Grilled Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Take your grilling up a notch, with this Grilled Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin. Grilled to tender perfection, it’s basted with a homemade barbecue sauce for the finishing touch.

Easy Grilled Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin Recipe

This spice rubbed pork is a delicious choice during grilling season or any time of year. At our house, we never ever put the grill away.  Standing outside in the dead of winter is common practice. We think it’s worth the trouble to enjoy the grillin’ flavors that we love.  Fully loaded cornbread and my confetti corn corn and black bean medley  round it out nicely. How to make Grilled Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

• Make Paste – Place olive oil, brown sugar, lime or lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, dark chili powder, dry oregano, ground chipotle or ancho pepper, ground mustard, paprika and cocoa powder into a small mixing bowl. Mix to form to paste.
• Pork Tenderloin – Rub on all sides of the pork tenderloin then cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator. Marinate the tenderloin at least 6 hours or overnight.
• To Prepare – Remove from the fridge around 20 minutes prior to grilling to allow the meat to warm to room temperature.
• Grill – Seer the tenderloin over high heat for 2 minutes on all 4 sides.
• Continue to cook on the widest side for 6-8 minutes each depending on the thickness of the tenderloin. The general recommendation is to cook whole pork [not ground] to an internal temperature of at least 145°F or to medium rare.
• Baste with Sauce – Brush on the grilling sauce during the last 3-5 minutes of grilling to char.
• Rest loosely covered with aluminum foil for about 5-10 minutes before carving.

How to Make the Best Grilled Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

This grilled pork tenderloin recipe is full throttle flavor and the grilling sauce has a sweet and spicy bite. It has a Southwestern flare, and makes a delicious pork taco or quesadilla, too.

• Ingredients you’ll need to make tender Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin on the grill: 3 pounds pork tenderloin two pieces.
• For the flavorful pork spice rub you’ll need: Olive oil or vegetable oil, brown sugar, lime or lemon juice, garlic powder or granulated garlic, onion powder, salt, dark chili powder, oregano, chipotle or ancho chile powder, paprika, ground mustard and cocoa powder.
• The rub that I use for this grilled pork tenderloin is not a dry rub, but it has more of the texture associated with a paste. You can adapt the level of heat to your personal taste using more or less chili powder or chipotle powder.
• I really like the robust combination of flavors, and I developed a chipotle-peach barbecue sauce just to accompany this tender grilled cut of pork.
• If you’d like to take a shortcut with the sauce, you can baste it using your favorite prepared BBQ sauce.
• Allow a few minutes for the pork tenderloin to rest after grilling, to allow the juices to redistribute. This will result in a more tender texture.
• Store leftover pork tenderloin in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Use it as a filling for quesadillas, barbecue sandwiches, for topping a baked potato with sour cream and bacon as a pizza topping and beyond.

Southern Style Side Dishes to Serve with Grilled Pork Tenderloin

The complementary side dish options are abundant and there are so many directions you could go. If you need a little side dish inspiration you may enjoy  trying these recipes, too:

• Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are tender on the inside with a crispy skin.
• Sweet and tangy Carolina Red Slaw is a tasty choice when serving barbecue.
• A big bowl of Homestyle Macaroni Salad is perfection with any grilled entree.
• Easy Cornbread Casserole is sweet to balance the spice in the pork rub.
• Barbecue and Homemade Baked Beans are a match made in heaven.
• You may also like this Avocado Salad recipe from Jo Cooks.

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