Grilled Pork Tenderloin is tender, juicy and delicious with a garlic lemon dijon marinade, with just 4 easy steps from marinade to the plate.
If you’re loving the grill, next time you may want to try our Super Easy Grilled Chicken, or Brown Sugar Grilled Pineapple with some Easy Fruit Salad for the perfect summer side.
Or, if you’re looking for a classic, check out our Brown Sugar Garlic Oven Baked Pork Chops which are fan favorites!
Grilling pork tenderloin is easy and delicious, and probably a lot easier than you would imagine. Tenderloin is a great main course for feeding a hungry family and, once you’ve prepped the meat for grilling, it is a quick weeknight dinner. Even if this is your first time trying out pork recipes, you’ll be amazed at how simple it is to grill pork tenderloin.
Like most marinades, this one requires some time. Mix together kosher salt, vegetable oil, honey, mustard, minced garlic and black pepper and set them into a plastic bag with the pork, and then kick up your feet and ignore the tenderloin for at least four hours.
Once it has sat for a while, take the tenderloin and grill it up. The cook time will change depending on how thick the cut of meat is, so keep checking the temperature of the tenderloin to make sure it cooks through.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin is a great summer grilling recipe, best served up with Southern Baked Beans, Easy Cole Slaw, Baked Mac and Cheese and even better topped with Southern Fried Apples.
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Frequently Asked Questions
A lot, actually. Loin and tenderloin come from different sections of the pork, and while tenderloin is long and thin, loin is wide enough to be cut down into smaller pieces.
Loin and tenderloin cook at different temperatures, have different cook times and are better suited to different recipes. A good example of a pork loin recipe is our Ultimate Garlic Pork Loin Roast or our Lemon Salt Roasted Pork Loin.
Pork tenderloin is surprisingly versatile, and can be made into everything from sandwiches to Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions.
The safe internal temperature of pork tenderloin should be between 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) and 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) (according to pork.org).
It is important to use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin to be sure that the meat is safe before serving it.
A little pink in the very center is okay (pork differs from chicken this way, pink does not necessarily mean pork is undercooked but it always means chicken is), but always make sure that the pork is up to the correct temperature.
If you are worried about the inside of the tenderloin cooking evenly, you can always tent it in aluminum foil for a little while. This will help make sure that the internal temperature catches up to the outside temperature.
How to Store Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Serve: Do not leave Pork Tenderloin at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Grilled pork tenderloin will keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Wrapped in plastic, Grilled Pork Tenderloin will freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
Ingredients
- 1 whole pork tenderloin , (2-3 pounds)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 lemon , juiced
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Place the pork along with the rest of the ingredients into a large ziplock bag together and marinade for at least 4 hours.
- Prepare the grill for indirect heat and remove the pork from the ziplock and place onto an oiled grill.
- Grill for 20 to 25 minutes until the middle of the tenderloin is at 145 degrees (using a thermometer)
- Add the marinade to a small saucepan, bring to a boil and use as sauce when pork is done cooking.
Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Always my go-to recipe for grilled pork tenderloin. It’s a family favorite. Thanks for creating this recipe!
You’re welcome Kurt and thanks for the 5 star review!
Can this recipe be cooked in oven if so what temperature and for how long.
You might want to try our Ultimate Garlic Pork Loin roast recipe!
https://dinnerthendessert.com/ultimate-garlic-pork-loin-roast/
We just made this pork tenderloin and it was the BEST! So much flavor and my family loved it. We will make it again for Easter dinner and probably every holiday after that.
This turned out absolutely amazing! So full of flavor and so juicy. They have these on sale at the store now so I’m going to stock up and make this recipe again and again!
We have no leftovers with this tender and mouthwatering grilled pork tenderloin. Kids loved it! We’ll surely have this on repeat!
Fantastic!! This will be my go-to for pork tenderloin. Thanks for the recipe!
Great marinade!! I think my pork was in the marinade for 6-7 hours and it was so juicy! will be making again for sure!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Lindsay. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
What can I used instead of soya souce
You can use balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce as a substitute. Enjoy!
This has been a family favorite for quite some time now. The marinade makes the pork so tender and juicy!!!! The sauce is the perfect topping! We use this marinade at least 1 time a month!
This is the only marinade I use for grilling pork loin. No other comes close. Thank you very for the recipe.
Thank you so much, Kurt!
Made it and everyone loved it. I let mine marinade for about 6 hours. Came out tender and juicy.
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much everyone enjoyed it, Mary. I appreciate the 5 star rating.
What could I substitute for the honey? Forgot to grab that ingredient.
Light corn syrup would be the best flavor match but in a pinch, you could also use maple syrup or molasses.
Great idea. Thank you.
This was delicious, tender and so juicy. I added a couple tablespoons of good balsamic in the marinade and let it marinade all day in refrigerator. My hubby – the grill master smoked on the Traeger for an hour. Then he turned up to 300 and grilled for about 45 min until internal temp of 145. I saved the marinade and heated up to serve over the meat. Super yummy and we’ll do again!!
You’re making me hungry, haha! Thanks for the 5 stars, Terri.
Made this over the weekend. Was fantastic. I marinaded it overnight and it added a lot of flavor. I did it on my charcoal Weber using indirect heat except, first I seared it over the coals then cooked it to 145*.
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
What is a good target temperature for the grill?
I usually set mine a little bit higher than medium on my gas grill. I believe that’s around 450-500 degrees surface temperature. Hope this helps!
So tender and juicy.
Thank you!
I bet that marinade adds so much flavor! It sounds delicious! I will give it a try!
It’s so good! Enjoy!
This looks so yummy! Thanks for the extra tips on how to make sure the pork is cooked completely!
You’re welcome, Krissy.
Sabrina, I was wondering since your tenderloin is pictured on a grill pan, is it your suggestion that it should not be grilled directly on the rack with indirect heat or is that a photo from a stovetop searing and oven finish preparation? And, by the way, I feel as if I’m asking my sister a question because her name is Sabrina also ??.
The grill pan is an alternative for those who do not have a grill. Both methods work beautifully.
Thanks for the response. I was curious because of wanting to try both methods, stovetop as well as the grill. Good to know that both work well! And sorry about the question marks following my comment about the name you share with my sister…..my smiley face emojis converted after I posted.
Of course! and no worries, I knew what you meant!
Turns out so tender and juicy
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Wow! This is everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Can’t wait to serve this to my family; they will be so impressed!
Enjoy!
I sent this recipe to my cooking-challenged daughter who has no grill. I told her to follow the recipe, except to place the pork loin on a bed of onions in a baking pan, and cook at 325F until done.
And I plan to make this myself, on the grill, soon.
I happened upon this site last week and after perusing it, signed up for the newsletter. All your recipes look tasty, sensible and well thought out, and fairly easy to prepare.
Thanks for the great site, Sabrina.
I also recommended to daughter to sign up.
Thank you so much, Edwin. I’m so glad you found the site too and I appreciate you sharing it with your daughter.
I made this dish last night, I cooked two tenderloins, and the marinade is wonderful and it reduces to a great sauce.
Thanks again for a great recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Edwin! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Hi Sabrina, I’m looking forward to trying your recipe!
I think you forgot to include the measurement for honey in the marinade ingredients. Thanks!!
Thanks so much for catching that. You’ll want to use 2 tablespoons in this recipe. I’ve edited the recipe card to include it now. 🙂
You have so many wonderful recipes for pork loin in the oven or tenderloin on the grill. Do you have any recommendations for cooking pork tenderloin in the oven? Thanks!
Thank you so much! Here’s one you might enjoy.
https://dinnerthendessert.com/honey-apple-pork-with-potatoes-one-pan/