Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Marinade

When it comes to favorites off the charcoal grill, this may be the best grilled pork tenderloin recipe and certainly one of my favorite ways to cook a tender cut of pork. It is a delicious recipe and comes off the grill full of flavor, juicy, and incredibly tender. It all begins with a lean cut of meat along with this quick and easy pork tenderloin marinade that I will take you through making step by step with detailed instructions. It takes less than five minutes to make the marinade in a food processor and truly sets the pork loin up for dynamic flavor.

For this grilled pork tenderloin recipe, let’s start with the herbs. At the time of writing this recipe, we are nearing the end of spring, and our herb garden is producing nice homegrown herbs. You will need Rosemary, Basil, and Oregano however, of the three, the Rosemary is a must.

In addition to the herbs, you will need five to seven cloves of garlic and one lemon. As for the final marinade ingredients, you need a bottle of Dijon Mustard and a bottle of Dale’s Sauce or Worcestershire Sauce and Olive Oil. Here I used a bottle of regular Dijon Mustard, I can tell you that the best way is to use Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard. I also like to add a bit of Lawry’s seasoning along with fresh ground salt and pepper.

Before we begin putting this juicy pork tenderloin recipe together, let me explain Dale’s Seasoning Sauce. Dale’s Sauce is a blend of soy sauce with spices that include paprika, onion, garlic, and sugar. It was created in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1946 as the “house marinade” in a restaurant called Dale’s Cellar. This marinade was used to marinate steaks, poultry, pork, and chicken which set Dale’s Cellar restaurants apart from the competition. The popularity of the flavor created a demand for bottling. Now seventy years later, Dale’s Seasoning Sauce remains available in most grocery stores and is included in many great recipes.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Marinade

To put this recipe together, the first step is to start by taking the pork tenderloin out of the wrapper and laying it on a cutting board or plate and bring it to room temperature. Pat dry and using Lawry’s seasoning and fresh ground salt and pepper… generously cover both sides of the pork loin and then place in a resealable bag.

In a food processor or blender, add the following:

• Lemon zest and juice from one lemon
• Five to seven sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Five to seven leaves of fresh basil
• Ten to twelve leaves of fresh oregano
• Five to seven cloves of garlic
• One cup of Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon (or two lid caps) of Dale’s Seasoning Sauce

Start the food processor, and while it is blending, slowly pour in a half cup of olive oil. Once it is blended nicely, pour half of the marinade mixture into the resealable bag with the tender pork loin.

Add the remaining marinade and once it is all together in the resealable bag, rub the marinade thoroughly into the pork loin and place it in the refrigerator for a minimum of six hours or overnight. At this point, your pork loin is ready for the grill.

Grilling Pork Tenderloin

This grilled pork tenderloin can be grilled on a gas grill. However, I prefer the additional flavors from the charcoal grill and the smoked flavor from using a small block of oak during the cook.

I will use Kingsford Original charcoal for both the flavor and the heat. Kingsford will burn hot and heat the Weber Kettle Grill to 375 to 400 degrees. I do not use lighter fluid and instead use the Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter. Simply pour the charcoal into the Rapidfire large Chimney Starter, and using one Weber Lighter Cube, the charcoal will light and you will have hot charcoal ready to grill in about 15 minutes.

Once the charcoal is ready, place it into the Char-Baskets or use a two-stage cooking set up keeping the hot coals on one side of the grill and create an indirect heat source for cooking on the opposite side of the grill grate. I place my Char-Baskets on the right and left far sides of the grill and use the center for the indirect surface.

When the grill has reached a medium heat temperature of 375 degrees, place the pork tenderloin on the indirect heating surface. (The part not directly over the hot coals.) At this point, I will also place a small block of oak wood directly on the hot coals to smoke and add flavor to the pork. Cook pork tenderloin for 15 minutes before flipping.

For the best results at the fifteen-minute mark, flip the pork tenderloin and monitor the temperature with a meat thermometer until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I find it a good idea to add any vegetables or sides to the grill if you desire. Here I grilled asparagus wrapped with pancetta.

At 145 degrees and a total cook time of nearly thirty minutes, the juicy grilled pork tenderloin is complete and should be removed from the grill. Let the meat rest for 3 minutes before carving with a sharp knife and serving. I like to cut the pork into thin diagonal slices.

Since we are summer grilling at the time of this blog post, I served the grilled pork tenderloin with asparagus wrapped with pancetta, corn on the cob, and a nice green salad. This easy pork tenderloin recipe is truly one of my favorite easy recipes that take very little effort but packs a punch of flavor.

Be sure to check out our Smoked Pork Tacos recipe.

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