Grilling pork tenderloin is a delicious and easy way to enjoy this lean cut of meat. Follow our step-by-step instructions to ensure perfectly juicy and flavorful pork every time.
This Grilled Pork Tenderloin recipe is easy enough for a weeknight meal and fancy enough for company. Prepare the dry rub in advance and apply the rub to the pork tenderloin. Refrigerate for two hours up to overnight.
Juicy Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Learn how to grill pork tenderloin to perfection with this easy and healthy recipe. The result is juicy and flavorful meat that will satisfy your taste buds.
The pork is tender and flavorful on both a gas grill and a charcoal grill. Roasted asparagus, roasted corn on the cob, garden salad, and Southern green beans are perfect vegetables to serve with this recipe.
Ingredients Needed
- Pork tenderloin: not to be confused with pork loin
- Brown sugar
- Seasonings: cumin, chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper and ground cayenne pepper
- Honey: a little bit for the sauce
- BBQ sauce: use your favorite brand
- Mustard: Dijon or prepared yellow mustard
How to make Grilled Pork Tenderloin
This is the nutshell version. Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
If you haven’t already, trim the silver skin off your pork tenderloin. Then, combine the paprika, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a large Ziploc bag.
Rub the mixture all over the pork tenderloin. Place the pork tenderloin in the bag and store it in the refrigerator for several hours, up to overnight.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat or about 425-450 degrees using half of the burners. Add the pork tenderloin to the side of the lit grill (direct heat) and cover. Cook for about 5-6 minutes undisturbed to sear it. Roll the tenderloin over and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes. Move the tenderloin to the side that is not lit (indirect heat) and baste with the barbecue sauce mixture every couple of minutes or until it reaches 145 degrees.
Remove the meat from the grill, plate it, and cover it loosely with an aluminum foil tent. Let the pork rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite cuts of meat, but you must remove the silver skin. Pork tenderloins have an area of connective tissue known as silver skin, which is silvery-white in appearance. Silver skin doesn’t dissolve when the tenderloin is cooked, so it needs to be trimmed away with a sharp knife.
- The dry rub has more flavor than any marinade I have tried. Prepare the dry rub in advance and rub it into the pork tenderloin. Cover and refrigerate for several hours up to overnight.
- Pork tenderloin is a lean cut of meat, so don’t overcook it. Make sure you purchase pork tenderloin, not pork loin. The National Pork Board recommends cooking pork tenderloin to an internal temperature between 145° F. (medium rare) and 160° F. (medium). An instant-read thermometer is inexpensive and a valuable asset in the kitchen.
- After grilling the pork tenderloin, cover it loosely with an aluminum foil tent and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This allows the meat to redistribute the juices driven to the center by the grill’s heat.
What To Serve With It
Storage and Reheat
Store leftover pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over low heat, frequently turning, in the oven on low heat or in the microwave at reduced power. Cold leftover slices are delicious on a sandwich.
To freeze, first cool completely. Then, freeze in a heavy-duty freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over low heat, frequently turning, in the oven on low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
More Pork Tenderloin Recipes
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 -1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin trimmed
Rub
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2/3 cup of your favorite bbq sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a Ziploc bag, combine paprika, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dry the pork tenderloin with a paper towel. Rub the mixture over the pork tenderloin and refrigerate from 2 hours to overnight.
- In a small bowl, combine honey, barbecue sauce, and Dijon mustard.
- Preheat the grill to 425-450 degrees, lighting only half the burners. Add the pork tenderloin to the side of the grill that is lit and cover. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. Roll the tenderloin over and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Move the tenderloin to the side that is not lit. Baste with barbecue sauce mixture every 2-3 minutes. Continue cooking until the pork tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Remove the meat from the grill, plate it, and cover it loosely with an aluminum foil tent. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite cuts of meat, but you must remove the silver skin. Pork tenderloins have an area of connective tissue known as silver skin, which is silvery-white in appearance. Silver skin doesn’t dissolve when the tenderloin is cooked, so it needs to be trimmed away with a sharp knife.
- The dry rub has more flavor than any marinade I have tried. Prepare the dry rub in advance and rub it into the pork tenderloin. Cover and refrigerate for several hours up to overnight.
- Pork tenderloin is a lean cut of meat, so don’t overcook it. Make sure you purchase pork tenderloin, not pork loin. The National Pork Board recommends cooking pork tenderloin to an internal temperature between 145° F. (medium rare) and 160° F. (medium). An instant-read thermometer is inexpensive and a valuable asset in the kitchen.
- After grilling the pork tenderloin, cover it loosely with an aluminum foil tent and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This allows the meat to redistribute the juices that have been driven to the center by the grill’s heat.
Nutrition
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Becky Hardin
This rub is great on pork and chicken!!! So good.
Kristyn
Wow!! This looks so juicy & mouthwatering! That rub sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Trang
I especially love the tips on how to grill it!
Tanya Schroeder
Looks like the perfect tenderloin to me!
Katherine
Super easy method- I love this recipe!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert
This couldn’t look any more perfect! This looks delicious!
Melanie Bauer
Looks super delicious! This is my kind of dinner, need to make this immediately!
Shannon Graham
I needed a good dry rub recipe! Just in time for grilling season!
Jade Manning
This looks like perfection on a plate!
Katerina @ diethood .com
YUM!! This looks SO juicy and delicious!! A must try!
Catalina
My family will thank you for this recipe! It looks so inviting!
Demeter
Wow this looks so full of flavor! Love that it’s so easy to make too.
Mary
Just wanted to thank you for the pork tenderloin and German potato salad recipes. You were so right about the flavors being fantastic together. Looking forward to making them again.
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Mary! I am so glad that you enjoyed them.
Jan
Have you tried roasting it? What temp and how long for a 2# loin would you recomend?
Beth Pierce
Sorry about the delay. I had to get my taxes filed this weekend. Yes you can roast the pork tenderloin for about 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees or an internal temperature of 145 degrees. I would let rest for 15 minutes. Double the cooking time for a 2 pound loin but the same internal temp and resting time.
Bo Walker
As a Chef I cook a lot of pork tenderloin in many different ways so I’m always looking for something new. Because I have to prepare dinner ahead of time and leave it for my clients, I use a sous vide quite a bit to keep it from overcooking. I made the rub as written but added a tiny bit of cinnamon to it…1 tsp or so. I vacuum sealed the tenderloins and “rub” then set my sous vide circulator for 130 degrees and let it go for a couple of hours. I preheated my grill for a good 20 minutes on high before searing them quickly on each side being sure not to raise the internal temp above 140. (The Thermoworks Thermapen is the best I’ve ever used for instant an instant read thermometer) I let them rest for a few minutes before slicing and resealing them in the same vacuum bag (with the rub still in it). I put the bag back in the 130 degree water and left it for the staff to serve an hour or so later at dinner time. It never over cooks this way. This rub is fantastic! I will definitely make this again and maybe try it on a different protein. Great job!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Bo! I am glad that you liked it! Thanks for all the great details on how you prepare the tenderloin. Sounds like you have it down to a fine science!
Niki
I’d love to try this recipe for my baby shower this weekend. I’ve got 2 (7.5 lb) pork loins! Can you help with grill times? Anything else you’d change or suggest? Thank you!!
Beth Pierce
I am right in the middle of a recipe so I will try to respond more later but I wanted you to read this article as a pork loin and pork tenderloin are two different cuts. https://www.pegshomecooking.com/pork-loin-vs-pork-tenderloin-differences/
I have always baked my pork loin which makes it nice and tender.