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
free email bonus!
5 Day Clean Eating Guide
Fresh and craveable recipes + healthy eating tips!
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.
More Grilling Recipes
Perfect Grilled Steak with Herb Butter
Sweet Chili Coconut Lime Grilled Chicken
Do you shut the high burners off after you move the tenderloin to the low burners?
Leave those on – they’ll keep the grill hot like an oven – just make sure to keep the lid closed in between flipping.
I just wanted to say, that this is the ONLY way I cook a tenderloin anymore! Found this recipe last year, and I love it! It was the name of your site that first caught my eye, I’m from Cedar Falls, but have been living in Overland Park for 20 years. We love our tenderloin here, especially sliced thin with barbecue sauce! Yum!
Thanks so muchfor a perfect, and perfectly easy reciepe!!!
Fabulous!! I’m so glad to hear you love this recipe, Peg!!
I first tried the grilled pork tenderloin in the fall of 2019. It was a huge hit with my entire family. The grandkids loved it. I have lost count of the number of tenderloins we have grilled since then. We even had it for Thanksgiving 2020 with dressing. No turkey for us. So easy and so yummy!!
Love hearing that, Debbie!! Good enough to swap for turkey – so great!
Today was my first time grilling a pork tenderloin and the results using these instructions were FANTASTIC! Everyone agreed that the pork was just perfect – thank you!
Woo!! So glad it was a success for you, Kathy!!
After the cooking time specified the internal temp was way off. Only 90 F.
And no, this wasn’t a loin. Kept the lid closed between flips (read around 400 F in the grill). Meal timing is way off now. Mine looks thicker than the photo but it’s 1.5 lbs.
Be careful with the tenderloin recipe. I timed it exactly per the recipe and it was very raw. Needed about double the time on the grill.
First recipe on our new bbq and it was deliciousssss! For sure will be keeping this for another time. Thank you from Quebec.
Wohoo!! Glad to hear it was ah it, Jonathan!
Followed the directions to a T. The middle is still cold. Hasn’t moved the meat thermometer one little bit.
It sounds like you used a pork loin instead of a tenderloin which is much much thicker than a tenderloin.
First time since I fell love in love with Food Network stars a few decades ago that I found a chef who can time a recipe perfectly! My tenderloin was the best EVER! Thank you
Woo!! So happy to hear that, Dianne! Thanks so much for the recipe review and rating!
This recipe was great! Best tenderloin I’ve ever grilled, thanks for the instructions :)
Thrilled to hear it, Greg!! Thanks so much for your review and recipe rating. :)
My mother was a talented baker. Cook: not so much. She cooked pork until it was white and dry. I experimented with this recipe because I KNEW there had to be a better way to cook pork. This is now my “go to” recipe! The spice mix is great and the meat is moist. Best of all — it’s QUICK!!! Thank you so much!
I NEVER leave reviews but I absolutely had to on this one…this was the best pork tenderloin I have ever had in my life!! So juicy and tender that I didn’t even need to cut it with a knife, just the fork…literally melted in my mouth. AMAZING!! Thank you for this recipe and I will never cook pork tenderloin any other way!!
SO thrilled to hear that, Ian! Thanks so much for your review and recipe rating! :)
The grilled pork tenderloin was a hit. My husband followed directions exactly and used an instant read thermometer. We let it rest about 15 minutes before cutting. So juicy! I served it with some chimichurri sauce, but it really didn’t need any sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
We made this today using some jerk seasoning and it worked perfectly! I never cared for the texture of pork tenderloin when we’ve cooked it before. I guess I always found it bland and mushy. This method made it moist and gave it a great meaty texture. As a plus, it was very quick and easy. Thanks for a new recipe that’s so adaptable.
I always come back to this at the beginning of grilling season to remind myself of the times for turning. Delicious! Always comes out perfect!
This is the best pork tenderloin I’ve ever eaten. Used my choices is seasonings and otherwise followed the recipe. Couldn’t have been easier or quicker. So tender and juicy and full of flavor.
I thought you were making one of my go to pork tenderloin recipes, but it wasn’t, so thought I would share the easiet most delicious sauce for your grilled pork tenderloin. In a small sauce pan combine a pack of fresh blueberries, 1/4 balsamic vinegar, quarter cup of orange juice. Bring to a boil and then let simmer while the pork tenderloin cooks and then rests. Sometime you have to turn off burner early, but usually it all come together at the same time.
When the pork is seared at the high heat for 1 1/2 minutes, is that a total of 1 1/2 minutes or per side for a total of 6 minutes?
You got it!
Made this with a Chimichurri sauce and homemade sweet potato fries, YUM!
I made the pork tenderloin last night with creamed dill baby potatoes and it was to die for 😁 will definitely be making it again 💕