How Long do You Cook Pork Tenderloin on the Grill

Updated on January 3rd, 2024

Pork tenderloin has always been our comfort escape recipe for years. It’s there when you want to make a hearty meal for a lot of people. It’s the perfect choice for balcony parties and outdoor picnics. And it’s also a great way alternative to sandwich fillings like chicken breasts and hotdogs.

But cooking tenderloin over the hot rack takes a bit more skill than the average frank or brats. And if you wish to impress your friends, you want to turn out a delicious masterpiece with just the right amount of char. As such, you must master the ideal cooking time for pork tenderloins on the grill.

Pork Tenderloin Nutrition Facts

Grilling Pork Tenderloin- Tips

Pork tenderloin is fantastic for grilling. With the right amount of seasoning and time, you’ll get a juicy, tender slab of meat that fully embraces the smokiness of grill cooking. If you don’t know for how long you should roast your pork tenderloins, don’t panic. But before you find out, confirm if you’re also aware of these vital grilling steps;

Preparing the Tenderloin

When you examine your pork tenderloin, you’ll notice a line of connective tissues on the meat. These tissues are called silver skin and don’t cook after grilling. So before anything, the first step is to cut out these tissues with a sharp knife.

Once that’s done, combine your favorite grilling spices to make a dry rub. Then, pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels and incorporate the dry rub onto the meat. Once you’ve fully seasoned the meat, you can proceed to prepare your grill. You can keep the seasoned pork tenderloin for an hour before grilling. You can also lock it in a plastic bag and toss it in the fridge overnight if you have time.

Preparing the Grill

The key to making great pork tenderloins on the grill is to cook them over two zones of heat. This ‘zone cooking’ technique involves creating two different heat zones on your grill surface, one hotter than the other. The low heat area helps cook the pork tenderloin at a steady, indirect heat, so the insides come to doneness. In contrast, the scalding side gives it a crust and char by direct heat. The zone grilling technique can be done on both the gas and charcoal grills.

On a gas grill, set the burner of one side to the highest or medium-high temperature, while the other side is set at the lowest temperature. The low-heat zone can also be unlit, and the indirect heat from the high heat zone will serve as its only heat source.

If you’re using a charcoal grill, pile up most of the hot coals to one side to make a direct heat zone. Leave very few hot coals on the other side; these form the area of indirect heat.

Pork Tenderloin Cooking Time

Pork tenderloin cooks quickly, and when done, you’ll get a pinkish inside, with a crispy outside. But to make sure you’re doing it right, you should cook your pork tenderloins for about 15 to 20 minutes on the grill. The meat is entirely done once the internal temperature reads between 140 to 145°F at the thickest part. Also, note that the cooking time rests on the size and density of the pork tenderloin.

To clarify, observe the cooking process in this easy recipe, using a gas grill;