You will love this balsamic marinated pork tenderloin on the grill or roasted in the oven. It is always tasty and tender. You can have something special. Just follow these easy step-by-step photo instructions.
Introduction
I love pork tenderloin. It is a great size for a smaller household. It is always moist and tender; you almost have to work hard not to get it right.
I frequently use it for other pork recipes like carnitas, chili, or even shredded pork sandwiches. It is always tender and most.
Inspired by a Food.com recipe and converted to grill from oven. But it can be done either way,
My Rating
A nice tenderloin. More special if you're really into balsamic.
🐖Pork Tenderloin
The tenderloin refers to the psoas muscle along the lower back. It is chicken tenders in the chicken or beef tenderloin (filet mignon) in cattle. The psoas is generally the most tender cut since it is not used for movement.
A Pork Loin is NOT a pork tenderloin!!!!
Over the years on this blog, many commenters seem to get pork loin and tenderloin confused. It is obvious when they have a “4-pound pork tenderloin”. No, they do not.
Balsamic Vinegar
For years I was not a fan of balsamic. It turns out to be a quality thing. I always have local market versions. Not good, not good at all.
Now I get nicely aged balsamic at a local store specialty store. Support your local retailers, please.
♨️Grilling
There are three keys to grilling this correctly.
- Realize that pork tenderloins are triangular in shape, so a "flip" on the grill is really a one-third rotation.
- Grill surface temperature must be in the right range of 400°-450°. You need a grill surface thermometer. Never trust a hood thermometer. See A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill for a detailed discussion.
- Cook to the correct final internal temperature. Usually about 145° for most people.
♨️Oven Instructions
Even though this is a grilling recipe, it can be easily done in the oven after a short searing on the stovetop. Here are my standard pan-sear oven-roasted instructions, which are almost identical to the model recipe.
When ready to cook after the marinade (do not rinse or pat dry.)
- Preheat your oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional oven.
- Over medium-high heat, add 2 teaspoons of oil to an oven-safe pan. When hot, sear all sides of the tenderloin for about 2-3 minutes each to get a nice color. Remember, it has three sides.
- Move to the preheated oven and cook until an internal temperature of 140-150. It will take 15-20 minutes.
📖Savory Pork Tenderloin Recipes
How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin on a Gas Grill - A complete tutorial.
Grilled Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Medallions
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Start with a nice pork tenderloin. The quality of balsamic vinegar is very important.
Trim the tenderloin of trim-able fat and the silver skin
To a 1-gallon zip lock bag, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon of good balsamic vinegar, two cloves garlic - crushed, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the tenderloin and refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Overnight is OK.
Preheat grill to medium to medium-high (surface temperature of 400° to 450°). Move tenderloin from the bag to a well cleaned and oiled grill. Do not rinse.
Pork tenderloin is three-sided. Grill about 4-5 minutes per side, then continues to rotate every 3-4 minutes until an internal temperature of about 145°. About 25 minutes total grill time but may vary some due to the exact grill temperature and size of the tenderloin. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
📖Recipe
Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound pork tenderloin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Start with a nice pork tenderloin and the quality of the balsamic vinegar is extraordinarily important.
- Trim the pork tenderloin of trim-able fat and the silver skin.
- To a 1-gallon zip lock bag, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon of good balsamic vinegar, two cloves garlic - crushed, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the tenderloin and refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Overnight is OK.
- Oven instructions are in the recipe notes below.
- Preheat grill to medium to medium-high (surface temperature of 400° to 450°). Move tenderloin from the bag to a well cleaned and oiled grill. Do not rinse.
- Pork tenderloin is three-sided. Grill about 4-5 minutes per side then continues to rotate every 3-4 minutes until an internal temperature of about 145°. About 25 minutes total grill time but may vary some due to the exact grill temperature and size of the tenderloin. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- The quality of the balsamic vinegar makes this recipe. DO NOT use the cheap stuff.
- Be sure you are using pork tenderloin and not pork loin.
- Remember it is triangular meat not round. So a flip is ⅓ of a rotation.
- A final internal temperature of 140-150 is nicely done.
Oven Instructions
Even though this is a grilling recipe, it can be easily done in the oven after a short searing on the stovetop. When ready to cook after the marinade:- Preheat your oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional oven.
- Over medium-high heat, add 2 teaspoons of oil to an oven-safe pan. When hot, sear all sides of the tenderloin for about 2-3 minutes each to get a nice color. Remember, it has three sides.
- Move to the preheated oven and cook until an internal temperature of 140-150. It will take 15-20 minutes.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published July 13, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Deborah L
Dr. Dan, I have a pork tenderloin marinating for oven cooking. When you mention using an oven safe pan, then add two teaspoons - of what? teaspoons of marinade or teaspoons of more olive oil. Thanks. Deborah L.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
That is two teaspoons of oil in the pan, then sear all sides, then bake.
A case of my brain running ahead of my fingers and a proofreading failure.
Thanks for asking... Fixed
Dan
Edie Benson Address Line 1
What brand of balsamic vinegar do you recommend to use in this Balsamic Pork Tenderloin (grilled)? Since I live in a small Georgia town (few grocery stores!) I thought that I would look on Amazon for the vinegar.
Thank you very much for all you do for us followers!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Edie,
Welcome to the blog.
I find the only way to pick out a good balsamic is a taste test. If you like it on a salad, you will like it here. That limits your choices unless you have a brand you like. Around me, small town Michigan, there are still the occasional speciality stores for oil and vinegar. I buy both of those things in that sort of stores. I have never liked any I found at the local chain grocery store.
Would I buy from Amazon... no unless I knew what I was getting.
Dan
Francesca
Can this be cooked in the oven? If so, how long and what temperature?
DrDan
Hi Francesca,
Welcome to the blog.
Sorry for the delayed response. I though I responded yesterday. There is a link near the top of the post to the original recipe that is oven based but you could as follow the cooking instructions in https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/pan-seared-oven-roasted-pork-tenderloin/
Hope that helps.
Dan
Jeanette
Super easy and grate taste!!!
DrDan
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Chris
Love this one, so simple yet perfectly flavored. Can't wait to try it on the next pork tenderloin that I do.