Let me share with you what I do to cook pork tenderloin on the grill without it being too dry.
Don't Be Afraid to Take Pork to the Grill!
I have heard many horror stories about how pork is not good on the grill. Pork is considered a lean, so it doesn't have the fat that a beef steak does. What that means is it's easy for pork to dry out when it's cooked on the grill.
But man does grilled pork look good. Here is my photo proof.
Don't those grilled pork chops looking amazing! I have figured out two important things about grilling pork - you need to brine it to keep it moist and you need to use a thermometer so you don't overcook it.
I thought, well this worked for pork chops why not pork tenderloin Even more key to not overcook it as pork tenderloin is the leanest part of the pig. To give me the best chances for juicy meat, plus more service area to get grill marks, I decided to open up the pork tenderloin like a book and butterfly it.
The fact that I am here now writing this post is a testament to how well it worked. Now I am happy to share my success with you.
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Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make this grilled pork tenderloin including the brine ingredients.
- Pork tenderloin - Most of the time pork tenderloin is sold in a 2-pack. Each pig has 2 tenderloins. As you expect tenderloin is tender, yet it is also lean, so that creates some challenges, which is why you are going to brine the pork beforehand. This will ensure that your pork stays moist.
- Vegetable broth - The brine begins with a vegetable broth. You can buy it or make it yourself from leftover food scraps. Chicken broth or stock would work just as well.
- Kosher salt - You’re going to need a lot of salt, and I recommend using kosher salt for this. You won’t need to add any additional salt when it’s time to grill because the brine allows the salt to penetrate deep into the meat—much better than just seasoning the surface.
- Brown sugar- I mainly add this for flavor but you can skip it if you want. It's optional. I prefer dark brown sugar for it's higher molasses content but you can use light.
- Whole black peppercorns - I believe pepper and pork as such a good combination. I use whole peppercorns in the brine and then discard them with the brine. I have a grinder on hand as well for people to add more pepper at the table.
- Ice - You need to heat up the vegetable broth in order to dissolve the salt and sugar in it. I use ice to cool it back down quickly as you need it to be cold before you add it to the pork. You don't want to start cooking the pork yet! If you make the brine ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge you can skip the ice.
Serve with BBQ or Dipping Sauce
I like to serve this pork tenderloin with whatever favorite BBQ sauce that I have on hand. Right now our family is loving all the sauces from Bachan's Japanese Barbesauce sauce. I used their Sweet & Spicy Dipping Sauce when I made this pork last time. It's great stuff.
Check out my Instagram Reel where I grilled pork tenderloin and topped it with Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce. While you're there, don’t forget to follow me—I’m always sharing delicious products that can take your cooking to the next level!
If you want to go with a homemade BBQ sauce, I have a recipe for a Roasted Peach BBQ sauce that would be perfect for this.
Top Tips
Before you do anything make sure you remove any silver skin on the pork. That is a thin, silvery looking layer on one side of the meat. Sometimes it's trimmed off, sometimes not. It's too tough to eat.
Make sure you have a sharp knife to butterfly the pork. You can going to cut down the center of the meat, but not all the way down, then fold it up like a book so that it will mostly lay flay. You may need to make same smaller cuts to accomplish this. I have butterflied a turkey before and I can't begin to say how much easier this is that that. It's a great place to start if you are butterflying something for the first time. It doesn't get any easier!
One of the most important parts of this whole cooking process is cooking the pork to temp. That will ensure that you have juicy meat.
According to the USDA, pork needs to be cooked until it hits 145 degrees. Even if the pork has some pink color to it, it's safe to eat if it's at or over that 145 degree mark. I use the The Thermapen® ONE from ThermoWorks to track the temperature. It really does real in one second, so that when you are grilling something and it's a hot environment where it's easy to overshoot the temperature having an accurate & thermometer is key. I honestly use my ThermaPen every single day for something.
Brined & Butterflied Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
For the brine
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
For the pork
- 2 whole pork tenderloin trimmed of any silver skin
- tbsp your favorite BBQ sauce for serving chopped
Instructions
How to make the brine
- Combine all the brine ingredients into a saucepan over high heat.
- Cook until the salt and sugar are dissolved.
- Then remove from the heat and add about 1 pound of ice to cool the brine down. Give it a good stir and set it aside. If you make it the night before you can just chill it in the fridge and skip the ice.
How to butterfly the pork
- Place the tenderloins onto a cutting board. Look for any thin, silver membrane (silver skin) on the pork. If it has some use a knife to remove it. Keeping the blade angled slightly upward and parallel to the meat, gently slice along the length to separate the membrane from the meat. Discard.
- Use your knife now to make a lengthwise cut down the center of the tenderloin, making sure to stop at least ½ inch from the bottom. Be very careful about not cutting all the way through, stop short of the ½ inch if you need to. Open up the tenderloin like a book. Now it's ready for the brine.
- Now take your tenderloins and place it in a gallon sized plastic bag and dump the brine into the bag. Seal the bag well, place it in a container just in case the bag leaks, and place it into the refrigerator for 2 hours.
How to grill the pork
- Once the pork has finished it's soak, take it out of the bag, lightly rinse off the roast, and pat with a power towel to dry.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (about 400–450°F)
- Once hot, place both tenderloins onto the center of the grill.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, then flip the pork over. When it’s ready to turn, the meat should release easily from the grill grates without sticking.
- Continue cooking until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F when checked with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
- Remove from the grill. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce.
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