Best Ever Healthy Grilled Pork Tenderloin
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I’m not lying when I say this is the easiest, Best, Healthiest Grilled Pork Tenderloin you’ll ever make. The 30-minute marinade consists of pantry staples and the grilling process ensures a moist, tasty, hearty pork tenderloin every time!
If you love easy and delicious grilling recipes, then you’ll also love my Best Healthy Grilled Chicken, these Grilled Lime Butter Salmon Skewers, or this recipe for Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
I like pork tenderloin and I cannot lie. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) What’s not to love though, really? In my opinion, it’s one of the easiest pieces of meat to grill (or to put in a slow cooker, Best Easy Pulled Pork, for that matter), and it’s hard to mess up, unless you undercook it. But I’ll make sure you don’t let that happen.
I confess, as this blog and my family have grown, I kind of have grown to dislike going to the store often. Don’t get me wrong, I love developing recipes and feeding my family, of course, but sometimes I dread the trip to the grocery because I feel like I’ve been there approximately 1 billion times and it’s just like, won’t the food just magically appear at my doorstep already? (I know, I know, I can get groceries delivered but I’m the kind of person that has to look at every apple before I purchase it, which only makes my trip longer. I’m an enigma, what can I say?)
For that reason, I like to buy in bulk whenever possible. That way, if I need to see and touch every piece of produce, well, that’s okay if that takes a bit of time because at home I’m stockpiled like a doomsday prep-er otherwise. So…when I see specials on meat, I grab as many as I can or as many as the little asterisk on the sale sign allows. (The butcher may or may not keep his eye on me to make sure I don’t get one ounce over the allotted four pounds of sausage or whatever.)
Buying in this way makes life easier. And pork is on sale just about as often as chicken is and so when I see a BOGO by the tenderloin or the price per pound has dropped considerably, you’d better believe I’m cleaning out the bin.
Because I have considerable cache of meat, I’m able to experiment with different cooking techniques, flavors, spices, and sauces.
HOW DO YOU MAKE GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN?
The first thing I do after getting the pork tenderloin out of the package is to pat it dry. I do this because it helps the spices to stick to the meat and wipes off any weird barrier that might have settled on the meat while it was in the package. I then add the tenderloin to a resealable bag, leaving the top open.
Next, I mix together the lemon juice, garlic, spices, oil, mustard, and honey. I pour only half of this marinade over the pork (that’s the important part). You want to save the other half for later. Seal the pork and marinade together in the bag and squeeze out any extra air. I also kind of shake/rub the marinade around on the pork outside the bag as well. I then put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, I preheat the grill to about medium and get the grates oiled so that the meat doesn’t stick while you’re grilling. After the pork has been marinated, I use long tongs to transfer it to the grill, then close the grill and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning every couple of minutes or so so that it cooks on all sides. About halfway through the grilling process, I’ll start to spread on the other half of that reserved marinade.
When it’s done grilling or the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145°, I remove the tenderloin from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
WHAT CUT IS A PORK TENDERLOIN?
The pork tenderloin comes from the loin area of a pig. This is located between the shoulder and the back legs as is the leanest and most tender cut of pork. Ribs, roasts, and loin chops also come from this same area.
IS PORK TENDERLOIN HEALTHY?
Pork tenderloin is one of the healthiest cuts of pork, and is just as lean as boneless, skinless chicken breast. Most cuts have less than 10 grams of fat and also provides protein, vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamine, phosphorus, and niacin.
Best Ever Healthy Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 ½-2 pounds pork tenderloin, see note
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend, or ¼ teaspoon each dried basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley or rosemary
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cracked black pepper, or a pinch of finely ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
Instructions
Marinate the pork
- Pat pork tenderloin dry with a paper towel.
- Stir together lemon juice, garlic, dried herbs, oil, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and honey.
- Pour half of the mixture into a large Ziploc bag along with the tenderloin. Press out excess air, seal the bag, and chill for 30 minutes.
Grill the pork
- Preheat grill to medium and oil the grates.
- Using tongs, transfer pork to the grill. Close the grill and cook 15-20 minutes, turning every few minutes to ensure even cooking and brushing reserved marinade over all sides of the pork half way through grilling.
- Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Okay to marinate longer than 30 minutes?
Yes, absolutely! While 30 minutes gives it plenty of great flavor, you can easily marinate it for 2 to 4 hours (or even up to 8 hours) in the fridge. Because the marinade has lemon juice in it, I wouldn’t recommend going longer than 8–12 hours, or the acid can start to break down the exterior and make the texture a bit mushy. A few hours is total perfection, though!
I want to try but have a question. The pic shows a Lodge grill/griddle pan on a heating element. Directions say grill and close grill for part of cooking time. So…?
Good eye! The recipe directions are written for an outdoor grill, while the shoot featured an indoor cast iron grill pan. If you’re using an indoor grill pan on the stove, simply tent aluminum foil over the top to replicate closing the grill lid, or pop the oven-safe pan into a 400°F oven to finish cooking through to 145°F. Hope you love it!
Perfect marinade. We’ve been making this all summer. Exactly as written. Huge hit. Thanks!!
I’m so glad you all enjoy it! 🙂
Such a tasty easy recipe. I have made it twice and it’s the perfect to meal to make for company or family
We’ve been making this, exactly as written, for the last month or so. And again tonight. Just a perfect way to grill pork tenderloin. Thanks!!
I marinated the pork for several hours and grilled it on the treager. It was the best we’ve ever had.
I’d like to try this recipe. can I make this in the oven or crockpot ? in oven at the temperature & in crockpot on low for how long ? Thank-you
Yes, you can make it in the oven or slow cooker. For the oven, I recommend searing the pork tenderloin first (optional, but it helps add flavor), then baking it at 400°F for about 20–30 minutes, depending on the size of your tenderloin. It’s done when the internal temperature reaches 145°F, then let it rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing.
For the slow cooker, I would use caution because pork tenderloin is a very lean cut and can dry out if cooked too long. If you prefer that method, cook it on low for about 2–3 hours or until it reaches 145°F internally. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it all day like you would a pork shoulder or roast. 😊
Made it for my wife and daughter tonight and they absolutely loved it. Instant thermometer helps. Thanks!