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    🏠Home » Recipes » Pork Tenderloin Recipes

    Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

    Jul 13, 2013 · Modified: Jul 29, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 9 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    3.78 from 22 votes

    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.

    cut pork tenderloin on a white plate

    Jump To:
    • 🐖Pork Tenderloin
    • Balsamic Vinegar
    • ♨️Grilling
    • ♨️Oven Instructions
    • 📖Savory Pork Tenderloin Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    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

    My rating system of a 4 out of 5 so very nice.

    A nice tenderloin. More special if you're really into balsamic.

    🐖Pork Tenderloin

    loacation of pork tenderloin - Image licensed May 17, 2017, from Fotolia. Copyright by foxysgraphic - Fotolia. Image modified in accordance with the license.
    Image licensed from Fotolia. Copyright by foxysgraphic - Fotolia. Image modified in accordance with the license.

    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.

    1. Realize that pork tenderloins are triangular in shape, so a "flip" on the grill is really a one-third rotation.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.)

    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 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.

    Grill Recipes, Pork Recipes, Pork Tenderloin Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    raw pork tenderloin with other ingredients

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

    trimmed pork tenderloin on white board

    Trim the tenderloin of trim-able fat and the silver skin

    pork tenderloin in bag with marinade

    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.

    placing pork tenderloin on grill surface

    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.

    cooked pork tenderloin on white plate

    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.

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    📝Recipe

    Grilled Balsamic Pork Tenderloin on white plate

    Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    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.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    3.78 from 22 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Marinade: 1 hour
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4 servings

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Start with a nice pork tenderloin and the quality of the balsamic vinegar is extraordinarily important.
      raw pork tenderloin with other ingredients
    • Trim the pork tenderloin of trim-able fat and the silver skin.
      trimmed pork tenderloin on white board
    • 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.
      pork tenderloin in a balsamic marinade
    • 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.
      clean and oil grill crates
    • 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.
      Grilled Balsamic Pork Tenderloin on white plate
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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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 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:
    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 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

    Nutrition Facts
    Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 220 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Cholesterol 111mg37%
    Sodium 673mg28%
    Potassium 679mg19%
    Carbohydrates 1g0%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 36g72%
    Calcium 9mg1%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    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

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

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

    Molly and Lilly dogs supervising

    More Pork Tenderloin Recipes

    • Pork Tenderloin Carnitas
    • Oven Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches
    • How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin on a Gas Grill
    • Pan Seared Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin

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    1. Deborah L

      July 29, 2022 at 3:43 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        July 29, 2022 at 4:18 pm

        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

    2. Edie Benson Address Line 1

      January 05, 2022 at 3:27 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        January 05, 2022 at 4:35 pm

        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

    3. Francesca

      February 13, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      Can this be cooked in the oven? If so, how long and what temperature?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        February 14, 2019 at 10:11 am

        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

    4. Jeanette

      September 22, 2015 at 8:00 pm

      Super easy and grate taste!!!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        September 23, 2015 at 9:15 pm

        Thanks for the note.
        DrDan

    5. Chris

      July 22, 2013 at 3:16 pm

      Love this one, so simple yet perfectly flavored. Can't wait to try it on the next pork tenderloin that I do.

      Reply

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