Learn the secrets to juicy and tender grilled pork tenderloin with this super easy tutorial. A properly grilled pork tenderloin will make you look like the grill master. Just don't tell them how simple it is.
Introduction
We all know that pork is "the other white meat." What a great marketing phrase.
Pork tenderloin may be the perfect meat for grilling. It can be elegant or casual to fit almost any occasion. It’s cheap and healthy, plus its smaller size makes it near perfect for smaller households. But easy to double up for larger needs.
My Rating
Always a nice solid high-4 to mid-5. This is the basic technique and produces great results.
🐖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.
The tenderloin usually weighs about 1 to 1 ½ pounds. A very large one could push towards 2 pounds. PLEASE BE SURE YOU HAVE A TENDERLOIN AND NOT A LOIN.
♨️The Grill
Almost any gas grill will do. We want a grill surface temperature of 450° to a maximum of 500°. For me, I use a super-duper Weber that can get very hot, and that will be a small amount over 50%. It will be at about 75% on most gas grills, and an el-cheapo may be close to max.
Investment of $10 in a grill surface thermometer is always a good idea. DO NOT look at the thermometer on the hood of your grill; it is not even close.
For help on grill surface temperature, please see my A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
Charcoal should be fine. Just don't crank up the heat all the way and watch the temperature.
Of course, preheat, clean, and brush with vegetable oil.
🖊️ Tips
THE BIG SECRET
This is simple. It is not round, flat, nor even square. It is a triangle, so there are three sides. So, whether cooking on a grill or in a pan, cook three sides and don't force it into a shape that is not natural.
To brine or not
A brine is not really needed but will add more moisture and tenderness. But realize it is already very tender and moist. A good starting point is for every cup of water, add 1 tablespoon salt.
You can fancy up your brine, some with sugar or brown sugar. Use about the same amount of sugar as salt. You can add some garlic or other things for flavor. An hour or two is enough time.
Of course, refrigerate during the brining and rinse the tenderloin with running water, and pat dry at the end. DO NOT ADD ANY MORE SALT if you brine.
Dry rub and marinades
Tenderloin takes flavor very well, so dry rubs and marinades work great. Today I will just use some salt, pepper, and garlic (my 7:2:2 seasoning), but the tenderloin accepts flavors very well.
Basic BBQ version
Just brush with a light coat of BBQ sauce about 5 minutes before reaching your final temperature. Then a second coat when removed from the grill to rest.
📖 Related Recipes
The Best BBQ Pork Tenderloin - Memphis Style
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions
Grilled Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin
Oven Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches
Alton Browns Chipotle Lime Pork Tenderloin
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Editor's note: Some images from different grillings and may not match exactly They are provided to illustrate the instructions.
Trim the tenderloin of any excess fat and the silverskin.
This is the point to brine if you wish. Start with 4 cups of water with 4 tablespoons salt. Add 2-4 tablespoons sugar if you want. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. When done with the brine, remove from brine, rinse under running water, and pat dry. Salt and pepper or other seasoning at this point, but DO NOT ADD SALT if you brine.
Preheat grill to a surface temperature of 450° to 500°. Medium on my super-duper grill but medium-high on lesser grills. Clean and oil.
Place over direct heat—close lid. Rotate ⅓ every 5 minutes until done to your liking. About 25 minutes for 140°. About 30 minutes for 150° (my wife's favorite). Remember, do not cook by time alone. Use a thermometer. The time to get to your final temperature varies by weight and the exact surface temperature of the grill.
Remove from the grill a few degrees less than your desired final temperature. Tent lightly for 5 minutes before serving.
📖Full Recipe
How to Grill a Pork Tenderloin on a Gas Grill
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin - about 1 to 1 ½ pounds
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste - I use 7:2:2
Optional Brine
- 4 cups water
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Trim the tenderloin of any excess fat and the silverskin.
- This is the point to brine if you wish. Start with 4 cups of water with 4 tablespoons salt. Add 2-4 tablespoons sugar if you want. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. When done with the brine, remove from brine, rinse under running water, and pat dry. Salt and pepper or other seasoning at this point, but DO NOT ADD SALT if you brine.
- Brush the grill with oil. Preheat grill to a surface temperature of 450° to 500°. Medium on my super-duper grill but medium-high on lesser grills. Clean and oil.
- Place over direct heat. Close lid. Rotate ⅓ every 5 minutes until done to your liking. About 25 minutes for 140°. About 30 minutes for 150° (my wife's favorite). Remember, do not cook by time along. Use a thermometer. Time to get to your final temperature varies by weight of the tenderloin, exact surface temperature of the grill and the tenderloin at the start.
- Remove from grill a few degrees less than your desired final temperature. Tent lightly for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Remember it is triangular meat not round. So a flip is ⅓ of a rotation.
- Brine if you have time.
- Cook over medium grill.
- Season anyway you want but do not add more salt if you brined.
- Final internal temperature of 145°-150° is nicely done.
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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Publisher note: Originally Published May 21, 2017. I have re-used pictures from other posts. This is really a total rewrite of a guide I published the first year of the blog that was in great need of a re-write.
Don
Do you cook the Pork Tenderloin over Direct heat and the Indirect? Or over Direct heat the entire time at 450 ish?
Thanks
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Don,
Welcome to the blog.
Direct heat entirely in the 450°range. The grill surface temperature is the most important part in getting the correct internal temperature with nice color on the outside without burning.
You could sear than go indirect but that complicates the process needlessly.
Dan
chris
have used the recipe twice, both turned out great, thanks!
Peter
I make it based on time. Tenderloins don’t vary that much in size. Employ direct and indirect methods. Works with gas or charcoal(full chimney). Place over direct high heat. Rotating until a slight char all the way around. Move to the indirect side, close the lid and wait 18 minutes. Remove and rest for 5. Beautiful medium-well.
Lew Lowther
I tried your conversion to metric option. It converted cups-to-ml, but did nothing with pounds or tablespoons in the recipe, nor did it make any changes whatsoever in the Instructions, most notably temperature! Dunno if the recipe is any good. The half-baked attempt at making it accessible was enough to put me off.
TB
Just made on weber 1200 gas grill. I have never had better or more tender. i marinated overnight did not brine. (Used soy sauce, garlic, maple syrup, horse radish, olive oil) The PL we bought was cut in half length wise. I did 3 min. on larger sides (I was afraid 5 min would be too long), then propped them up against a rolled up piece of foil to do 2+ min on thin sides. placed foil under tapered end once it reached 130 degrees while larger end continued to come up to 130. Then tented off grill 5min. to rest. 140 degrees was perfect.
Mark
Great recipe easy to follow directions Taste fantastic
Lenny
You said:
"For me, I use a super-duper Weber that can get very hot, and that will be a small amount over 50%."
50% of what?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Lenny,
Welcome to the blog.
50% means only halfway on the knob. So 50% power to the burner.
Hope that helps. Please ask if you have other questions.
Dan
T. Charles
I make a cream sauce out of creamed corned to place on the bottom of the plate, then place grilled pork medallion on top. Sides of fresh colorful vegetables, bean, red pepper, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, taters, onions, etc.
Janet Mince
Excellent instructions and easy to follow! Used a pre-seasoned pork loin but wrapped in bacon just because I can. Lol. Turned out great and didn't overcook.
Ron
Dr. Dan
I used the thin copper grill mate on top of the grates to keep from getting direct flames. Grilled it until the tenderloin reached 145 and let it rest 10 minutes. Turned out awesome. You did a great job explaining all of the needed details. 👍 5
Todd
Can I wrap it in aluminum foil and grill it
DrDan
No, I would not with this recipe/instructions. You probably should look around for somebody that uses foil that way. I have not, so can't really discuss it. But this works great without foil.
Dan
Marc Guerin
I’m adding garlic salt and smoked paprika to my brine. Hopefully it will taste good when I cook it
Katie Perry
Dr. Dan, I hope you can advise me in regard to converting a pan-sear-then-roast pork tenderloin recipe to the grill. Ina Garten has a lovely "Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin" recipe on Food Network's site that I'm crazy about. In Arizona, turning the oven on in the summer is really bad for your electric bill. Can you foresee any particular deviations to your instruction given that I have two tenderloins (approximately 1.1 lbs) and they will be marinated in a lemon/olive oil/fresh garlic + herb mixture? I like my tenderloin on the pinker side, so the grilling aspect makes me nervous. I would appreciate any wisdom in this regard as I want to make it for my special someone as a welcome home.
DrDan
Hi Katie,
I see two choices for the grill.
First her recipe up to but not including the searing. At that point, my instructions after a brush of oil on the tenderloin. You need to keep the surface temperature 400-450. It should take about 20-25 minutes.
Option #2. Is to use a large grill pan or cast iron skillet. Preheat it on the grill and then sear and finish in the pan.
Both options require you know the surface temperature of the grill accurately. The biggest mistake people make is not knowing their grill temp. So a $10 grill surface thermometer from Home Depot or Amazon should be fine. I use a $200 plus one from Thermoworks. Also, a instant read meat thermometer.
Personally, I would do #1.
Also for important meals, I never, never, never use a new technique. A trial run is indicated here. You have variables of the grill surface temp, the movement of air in the grill, the wt and thickness of the tenderloin. Yep, a trial run first.
Hope that helps
Dan
Janice
I LOVE your commentary about Pork Tenderloin / Chicken Tenders & Filet Mignon!! Great info I've never heard anyone explain so clearly!!!
DrDan
Hi Janice,
I think I played too much "name that muscle" 40 yrs ago in med school. But some muscles like the psoas are more for positioning then strength or movement. The more the muscle is used, the tougher it becomes. I couldn't find a good diagram that I could legally use so I used one I had and drew in the tenderloin.
Thanks for the comment. I just finished cooking this again tonight and my wife gave another 5.
Dan