Let’s keep this grilling train rollin‘, shall we?
Here at home we have the capability to grill year round, but the desire to stand outside freezing my buns off in the season that shall not be named is, shall we say, lacking. That said, I welcome grilling season and it’s sizzling suppers requiring nearly no clean up with open arms, and a cold drink in hand.
Last weekend, as I was cooking an unbelievably juicy grilled pork tenderloin, the urge for a frosty beverage kicked in. What can I say, burning your knuckle hairs over a hot flame when it’s 85 degrees outside does that to a girl. I opened the sliding door into the kitchen, popped my head in, and was about to ask Ben for something to drink when I saw that he already had a cold, hard cider in his outstretched hand. Does that man know me or does he know me?
The cider went perfectly with the grilled pork tenderloin I was cooking at the time. As the name implies, pork tenderloin becomes unbeliveably juicy and tender once seared over a hot and high flame. Like, giving steak a run for its money, juicy and tender! Plus it grills up in under 15 minutes.
I’ve tested the method for grilling pork tenderloin countless times over the past month and it works every single time. Without fail. Seared and sizzling outsides, juicy and tender insides. NO pans to clean, NO turning on the oven – just pure, easy, deliciousness.
When I was growing up pork had to be cooked to 160 degrees which, combined with my Dad’s fondness for well-done meat, meant each pork chop, pork tenderloin, and pork roast we ate felt like chewing on a mouthful of sawdust. Here in the present though, pork only needs to be cooked to a tender 140 degrees. Read: melt in your mouth.
Grilled pork tenderloin is also a favorite of mine because it’s an extremely affordable cut of meat. In my area, it usually sells for $3.99/lb and a 1-1/2lb cut generously feeds Ben, Lincoln, and myself. Pair with grilled vegetables and a baked potato or rice, and you have an extremely wallet-friendly meal.
I hope you give this grilled pork tenderloin a try – I can almost guarantee it will become a new summer favorite!
Step 1: Prepare the Pork Tenderloin
Start by trimming a 1-1/2lb pork tenderloin. Note: this is NOT the same thing as a pork LOIN, which is typically used as a roast.
Rub the tenderloin all over with extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle with your desired seasonings – salt, pepper, garlic powder, a steak rub (which is what I used) etc. – really anything you like. I usually skip marinating pork tenderloin in anything containing sugars like honey, maple syrup or brown sugar, which easily burn during the searing process on the grill.
Step 2: How to Grill Pork Tenderloin
Time to fire up the grill! You’re going to create a double heat zone on the grill, which means one side is going to be hotter than the other. Here’s how to grill pork tenderloin:
- Preheat the grill with all burners set to high heat until the internal temperature reaches at least 500 degrees.
- Turn 1/2 or 1/3 of the burners (depending on how many burners your grill has) to low heat.
- Place the tenderloin on the HIGH HEAT side of the grill then grill for 1-1/2 minutes on all four sides, for a total of 6 minutes, closing the lid between flipping.
- Move the tenderloin over to the LOW HEAT side of the grill then grill for 4 minutes on each of the 2 larger sides (you will sear on 4 sides but 2 sides will end up being fatter/flatter,), for a total of 8 more minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloin reads 140 degrees. Again, keep the lid closed between flipping.
Let the tenderloin rest for 10 minutes before slicing into thick slices, or thinly shave the pork tenderloin, which is great for sandwiches. I usually use that time to grill fresh vegetables – zucchini, sweet corn on the cob, summer squash, and/or asparagus are my favorites. Serve with the BBQ sauce of your choice, or a homemade chimichurri sauce (<< HIGHLY recommend,) and dig in. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Napa Sweet Corn Salad
- Baked Potatoes
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
- Seasoned Broiled Potatoes
- Judy’s Baked Beans
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Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Description
I'm sharing my method for the most unbelievably juicy grilled pork tenderloin, which cooks in under 15 minutes. A filling and healthy summer dinner!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2lb pork tenderloin (NOT pork loin), trimmed
- extra virgin olive oil
- seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, steak rub, etc.
Directions
- Heat grill on high until it reaches 500 degrees then turn one burner down to low.
- Rub pork tenderloin all over with extra virgin olive oil then season with desired seasonings. Add pork to the high heat side of the grill then grill for 1-1/2 minutes on all four sides, for a total of 6 minutes, keeping the lid closed between flipping.
- Move pork tenderloin to the side of the grill with low heat then grill for an additional 4 minutes on each of the two larger sides, for a total of 8 more minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 140 degrees, keeping the lid closed between flipping. Let pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- I don't recommend marinating the pork in anything containing sugars (honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, etc) as it will burn while searing the outside of the pork.
- I like to serve my grilled pork tenderloin with Honey-Balsamic BBQ Sauce or homemade Chimichurri Sauce.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
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Made this tonight. Best pork tenderloin I’ve ever had.
Good Golly that’s Gooood! I won’t deviate from this dry rub recipe! Wow! Pork in North Carolina is $1.50 a pound. That’s why we are the pork capital if the world!
just gotta tell you how perfectly your grilled pork loin recipe turned out – perfect! I did grilled mango with it – to die for!
This was a good recipe but you didn’t state which temperature scale you were referring to – Celsius or Fahrenheit?
Just tried this recipe tonight and it was perfect. I never leave reviews, but this was delicious exactly as recommended! Will definitely be making this many times this summer! :)
This recipe worked perfectly. Ive tried a few different ways and this was faster and tastier than any other time I made it. A winner!!!
Only used the recipe for the cooking part, and OMG this is delicious, thank you 🙏🏼
I usually do my pork tenderloin in my cast-iron pan on the stove and then in the oven – but my oven recently died so I tried this recipe and OMG – so perfect. Follow it to the letter! The meat comes out absolutely perfectly – a nice light crust on the outside and incredibly juicy on the inside. I usually make a pan sauce but no sauce needed with this! Thanks, Iowa Girl!
Made this tonight with a Coffee Dry Rub. It was more than awesome! I, too, am from the era of dried up pork tenderloin, ugh! This was terrific, my new, and only, way to cook pork! Thank you so much!
Amazing! I rubbed the pork with smoked salt, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. I followed your directions for grilling exactly. Then I made your chimichurri while the meat was resting. SO DELICIOUS. We will definitely be doing this again. Thank-you for this recipe.
I did this with a 2 lb pork roast and it worked well. Due to the size of the roast it took longer to get to 140 F, but the result was delicious and CHEAP.
Easy and delicious. Wife wants to add this to the list of “have again”.
My pork tenderloin turned out moist and juicy. It was delicious. Thank you for a tasty and quick recipe. My family enjoyed it with chimichurri sauce.
Thank you!! This was amazingly tender and juicy! I just used a garlic/onion blend with a bit of BBQ seasoning. Perfect time to get it done! This is our new go-to recipe for tenderloin!
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Michelle! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Love this. So simple and tastes great. Served with the cauliflower fried rice. Another winner.
Thanks for the great recipe! We just made this and it was perfect. For the spices, we used a combo of Penzys 33rd & Galena Seasoning + their Pork Chop Seasoning. Juicy and Delish!
Hey Iowa Girl; Trying to give my sister a much needed break from our Thanksgiving cooking and saw this simple yet great recipe for Grilled Pork Tenderloin Roast with Chimichurra Sauce. Frequently I grill a simpler Pork Tenderloin Recipe of Salt & Pepper with dried Basil for our regular meals. I am a big fan of Cilantro, which I use for my grilled fish and chicken entrees. My question to you is can I use the Cilantro in the same measures as you use Parsley in your recipe here? Your feedback? Thanks for your recipe contribution here…makes Dudes like me better chefs. ;-) Email: panfisher@earthlink.net
Followed recipe to a T and it came out fabulous! Super easy, quick, and affordable. Love this!
How you got 140F in the center with this timetable is amazing. Had to leave it on an extra 10 minutes to get that. You must have an amazing grill. But the food tastes great.
This was fabulous. I followed the instructions to the letter and it barbequed to the exact point of juiciness. My guests were full of compliments. I added oregano to the seasonings as I didn’t have any steak rub