the next day to heat and reduce down to a viscous sauce. Alternatively, you can use your favorite teriyaki or mild BBQ sauce. You don’t want to overpower the delicate flavor of this cut of pork.
Instructions for Making Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin
You could use a gas grill for this recipe. My preference is to impart some smoky flavor and a crusty exterior that charcoal seems to do best. Use whichever method you are most comfortable with. Just remember to check and fill the propane tank the day before if you are using gas. The instructions here are for grilling over charcoal.
Step 1: Trim the Pork
1. Place one of the tenderloins on a cutting board. Hold the tail end of the tenderloin steady with your non-dominant hand and a paper towel for a good grip. With your sharp knife, trim off any excess fat and gray sinew, known as the silver skin.
Step 2: Marinate the Pork
1. Take some prep time for this step. In a bowl, whisk together all of the other ingredients for the marinade. If doubling the recipe for a glaze, only use half of the mixture in the next step and refrigerate the rest covered.
2. Open the plastic bag and place it inside the baking dish or bowl. Pour all of the marinade ingredients in the bag carefully. Add both tenderloins to the bag and seal it tightly, pushing any air out. Massage the pork to completely coat it with the marinade. Place the baking dish or bowl in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.
Step 3: Prepare the Grill
1. Before you set up the grill take the pork out of the refrigerator and let it rest on your countertop in the bag 30 to 60 minutes so it can come almost to room temperature.
2. Clean out any ash from the bottom of the grill. Place the lower rack back inside the grill. Loosely crumple 2 sheets of newspaper and place those in the bottom section of the charcoal chimney. Place the chimney on the lower grill grate and fill it 3/4s with charcoal briquettes or hardwood charcoal. Light the newspaper through the bottom holes in the chimney in 3 locations. Allow the coals to flame and then to settle down to a red and white color with plenty of heat. This will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Using the oven mitt, pour the hot coals onto the bottom grill rack in an even layer. Place the top grill over the coals and allow it to heat up for several minutes. If it has crunchy bits leftover from your last barbeque, scrape those off with a wire brush.
If using a gas grill, let it pre-heat to medium high
Step 4: Grill the Pork Tenderloin
1. Hold a ball of paper towels with your tongs. Coat the ball with some vegetable oil. Wipe the oiled ball over the hot grill to further clean it and to lubricate it so the pork won’t stick.
2. Drain the marinade from the pork and lightly pat the tenderloins to dry them a little. Discard the drained marinade that has become contaminated with raw pork. Place the tenderloins on the grill directly over the hot coals. Place the lid on the grill with the vents open. Grill for 4 minutes.
3. Turn or roll the tenderloins one quarter and cook for another 4 minutes. Repeat this up to 4 times to make sure the pork is cooked evenly and has nice char or grill marks on all sides. This will take anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes. With the instant-read thermometer check the internal temperature at 12 minutes with your thermometer. You are looking for 145 degrees F. Keep rotating and grilling until the correct temperature is achieved.
4. Remove the pork to a clean cutting board and tent it with aluminum foil. While the meat is resting you can heat and reduce your reserved marinade until slightly thickened. Allow the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes and up to 20 minutes before slicing.
5. Slice into 1/2" thick pieces and serve with sauce or a wedge of lime and your favorite sides.
Conclusion
If you enjoying cooking with flame, as I do, try grilled pork tenderloin. There is some preparation that needs to be done 6 to 24 hours prior to hitting the grill that will make a difference in how tender and flavorful the meat is. The total cook time for this pork roast isn't too long even with the prep time. But as a result, you'll get the perfect juicy pork tenderloin that will blown your guests away. Refer to our checklists of equipment and ingredients in the second portion of this pork tenderloin recipe to help get you organized the day before you grill.
For more Tips and Tricks on How to grill Pork Tenderloin check out this video:
If you have read through the recipe here, and perhaps tried it, please let us know how it worked out and what you liked about this tutorial. Happy grilling and eating.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil or olive oil
- 2
Pork tenderloins (1 to 2 pounds total) - 1/2
Cup
Tamari or soy sauce - 1/2
Cup Drinkable dry rosé wine (or white) - 1
TBS
Pure maple syrup - 1
Tsp
Brown mustard - 2
Cloves garlic, minced or a teaspoon garlic powder - 1-1/2
Tsp
Grated fresh ginger - 1/2
Tsp
Cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Place one of the tenderloins on a cutting board.
- Hold the tail end of the tenderloin steady with your non-dominant hand and a paper towel for a good grip.
- With your sharp knife, trim off any excess fat and gray sinew, known as the silver skin.
- In a bowl, whisk together all of the other ingredients for the marinade.
- If doubling the recipe for a glaze, only use half of the mixture in the next step and refrigerate the rest covered.
- Open the plastic bag and place it inside the baking dish or bowl.
- Pour all of the marinade ingredients in the bag carefully.
- Add both tenderloins to the bag and seal it tightly, pushing any air out.
- Massage the pork to completely coat it with the marinade.
- Place the baking dish or bowl in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.
- Before you set up the grill take the pork out of the refrigerator and let it rest on your counter top in the bag 30 to 60 minutes so it can come almost to room temperature.
- Clean out any ash from the bottom of the grill. Place the lower rack back inside the grill.
- Loosely crumple 2 sheets of newspaper and place those in the bottom section of the charcoal chimney.
- Place the chimney on the lower grill grate and fill it 3/4s with charcoal briquettes or hardwood charcoal.
- Light the newspaper through the bottom holes in the chimney in 3 locations.
- Allow the coals to flame and then to settle down to a red and white color with plenty of heat.
- This will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
- Using the oven mitt, pour the hot coals onto the bottom grill rack in an even layer.
- Place the top grill over the coals and allow it to heat up for several minutes.
- If using a gas grill, let it pre-heat to medium high
- Hold a ball of paper towels with your tongs. Coat the ball with some vegetable oil.
- Wipe the oiled ball over the hot grill to further clean it and to lubricate it so the pork won’t stick.
- Drain the marinade from the pork and lightly pat the tenderloins to dry them a little.
- Discard the drained marinade that has become contaminated with raw pork.
- Place the tenderloins on the grill directly over the hot coals. Place the lid on the grill with the vents open. Grill for 4 minutes.
- Turn or roll the tenderloins one quarter and cook for another 4 minutes.
- Repeat this up to 4 times to make sure the pork is cooked evenly and has nice char or grill marks on all sides.
- This will take anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes.
- With the instant-read thermometer check the internal temperature at 12 minutes with your thermometer.
- You are looking for 145 degrees F. Keep rotating and grilling until the correct temperature is achieved.
- Remove the pork to a clean cutting board and tent it with aluminum foil.
- While the meat is resting you can heat and reduce your reserved marinade until slightly thickened.
- Allow the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes and up to 20 minutes before slicing.
- Slice into 1/2" thick pieces and serve with sauce or a wedge of lime and your favorite sides.
Nutrition
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