Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin gets lots of flavor from a simple marinade. This family favorite recipe is a go-to for grilling season!
Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin gets lots of flavor from a simple marinade. This family favorite recipe is a go-to for grilling season! Get the recipe for this soon-to-be favorite today and be ready for grilling season!
One of my favorite cuts of meat is the pork tenderloin. I love how versatile it is and how it takes well to various types of preparation and cooking methods. In some ways, it’s better than a pork chop, which can be tricky for many cooks – one false move and you can end up with dry, chewy chops, and a table of sad eaters.
Pork tenderloin almost always stays moist and succulent, even if you forget to take it off the heat for just a few minutes. It’s very forgiving that way. It also goes well with many flavors. Best of all, it doesn’t break the bank.
I figured that pork tenderloin would be a great first meat to prepare with the new grill. It would allow us to test both the searing and grilling capabilities. It’s not like a piece of steak that takes mere minutes on the grill. While yummy, what fun is that? I wanted an opportunity to really be able to see how the grill would perform. After all, it’s probably going to take a little while to get used to all its nuances.
So for the grill’s inaugural firing, I decided to prepare Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloins. The Lynx Grill handled it beautifully! Perfectly seared and evenly cooked, the pork tenderloins were juicy and flavorful. But this can easily be made without a grill, and I have included instructions for that version as well. Either way, you’ll be left with tasty morsels of pork that are kissed with smokey garlic flavors. And if you happen to have any leftovers (hardly the case in our house), they make an awesome filling for burritos the next day!
For more mouth-watering pork tenderloin recipes, check out the following:
Adobo-style Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Roast Pork Loin with Balsamic, Dijon & Thyme
Indonesian Pork Tenderloin
Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Wine Sauce
Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 4-5 garlic cloves finely minced or crushed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pork tenderloins about 1 1/4 pounds each
- 2 tablespoons canola oil if preparing in oven
Instructions
- Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over pork. If you like or have the time, marinate overnight. If not, no worries, it will still be great!
Grill preparation:
- Sear the tenderloins on all sides, then grill for about 20-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Try to let it rest before slicing.
Oven preparation:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat canola oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add pork, and brown all over, about 4 minutes.
- Transfer pan to oven. Roast pork, turning occasionally, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees, about 20 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, and try to let it rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
Hello from Oxfordshire England! This recipe looks fab. Desperately want to make it but don’t have a grill. Any suggestions for how to go about the cooking bit without a grill? Thanks so much!
Greetings, Maria! You most certainly do not need a grill; please take a look at the recipe instructions. I have included directions for preparing it on the stovetop/oven. Good luck!
I just wanted to tell you that this has become one of my favorite ways to prepare pork tenderloin (I only use about 2tsp of kosher salt though)! I make this every other week. I usually just marinate for a couple hours but this week due to some last minute scheduling issues, it marinated overnight and was even better! I always top with a mango or pineapple avocado salsa, SO very good! My 7yr old LOVES it. Thank you for this great recipe! :)
SO glad, Judy! That makes me so happy to hear!!! I’m glad you 7 year old loves it, that’s the best compliment ever :)
This has quickly become one of our family’s new favorite recipes! Thank you so much for sharing it :)
So glad your family is enjoying it, Emily! Thanks!
I have made this a couple of times now and am making it again tonight. Everyone in my family LOVES this. It is so tender and extremely tasty. I highly recommend. :) Thanks for the recipe!
How wonderful! I’m so glad your family loves it. I made this for dinner last night, too :)
This pork tenderloin looks awesome! I’m featuring it on my Food Porn Friday sidebar spot this week and linking back to you site. Thanks so much for making me hungry. :)
http://whitelightsonwednseday.blogspot.com
I throw a few sliced squash, zucchini and red onion in my marinade as well as Italian seasoning, and put them on kabobs. It is delicious!
Question – if you do it in the oven, do you use a roasting rack?
Oh my God, this is my favorite. The photo looks awesome. I’m drooling now.
Made this for our Valentine’s dinner here in Domodossola, Italy. Make it with chicken breast (it was on sale) and cooked it in the oven. Turned out great! Cook time was a little longer (1/2 hour or so). I think searing it before cooking made a big difference. Yum. This one’s a keeper.
But next time I gotta try it with pork. I think it will be even better.
I could not find small pork tenderloins, so I opted for a larger pork tenderloin and cut in a close half. I am feeding four people so I think this size will work out wonderfully. I have in marinating in the fridge as we speak. I wish there were a picture of what it looks like before it is cooked. I am worried about the garlic. I have to hand chop everything. I chopped it as small as I could get it. Hopefully the garlic cooks down some. Anyway, I am very excited to try this. I am going to pair it with green beans and hasselbeck potatoes that I also found here on pinterest.
Just made ours with a few adjustments. I left out the salt, browned in a skillet on all sided then wrapped in bacon. Just in case a PORK loin isnt enough PORK. Bacon makes everything better, right? Grilling them tonight!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Pinterest! My husband and I made this on Friday night and it was SO GOOD! We are a family of 3, so we had plenty of leftovers to eat it for lunch the next day. Thanks for the great recipe, and I’m so glad to have discovered your site!
Used this to marinate some Axis tenderloins overnight. It was amazing. Thank you!
This recipe is a keeper! I did heed the advice of other commentators and only added 2 teaspoons of salt. My loin was about 4 pounds, so I did have to cook it a little longer to reach 160 degrees, but it was soft, moist and delicious. Thank you!
This looks amazing and want to make for tonight, but only have thick cut pork chops, do you think it will work out on chops instead of a tenderloin? Will definitely have to cut the cooking time.
Hi Angela, thank you – absolutely, they will work on your thick pork chops. Try to marinate a bit longer and definitely adjust your cooking time. Pork chops do tend to dry out more easily than tenderloin. But the flavors will be fantastic. Good luck, I hope you enjoy it :)
Excellent, thank you! Well dinner is over and the plates are spotless! Extremely moist and tasty. I must admit I found it a little salty (I used a coarse kosher salt) so will make a slight adjustment next time. Thanks so much for sharing this winning recipe :)
Making this tonight, can’t wait! Just out of curiosity, what accompaniments did you serve with it?
Hi Erica! I hope I caught you in time before your dinner. Well, we love this pork dish with a variety of sides. Rice pilaf, grilled potato fries, a salad, pasta salad, bean salad – these all work well. I also love serving simple balsamic mushrooms, sauteed. Any fresh or steamed veggies. This is awesome with fresh corn. I hope that helps, and enjoy!
My husband and I made this tonight – it was SO GOOD! Great flavors, and very simple to make.
I just wrote a post about this pork tenderloin. what a great recipe. Thanks for sharing and making my dinner so yummy last night. When you get a chance check it out.
I made this the other night, too bad it turned out too salty, next time half the salt and it’ll be perfect
From Stokholm to Minneapolis, yes, all over the world. I found this on Pinterest as well. Making it tomorrow night for my boyfriend’s 40th bday. And the 2nd one for my brother & his wife who have a 7day old baby. This looks easy and wonderful, thank you!
Making this right now but can’t figure out why my marinade is not in a paste??
Hi Carrie, is your marinade on the watery side? It may be the consistency of your vinegar, oil or could also be due to the size of your garlic. Either way, don’t worry. This recipe is very forgiving – feel free to add a little more garlic or a wee bit more salt if that helps to get to a paste like consistency. Good luck!
I also found this on pinterest! Gonna make it tomorrow night….but only had 1 tenderloin. It didn’t seem like enough balsamic and oil to marinade so i added a little extra for one. It will be marinading for a while so hope it turns out good! I can’t wait!
I just read the instructions for the oven and it says put pan into oven….i’m not sure if my pan is oven proof. But i do have a roasting pan. Could i just use that, if so, covered or uncovered?
Yes, to be safe, transfer to the roasting pan and roast uncovered! Good luck!
I found this on pinterest as well and the picture alone made me want to make this immediately! what would you recommend as a side though? I want to make thistoomorrow night with maybe some flatbread/pita bread and make some sort of wrap but I’d like to make some sort of sauce to go with the pork and I’m not sure what to make. help? :)
Hi Natasha! So glad you want to try this! Some favorite sides of ours that go well with this dish: a Chickpea Salad, or a simple Pilaf as seen here. We also love it with Steak Fries and Brussels Sprouts. It will work nicely with flatbread and the tenderloin should be juice enough that you may not need a sauce. I hope that helps! Good luck :)
Oh. My. Goodness. We just had this for dinner and it was INCREDIBLE!!! I came across the recipe on Pinterest, too, and my husband is SO glad I did. We enjoyed it immensely and we will definitely make it again!
Hi Cheryl! That makes me so happy! So glad you all enjoyed the pork tenderloin, it is definitely one of our family’s favorites, too.
Do you prefer the oven or the bbq? I will attempt the bbq but wondered if you roast it on low or medium for the half hour? Thanks!
Hi Cat, this time of year, my preference is for the oven. Both methods work well, so whatever is easier for you! Good luck!
I made this for my family last night and they loved it. Thanks for the recipe.
Just made this again night before last. We love how much flavor this tenderloin has and how easy it is.
Last night, I found a new favorite sandwich from the leftovers —
Spread mascarpone cheese liberally on a fresh brioche bun spread, piled on thin slices of the loin and topped it off with whole berry cranberry sauce and a few strips of red onion. It was the best sandwich I’ve had in quite awhile.
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Kathy! And that sandwich sounds divine – I will have to try that myself! Thanks :)
I just found this recipe on Pinterest, it looks amazing! I was curious if you make the recipe just like it says with 2 tenderloins, how many servings does it make?
Thanks!
Hi Meridith! I cook for a family of four – two adults and 2 children, 8 & 6 – and I find that with one tenderloin, there’s not quite enough. So I would say 2 tenderloins serve 4-6, depending on your appetites! I like to cook more because the leftovers work great the next day in sandwiches, burritos, etc. I hope that helps and do let me know how you like it :)
Found this on pinterest and made it last night with the Best Scalloped Potatoes Ever from AFridgeFullofFood (Cooks Illustrated Scalloped Potatoes with Thyme & Bay).
All I can say is YUMMMMMM and I’m hoping all that garlic helps my cold!