Learn how to grill perfectly cooked and juicy Pork Tenderloin coated in homemade BBQ sauce. This is an easy recipe that takes less than an hour to make. It’s so flavorful with the smoky sweet sauce and pairs with lots of different side dishes for a delicious dinner.
If you’re tired of boring pork chops, I think you will really like this pork tenderloin recipe I’m sharing today. It’s a lean cut of pork that is very tender and perfect for grilling, which is my favorite way to cook it. Grilling it is usually faster than baking which means less time making dinner!
Although it’s delicious plain, adding my homemade BBQ sauce is a really easy way to add a ton of flavor without a lot of work. BBQ sauce doesn’t have to be complicated – my recipe is really simple and only takes a few minutes to make.
So, I’m sharing all of my tips for cooking juicy pork tenderloin on the grill. If you’ve never cooked one before you don’t need to worry – as long as you follow the instructions, it comes out perfectly cooked every time!
Ingredients You’ll Need for this Pork Tenderloin Recipe
- Pork tenderloin
- Ketchup
- Brown sugar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Smoked paprika
- Adobo sauce
The sauce is a combination of sweet, salty, smoky, and spice from the adobo. If you’ve never used it, you can find it in the Hispanic foods section at the grocery store – usually near the other canned peppers. You will actually buy chipotle peppers in adobo, but for this recipe I only use the sauce.
How to Make the BBQ Sauce
I like to make the sauce first so it’s ready to go when it’s time to grill the pork.
All you do is combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a pan and simmer it for a few minutes. Then, just remove it from the heat and let it cool.
Tip: You can make the BBQ sauce several days in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. Sometimes I make a big batch because you can use it for other dishes that call for BBQ sauce.
How to Grill Pork Tenderloin
- Marinate: You will use part of the BBQ sauce to marinate the pork. Coat it evenly and then refrigerate the tenderloin for four hours. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you want to grill it. Let it sit out at room temperature – this will ensure it will cook evenly.
- Heat the Grill: Turn all of the burners on to high heat. Once they are heated, oil the grates and then turn off heat on one side of the grill. The other side should still be on high heat. This will create indirect and direct heat cooking spaces.
- Sear the Pork: Place the tenderloin on the side of the grill with the direct heat. Close the lid and then periodically turn the pork to sear it on all sides. Brush it with more sauce as it cooks.
- Finish Cooking It: Once it’s charred on all sides, move it over to the indirect heat (the side with the burners turned off). Close the lid and cook it until the internal temperature is 145°F.
- Rest and Serve: Let the pork tenderloin rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve it with the rest of the BBQ sauce.
Tip: Once you’ve move it to the indirect heat it should only take 7 to 10 minutes for it to cook. The best (and safest!) way to know it’s done is to stick a thermometer in the thickest part. Pork is safe to eat at 145°F.
Side Dish Ideas
Now that you know how to cook pork tenderloin the only question is – what to serve it with? There are a lot of options! It’s a great main dish because you can pair it with your favorite vegetables, salads or other side dishes. Here are some of our favorites:
- Air Fryer Potatoes
- Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
- Brown Butter Smashed Potatoes
- Fall Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
- Apple Walnut Salad
I think you will love this easy grilled pork tenderloin! It’s a nice change from regular pork chops and just as easy to make. I hope you give it a try!
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Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Ingredients
- Pork Tenderloin
Sauce
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce only, not the peppers
Instructions
Barbeque sauce:
- Mix ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, smoked paprika and adobo sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat. Set aside and let cool until you are ready to barbeque the port tenderloin.
Pork Tenderloin:
- Separate the sauce into 3 containers. ¼ in two containers and one half in the other. Using a quarter of the barbeque sauce brush the port tenderloin on all sides. Let it marinate for at least 4 hours.
- Let the pork loin sit out for about 30 minutes to bring it to room temperature
- Turn all burners on grill to high temperature. Oil the grates. Once the grill is preheated turn off the burners on one side of the grill but leave the other side at high temperature.
- Place pork tenderloin on the hot side of the grill. Cover the grill and turn occasionally until all sides. Brush on the ½ the remaining sauce while turning the pork.
- After the pork is charred on all sides move it to the side of the grill where the burners are off. Cook covered until the meat reaches 145° on a meat thermometer. Put the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. 7-10 minutes or until it reaches the correct temperature.
- Let rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve with the remaining sauce.
Nutrition
This Pork Tenderloin is so flavorful with the smoky sweet sauce and pairs with lots of different side dishes for a delicious dinner. We show you how to grill it to perfection.
Mel is an IT guy turned blogger and is discovering his love of cooking and photography. If you ever have Fantasy Football questions, he's your guy.
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