BBQ Pork Tenderloin

Follow these simple instructions for the most tender and flavorful BBQ Pork Tenderloin that you’ll ever serve.

Preparing Pork Tenderloin

First, we’re talking about pork tenderloin for this recipe and not pork loin. They are not interchangeable in recipes. If you have pork loin, try my Grilled Pork Loin recipe or this easily adaptable BBQ Pulled Pork with Pork Loin.

Now that we’ve sorted that, there are two things that I think are important to do before you cook a pork tenderloin. 

The first is to remove the silver skin, which is a whiteish skin that can get tough if left on the meat. The second it to fold the thin end under the tenderloin and secure with metal skewers or kitchen twine for even cooking.

If you’ve never done this, I have a step-by-step photo tutorial for preparing pork tenderloin that walks you through this simple and quick preparation.

Seasoning Pork Tenderloin

Because pork tenderloin is so lean, I like to season the pork with a simple mixture of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can do this before getting your grill ready. 

The time that it takes for the grill to heat is the perfect amount of time for the spice mixture to work its magic adding flavor and starting to break down the protein stands creating a tasty, more tender tenderloin.

If you’d like more seasoning, you can try out my Homemade Pork Rub recipe with brown sugar, paprika, and more. But since we will be adding BBQ sauce to the pork tenderloin, I don’t always find that extra spice rub necessary.

Prepare The Grill For Zone Cooking

To cook the tenderloin, we’ll be using zone cooking which essentially is using two different heat zones on the grill, direct and indirect heat, to cook the pork. This is the secret to ensure that the BBQ sauce doesn’t burn once it has been brushed on to tenderloin.

To set up your grill for this type of cooking, follow the directions below:

Three Burner Gas Grill – turn two burners to medium-high and ignite. Leave the third burner off.

Four Burner Gas Grill – turn the two left burners to medium-high and ignite. Leave the two right burners off.

Charcoal Grill – light the charcoal using a chimney lighter. Pour the charcoal out of the chimney and push over to one side of the grill. Leave the other side free of coals.

Allow the grill to reach 450˚F and then oil the cooking grate with vegetable oil.

How To Grill BBQ Pork Tenderloin

As I mentioned, we will be using zone cooking for this recipe. The first zone of the grill is direct heat. This is where the majority of the cooking will take place. The second zone is the indirect zone. This is where the tenderloin will finish cooking, caramelizing the BBQ sauce without burning it. 

Start by placing the pork tenderloin on the cooking grate over the direct heat zone. Cover the grill and allow to cook for 8 minutes, undisturbed. Flip the tenderloin over, cover, and cook another 7 minutes.

Move the pork to the indirect zone of the grill, brush with a prepared BBQ sauce or make your own Best Ever BBQ Sauce or Sweet, Spicy, Smokey BBQ Sauce. The Best Ever recipe is a perfect base recipe that I like to add some pantry favorites like Worcestershire, Tabasco, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder to really bring in the flavor.

Cover and cook until the sauce has started to caramelize and the internal temperature of the pork reads 145˚F on an instant read thermometer.

Remove the pork tenderloin to a clean cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute into the meat.

Slice and serve the grilled pork tenderloin with your favorite BBQ sides like Grilled Corn on the Cob and Creamy Potato Salad. And extra BBQ sauce, of course.

Cooking BBQ Pork Tenderloin In The Oven

If you don’t have a grill, this recipe can also be made in the oven. Much like the grill, you’ll use a two zone cooking method of sorts.

The pork tenderloin is prepared the same way as you would for the grill, but rather than grilling, it is roasted in a 425˚F oven in which one rack has been positioned about 4-inches from the broiler and another in the center of the oven.

Place the tenderloin on a rimmed baking sheet and cook in the center of the oven for 15 – 17 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reaches 145˚F.

Remove it from the oven and brush on your BBQ sauce of choice. Turn on the broiler, return the pork tenderloin to the oven and broil until the sauce begins to caramelize, 3 – 4 minutes. Don’t walk away! The sugars in the sauce go from caramelized to carbonized very quickly.

Transfer to a clean cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with creamy coleslaw or one of my other summer salad recipes (and some extra BBQ sauce).

More Pork Tenderloin Recipes

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This post originally appeared in September 2021 and was revised and republished in June 2024.