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Smoky Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Yield: 6 Servings (2 pork tenderloins)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 pork tenderloins, 3-5 pounds total, trimmed of excess fat or silver skin
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup (53 g) light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, lime juice, brown sugar, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. The mixture will be thick and pasty.
  • Rub the mixture over the pork and place the meat in a shallow dish. You can grill right away, but for more flavor, cover the dish and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
  • Preheat an outdoor grill (see note for alternate cooking methods) to medium-high heat (I use 375 degrees F on my pellet grill).
  • Grill the pork tenderloin for 10 minutes, flip and continue to cook until an internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat registers 145 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Remove the pork from the grill and tent with aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Paprika: smoked paprika is pretty key to the flavor for this pork, so if you don't have it, I think it is worth buying some for this recipe (plus, I have several other recipes that use it, too!). 
Cooking Method: if you don't have an outdoor grill, you can try roasting the pork in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes, placing the pork on a lightly greased, foil-lined pan before cooking.
Cooking Time: this recipe is assuming the pork tenderloin is about 2-inches at the thickest part. If the pork you are using is much thinner or thicker, adjust cooking times accordingly.