Grilled Pork Tenderloin

At a glance

What stands out: Not only is grilled pork tenderloin juicy, flavorful, and reliable for entertaining, it’s also straightforward enough for a weeknight meal! A sweet-and-savory marinade and a few simple tricks guarantee it always turns out tender.

How long it takes: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: grill, zip-top bag or shallow dish, small bowl or liquid measuring cup
Servings: 4

This One Is in Our Summer Rotation

As much as we love grilled burgers or brats, sometimes we want to break out of that routine. Grilled tenderloin feels like something special. (Grilled pork kebobs are another favorite of ours!) This is one of those recipes we come back to every summer.

If pork tenderloin is on sale, make sure to pick some up and give this recipe a try!

What makes ours special:

• Incredibly juicy and tender: The secret’s in the marinade and letting the tenderloin come to room temperature so it cooks evenly and quickly on the grill.
• Pantry marinade with a big payoff: A handful of pantry staples come together to create layers of savory, tangy, and sweet flavor.
• Straightforward to scale: The marinade can be doubled if you’re cooking for a crowd and want to grill two tenderloins at once.

What goes in

There are two components to this recipe: the pork tenderloin itself and the marinade. Here’s a speedy overview:

• Pork tenderloin: Look for a tenderloin weighing about 1 to 1¼ pounds, which will serve 3 to 4 people. Make sure the tenderloin is not seasoned or marinated already; it should be a plain tenderloin. Sometimes tenderloins come in packages of two; you can easily double the marinade ingredients and grill both tenderloins at the same time.
• Marinade: Olive oil helps keep this lean cut moist, while soy sauce, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and coarse black pepper bring ALL the flavor.

How it comes together

Make the marinade. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.

Marinate. Place the pork tenderloin in a zip-top bag or a shallow dish. We prefer a bag for this recipe to ensure that the marinade completely covers the pork tenderloin. Add the marinade to the bag, and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator. (If you use a zip-top bag, we still recommend setting it in a dish to catch any leaks. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you’ll be glad you did!)

Recipe Tip

Don’t over-marinate. More isn’t better when it comes to marinating time! After 8 hours, the proteins in the meat will begin to break down and affect its texture, making it mushy.

Prepare for grilling. Take the pork tenderloin out of the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking to let it come to room temperature. Preheat your grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil the grill grates.

Grill. Remove the pork from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and discard the marinade. Grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so, until the outside of the tenderloin has nice grill marks, is evenly charred, and reaches an internal temperature of 140 to 145ºF.

Rest. Transfer the grilled pork tenderloin to a plate and tent it with foil. Let the pork rest for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the juices to reincorporate. Slice it into approximately one-inch slices, and serve.

What to Serve With Grilled Pork Tenderloin

• Grilled sides. Since you have the grill fired up anyway, make grilled Brussels sprouts or grilled zucchini. They’re speedy and straightforward. Grilled vegetable salad or grilled peach salad with burrata are a little more complicated but tasty and totally worth the effort.
• Salad. We love cold deli-style salads that we can prep in advance when we're grilling. Try this dill potato salad, it’s one of our favorites. A simple cucumber tomato salad would go well with the pork, or try our classic pea salad or carrot salad recipes.
• Potatoes. These Parmesan potatoes are a side that goes with almost anything. If you’re a fan of baked potatoes but don’t want to turn your oven on, try air fryer baked potatoes. Straightforward and rich!

Leftover Love

Leftover slices of grilled pork tenderloin make fantastic sandwiches! You can warm the pork first or serve it cold.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Store leftover pork tenderloin in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. With such a lean cut, we'd steer clear of freezing leftovers, as it’s likely to be dry upon reheating.

Reheat: Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat or in the microwave to avoid drying it out.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 to 1¼ pounds)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Method

1. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, Dijon, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
2. Place pork tenderloins in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the pork and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
3. For best results, remove pork from the refrigerator about 15 to 30 minutes before grilling (see note).
4. Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium-high heat (about 400 to 450°F). Clean and oil the grates.
5. Remove pork from the marinade and let excess drip off (discard the marinade). Grill the pork for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely charred on all sides and the internal temperature reaches 140 to 145°F.
6. Transfer the grilled pork to a clean plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. The internal temperature will continue to rise slightly.
7. Using a sharp serrated knife or carving knife, slice the tenderloin into 1-inch slices, and serve.

Notes

Pork: Be sure to buy pork tenderloins that are unseasoned and not already marinated. If the tenderloins are slightly smaller or larger, simply adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Pro tip: Removing the pork from the refrigerator ahead of time allows it to warm up slightly which helps it cook more evenly. If the pork is ice cold all the way through, the outside will get done before the inside does. If the room temperature is warm, we'd lean more toward 15 minutes. You can preheat the grill in the meantime.

Yield: A 1 ¼ pound pork tenderloin will yield four 5-ounce servings, 3 to 4 slices each, depending on how thick the slices are. The nutrition information below is calculated for 1 ¼ pounds. Keep in mind that the information is slightly skewed because most of the marinade is discarded and not eaten.

Double the recipe: Often two pork tenderloins are packaged together. If you’d like to grill both of them at the same time, the marinade recipe can easily be doubled.

Variations: The marinade is pretty versatile and can be used for pork chops, steak, or chicken.