Balsamic Marinade Pork Tenderloin

Balsamic Marinade Pork Tenderloin has the savory balsamic flavor you love from a simple marinade with tender and moist pork tenderloin on the grill or oven.

Pork tenderloin is always moist and tender—the perfect meat for a smaller household due to its size. Add the savory goodness of balsamic vinegar, and you have a classic dinner everybody will love.

This recipe will fit a healthy diet like a low-calorie or low-fat diet or even a low-carb keto diet.

Serve with Green Bean Almondine, Roasted Cauliflower, Parmesan Baked Potatoes, or Roasted Red Potatoes.

See my complete tutorial for more information on How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin on a Gas Grill. For other variations, see Chipotle Lime Pork Tenderloin, Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin, Memphis BBQ Pork Tenderloin, and Pork Tenderloin Medallions.

Inspired by a Food.com recipe and converted to grill from oven. But it can be done either way,

🐖Ingredients

• Pork tenderloin
• Balsamic Marinade—Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, crushed garlic, kosher salt, black pepper

👨‍🍳How to Grill Balsamic Marinaded Pork Tenderloin

1. Trim the pork tenderloin of trimmable fat and silver skin.
2. To a 1-gallon zip lock bag, add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, crushed garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper.
3. Add the tenderloin and refrigerate for 1 hour or more.
4. Remove the pork tenderloin (do not rinse) and grill over medium heat rotating every 5 minutes until 145°—about 25 minutes.
5. Oven instructions are in the recipe notes below.

⏲️How long does it take to grill pork tenderloin

The recommended medium rare internal temp of 145° will take about 25 minutes on a 450° grill surface.

• Rare(less than 145°)—Not recommended due to USDA safety recommendations
• Medium-Rare (145°-150°) will take about 22-27 minutes
• Medium (150°-155°) will take about 27-30 minutes
• Medium-Well(155°-160°) will take about 29+ minutes
• Well Done(160°+)—Not recommended due to dryness and texture.

Times are provided to help with planning only. Be sure to check the final internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer and allow for a few degrees of increase in the temperature when removed from heat.

♨️Grilling Tips

• Realize that pork tenderloins are triangular, so a "flip" on the grill is a one-third rotation.
• Grill surface temperature must be in the 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—145° minimum.

♨️How to Oven Bake Balsamic Marinade Pork Tenderloin

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 (do not rinse or pat dry.)

1. Preheat your oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional oven.
2. 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.
3. Move to the preheated oven and roast until an internal temperature of 145°—about 15-20 minutes.

🐖About 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 have confused pork loin and tenderloin. It is obvious when they have a “4-pound pork tenderloin”. No, they do not.

❓FAQs

Storage of leftovers

Leftover pork tenderloin can be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated for 4 days, and frozen for 3 months.

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.

Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Start with a nice pork tenderloin. The quality of balsamic vinegar is very important.

Trim the tenderloin of fat and the silver skin.

To a 1-gallon zip lock bag, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of good balsamic vinegar, 2 cloves of garlic - crushed, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Add the tenderloin and refrigerate for 1 hour is enough, but overnight is fine.

Preheat grill to medium (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 rotate every 3-4 minutes until an internal temperature of about 145°—about 25 minutes.

📖 Recipe

Balsamic Marinade Pork Tenderloin

From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

Balsamic Marinade Pork Tenderloin has the savory balsamic flavor you love from a simple marinade with tender and moist pork tenderloin on the grill or oven.

Tap to leave a Rating

3.78 from 22 votes

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Marinade: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings #/Adjust if desired 4 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ pound pork tenderloin

Balsamic Marinade Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 cloves crushed garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper

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Instructions

Photos ONOFF

• Start with a nice pork tenderloin. The quality of balsamic vinegar is very important.
  
• Trim the tenderloin of fat and the silver skin.
  
• To a 1-gallon zip lock bag, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of good balsamic vinegar, 2 cloves of garlic - crushed, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Add the tenderloin and refrigerate for 1 hour is enough, but overnight is fine.
  
• Preheat grill to medium (surface temperature of 400° to 450°). Move tenderloin from the bag to a well-cleaned ad oiled grill. Do not rinse.
  
• Pork tenderloin is three-sided. Grill about 4-5 minutes per side, then rotate every 3-4 minutes until an internal temperature of about 145°—about 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  
• Oven instructions are in the recipe notes below.

Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print. Otherwise step-by-step photos are in the post.

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Recipe Notes

Pro Tips:

1. The quality of the balsamic vinegar makes this recipe. DO NOT use the cheap stuff.
2. Be sure you are using pork tenderloin and not pork loin.
3. Remember, it is triangular meat, not round. So a flip is ⅓ of a rotation.
4. A final internal temperature of 145° is medium rare with a bit of pink. See the post for more options.

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:

1. Preheat your oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional oven.
2. 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.
3. Move to the preheated oven and cook until an internal temperature of 145. 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

Calories : 220 kcal (11%)Carbohydrates : 1 gProtein : 36 g (72%)Fat : 7 g (11%)Saturated Fat : 2 g (10%)Cholesterol : 111 mg (37%)Sodium : 673 mg (28%)Potassium : 679 mg (19%)Sugar : 1 g (1%)Calcium : 9 mg (1%)Iron : 2 mg (11%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Main Course

Cuisine : American

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Originally Published July 13, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.