Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin

I love honey garlic glazed meats, like Honey Glazed Grilled Chicken Breasts or Glazed Ham Steak. This company-worthy honey glaze pork tenderloin fits the bill perfectly.

Use my simple three-ingredient honey glaze and the easy step-by-step photo instructions to grill or oven-bake delicious, tender, and juicy pork tenderloin that everybody will love.

Try some of my other pork tenderloin recipes. First, a personal favorite of mine and many others, try my Memphis Pork Tenderloin. For a change of pace, see Alton Browns Chipotle Lime Pork Tenderloin or Balsamic Pork Tenderloin. For a complete guide, see How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin on a Gas Grill.

👨‍🍳How to Grill Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin—Step-by-Step

1. Preheat the grill to a surface temperature of about 450°. Clean and oil well.

2. Mix honey, soy sauce, and garlic powder.

5. Place over direct heat on the grill. Grill for five minutes, rotate one-third, then brush the exposed sides with more honey mixture. Repeat this twice more. Then, continue to grill and rotate every 5 minutes until an internal temperature of 145° to 150°. A total cooking time of about 22-27 minutes. Be sure to cook to the final internal temperature and not by time.

6. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.

⏲️How long 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, but never cook by time; always cook to a final internal temperature.

Options and variations of the glaze

There are not many options outside of the glaze. You can choose only the cooking method and level of doneness, but the glaze will open up flavor options.

Add dijon mustard for a honey-dijon pork tenderloin. Use fresh garlic, covered in the FAQ section below. Add cloves, nutmeg, or all-spice for honey-baked ham flavors or cinnamon for a delicious honey-cinnamon glaze.

👨‍🍳How to oven-bake honey garlic pork tenderloin

1. Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
2. Prepare an oven-safe pan (grill pan with ridges preferred) with a coat of PAM cooking spray.
3. Prepare the tenderloin and the glaze in the same way as the grill instructions.
4. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, brushing with the glaze twice during baking—at about the 8 and 16-minute marks.
5. Remove when the tenderloin reaches your desired internal temperature, about 25 minutes. The temperature will rise a few degrees after removal.
6. Otherwise, oven-baked times will be similar to grill times. Smaller tenderloins may cook faster, and thick tenderloins will take longer to cook.

Note: I do not suggest the sear-and-bake method since the honey can burn. But if the color is not as dark as you wish when the tenderloin reaches the final temp, turn on the broiler for a few minutes.

How to serve

The sweet taste will go well with starch side dishes, like oven baked rice, Julia Child's French Bread, or convection oven French fries. Roasted or grilled vegetables will also be an excellent addition. I like to use Grilled Mixed Vegetables, Grilled Corn on the Cob, or Grilled Red Potatoes. Then add a dessert of Grilled Pineapple or Strawberry Pie.

If cooked in the oven, I like to add baked cauliflower or roasted Parmesan asparagus. Or try Oven Roasted Red Potatoes or Parmesan Baked Potatoes.

Should You Brine?

You can if you want, but tenderloin is not nearly as needly of brine as pork chops or pork loin.

If you decide to brine, I suggest 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons salt for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. When done, be sure to rinse well and pat dry. Also, be sure to use low-sodium soy sauce if you brine.

♨️The grill setup

The grill surface temperature needs to be about 450°. You can not cook this on high heat—it doesn't work well for thicker meat, and especially with the honey, you will burn the outside before the inside is cooked.

Please see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill for details about grill surface temperatures.

Can I use charcoal? Yep, but you need to create a cooler zone for the tenderloin. And remember you are cooking to a final internal temperature.

❓FAQs

🐖About Pork Tenderloin

The tenderloin refers to the psoas muscle along the lower back. The psoas is generally the most tender cut since it is not used for movement. The psoas is the chicken tenders in the chicken or beef tenderloin (filet mignon) in cattle.

I always think of a pork tenderloin as having three sides since they are almost triangular in shape. So a "flip" is just a third of a turn, not 180 degrees.

But please note that pork lion is different and must be cooked differently. Pork loins will weigh 5 pounds or so. Most pork tenderloins are about 1 ½ pounds. Please do not confuse the two.