Smoky Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Easy and fast, this smoky grilled pork tenderloin is tender and SO flavorful. It is perfect for a simple weeknight meal or a holiday cookout/BBQ!
No better time than the present to start discussing what food is going to appear for Labor Day weekend in just over a week.
This is important stuff, people!
You can’t just go into a holiday weekend like that with no expectations, plans, spreadsheets, and food goals when it comes to what to eat, when to eat it, and who to eat it with!
We are always pretty chill on Labor Day weekend (and most summer holidays, if you want to know the truth) in terms of traveling and doing over-the-top, adventurous activities.
But it’s a given that I’ll have a plan for good grub to grill.
And pork tenderloin is one of my favorite things to throw on the grill.
Exhibit A: Succulent Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Exhibit B: Citrus Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Exhibit C: Chili Rubbed Pork with Apricot Glaze
This smoky grilled pork tenderloin is absolutely fantastic.
The intense deliciousness comes from a simple wet rub that coats the pork and results in crazy good flavor (bonus points if you plan ahead and let the pork hang out covered in all the spices for a day).
Also, I can’t say enough about smoked paprika and the need for it to be in your pantry. This grilled pork depends on it to achieve ultimate greatness.
And I have a few other recipes that use it, too, so I promise it won’t be lonely languishing its life away in the depths of the spice cabinet.
I don’t necessarily have a brand preference – I’ve grabbed it everywhere from my small town grocery store to Penzey’s (online).
For grilling newbies (or those that are intimidated by it), pork tenderloin is a fabulous choice, because it is really hard to mess up! It is tender, juicy, and simple to cook on the grill.
Along those lines, I can’t stress enough how an {inexpensive} instant-read thermometer will change your meat-cooking game.
It takes the guesswork out of: “when the heck will I know if the meat is done cooking?” and will help you grill the most glorious, juicy meat you’ve always dreamed of.
Basically, you’ll feel like a grilling rock star. Don’t blame me if you lose friends because you can’t stop bragging about your mad grilling skillz.
I get asked all the time about my grill. What brand/type do I have? And do I love it?
I’ve waxed poetic about it before, but I have a CampChef pellet grill + smoker, and it’s amazing. Straight up amazing.
I’ve used it multiple times a week (no exaggeration) for several years, and our grilling lives have changed for the better now that it is part of the family.
I was always a little scared of grilling and considered it a man’s job (cringe – I’m embarrassed to even admit that).
But this grill has been instrumental in taking all the guesswork out of grilling.
I’m quite shocked, still, how good the food tastes coming off of this thing. And Brian hasn’t touched it in months.
So take that, lame grilling stereotypes.
I haven’t gotten all crazy into smoking meats (except for a turkey every once in a while, and I did smoke a brisket a couple years ago and realized I have a lot to learn in that department), but for plain ol’ grilling, I usually set the grill to 375 degrees F and cook away.
It’s so easy.
I also fully recognize I sound like an infomercial, but it’s just because I genuinely love this thing.
I haven’t owned any of the other popular brands on the market (and CampChef isn’t paying me to spread the love today), but I can easily say I’d be lost without my pellet grill/smoker.
Now get to work planning that cookout/BBQ menu (and don’t forget about this fabulous grilled pork tenderloin!).
One Year Ago: Strawberry Cream Puff Cake
Two Years Ago: German Potato Salad
Three Years Ago: Baked Cheesy Zucchini Bites
Four Years Ago: Orzo Salad with Tomatoes, Basil and Feta
Five Years Ago: Homemade Chocolate Syrup for Chocolate Milk
Smoky Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins, 3-5 pounds total, trimmed of excess fat or silver skin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup (53 g) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, lime juice, brown sugar, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. The mixture will be thick and pasty.
- Rub the mixture over the pork and place the meat in a shallow dish. You can grill right away, but for more flavor, cover the dish and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
- Preheat an outdoor grill (see note for alternate cooking methods) to medium-high heat (I use 375 degrees F on my pellet grill).
- Grill the pork tenderloin for 10 minutes, flip and continue to cook until an internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat registers 145 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the pork from the grill and tent with aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
This smoky grilled pork tenderloin looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try out your seasoning blend and cooking tips. Thanks for sharing such a mouthwatering recipe!
Felt like a rockstar tonight whipping this out! So so good. We all loved it. I served it with green beans, roasted sweet potatoes, pineapple, and your divine 1-hour breadsticks. A big winner!
That is basically the perfect meal, Rikki! YUM!
We made this for the first time tonight and our whole family LOVED it. We just got a pellet grill, and your instructions were perfect for our very first time using it. It turned out perfectly and we’ll be making again soon!
This recipe is delicious! Will be going into the rotation. I didn’t have lime so used lemon and it was still great. Looking forward to seeing the difference with lime!
How this recipe doesn’t get more love, I’ll never know. We make this easily once a month year round. Mine always looks a little darker than yours (marinade coloring – not burnt lol though that’s happened too). The flavors are delicious, pair with everything and it’s SO easy to mix up. My 5 and 3 yo love it too! We use leftovers for sandwiches which we all love too. I almost never remember to marinade ahead and still love the flavors. Thanks for another winner, Mel!!
Mel, I grilled this for our 4th of July meal today. It was fabulous, except I accidentally left out the sugar. I didn’t realize that until I was writing down the recipe so it will fit in my nifty card file. I didn’t add the sugar back in — just so you know. Thanks for making my holiday delicious!
I made this last night. Super easy and delicious! It only sat in the rub for about 30 minutes. I can’t wait to try it longer next time.
I made this for dinner and it’s the first time I’ve ever grilled! I used my mom’s pellet grill and followed your instructions exactly and it turned out great! Thank you for helping me get over my intimidation about grilling!
I don’t have a grill at this point in my life (one day i hope!) but was wanting to make this in the oven for Christmas. Do you know if it would it be better to roast it on a convection setting or just the regular oven setting? And if you think convection is better, would i have to adjust the cook time or temperature? I tried googling some info but didn’t really get any straigtforward answers and hoped maybe you had some insight? Thanks!
I would probably roast it on regular oven setting.
Thank you for your reply! The pork came out beautifully from the oven and was really tasty
I have made this twice now and it is so easy and flavorful and I appreciate that it uses such simple ingredients. I didn’t have lime and subbed lemon and even some zest and it worked great! I only marinated it for about three hours but still got plenty of flavor! Thanks!!
My sister is obsessed with this recipe so we finally tried it today. It was great and the kids ate it!! Looking forward to making it again!
Mel, on your pork Tenderloin when you say grill at 375 are you on open flame? My pit boss has both, I’m cooking 4 of them tommorow s I’ll double your recipe
Hi Ross, sorry for the delay in responding…I am not on an open flame. I usually use my pellet grill/smoker.
So simple and so delicious. Every recipe! You certainly have a talent. Thanks for keeping us well fed .
I have made this meal repeatedly. Definitely one of my favorites.
Hi Mel I’m a big fan of your site. Always my first place to go when I’m looking for something new… I am going to be cooking for someone Who gets sick from pork! Having trouble imagining my life without pork but I am looking for options. Do you think this recipe would work ok if I sub turkey tenderloin? I didn’t see many recipes on your site for turkey tenderloin. Maybe I didn’t search correctly?
I don’t think I have any recipes for turkey tenderloin, actually, but I think this recipe would work great for that!
This looks AMAZING! I cant wait to try it on the pellet grill! Great article!
Oh my goodness! This was so simple but amazing! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks for the review, Leanne!
Hi Mel. I finally made this pork tenderloin last night and it was fabulous! So easy, tasty and juicy. Thanks so much for this recipe!
In case any of your readers want to try it other than on the grill or in the oven, we cooked two tenderloins on the stove in our big Calphalon sauté pan (12 inch “jumbo fryer”). They came out great. It took about 20 minutes on medium heat, turning them occasionally, to reach an internal temp of 145.
I just love cooking with smoked paprika. One of my favorite ways to make roasted potatoes is to toss cubed red potatoes with olive oil, smoked paprika, a little fresh minced garlic, salt and pepper. They’re so delicious.
Thanks for the feedback, Samantha! I agree, smoked paprika is amazing. Those potatoes sound delicious!
Excellent Mel! So juicy and flavorful.
I made this tonight and my husband asked me if I could make it weekly…and he is hard to please. Amazing recipe! Huge hit at our house. Thank you!,❤️❤️
Hooray! That’s awesome!
I have a Traeger smoker and instead of grilling this on 375, I smoked it at 250 for an hour or so (until it reached 145). It was delicious and had a great smoke flavor (both from the paprika and from the smoker!) I served it with smoked mac and cheese – which was just OK – I need to experiment with that one a bit more – but the pork was fantastic!
Nice! Great idea on smoking it low and slow!
Can I use lemon juice instead of lime ?
Thank you
Sure, I think so.
Hi Mel- I already had a pork loin in the fridge, instead of a tenderloin, so I rubbed the mixture on it the night before and then stuck it in the crockpot on low for 7 hours the next morning. It was soo good! I definitely want to try it again with a tenderloin on the grill. We’ve had a Green Mountain Grill pellet grill for a few years and absolutely love it. Thanks for another great recipe!
What a great idea!
We have made this twice and loved it!!! Thanks for another great recipe!
So happy to hear that, Irene! Thanks for the comment!
I made this the other night, and it was a huge hit! The smoke paprika gave it such a wonderful flavor. I loved it so much that I’m making it again this weekend! Thanks so much for sharing all of these lovely recipes!!
Thanks, Karen!
I just made this marinafe but used thick cut boneless chops instead, stuffed some smoked gouda inside then grilled. Heaven!
It happens to be my husbands birthday this Saturday. His friend had just told him about this smoker and then I saw you raving about it on your site. His friend found his at walmart but I believe it is the more simple version. Is there a reason you went with the Woodwind model? Thanks!
I had to laugh because I had just told my husband why cook inside if we can cook outside. And then next day your insta post said something similar. It seems like this smoker/grill gives even more opportunities for that. We have had grilled peaches and cream several times and grilled pound cake with strawberries and cream and grilled donuts. I highly recommend ALL of them!!!
Oh my gosh, those desserts sound amazing!! I think the simple versions work just as well – I have the sear box on the Woodwind, which I love, and it’s one of the largest models, so I can fit a lot on the grill.
Made this for dinner yesterday, and it was a hit! First time cooking with smoky paprika, but certainly not the last. I marinated overnight, meat was so tender and juicy.
Yay! So happy to hear this, Diane!
Hi mel! Long time fan here! My husband always thanks your blog for my new found ability to cook 😉 My Daughter just made a back to school snack video for her Youtube channel. She uses all your recipies and gives your blog credit and a shoutout. As we were editing her video we realized pics were needed. We already ate all the food though! Would it be ok if we used your pics?
Thanks for all you do! Also I just read that Ghana update. You continue to inspire!
Sure, I don’t mind if she uses the pictures (thanks for asking!). She’s amazing!
This tenderloin looks amazing! Definitely putting this on the shopping list for tomorrow morning!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a HUGE hit! My husband and kids raved about it and my 5 year old girl asked for seconds, which has maybe never happened before. She’s not terribly picky, but usually she only asks for more of fruit and bread, never meat!
Haha, isn’t that awesome when kids who aren’t big eaters ask for seconds and you almost want to fall over and then decide to make that meal for the rest of forever!
I love the Smoked Paprika at Trader Joe’s and it’s only $2! I buy five at a time!
Ooooh, so good to know!
I want to give an AMEN to the smoked paprika … due to other recipes here I joined the bandwagon on that and have never looked back !! I love me some smoked paprika !! I have had major envy of your camp chef pellet grill for some time now….. it’s still not in the budget, but it is high on my list of things I really want ….to make my cooking life better. I am, unfortunately, still in the stereotype life where I think grilling is a “man’s Job” and usually still leave it to my hubby….. I just do the prep work. And I love to eat grilled food and I love the plethora of grilled recipes here AND I LOVE pork tenderloin!! So this will be on the menu soon and I will continue to dream about the day when I can get my hands on a Camp Chef Pellet Grill!!
What do you think you’ll make for sides with this? Looking for inspiration. 🙂
My favorite sides for grilled pork (and other grilled meats) are roasted potatoes, biscuits or cheesy biscuits, and a green veggie!
My old meat thermometer broke and I came right to your favorite things page for a recommendation on a new one. I bought it last week, have used it 3 times already and am so thankful to have a dependable thermometer again! Thank you for a great (and inexpensive) recommendation!!
That makes me happy. Thanks, Jessica!