Smoked Pork Tenderloin on a Pit Boss pellet grill is simple enough for a weeknight meal but can be scaled up for a crowd. With a garlic herb marinade, it is so flavorful and juicy.
When you don't have the time or desire to make an entire pork loin, a pork tenderloin is a great option. It is considerably smaller in size so requires much less cook time.
You can season it with any store bought BBQ rub, or make our simple overnight garlic herb marinade below.
When the internal temperature is monitored correctly, the pork tenderloin will turn out extremely juicy and flavorful.
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Marinate the Pork
While any BBQ rub or marinade will work, we like this quick garlic herb marinade from Ina Garten. Simply place the following ingredients in a resealable gallon sized bag:
- Lemon Zest and Juice
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Fresh Thyme
- Fresh Rosemary
- Dijon Mustard
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
Mix them around, then add a 1-1.5 pound pork tenderloin to the bag.
Mix the marinade around the pork to ensure that all of the surfaces are coated. Press out the air and seal the bag.
Place the bag in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably overnight.
Set Up the Pit Boss
Plug in the Pit Boss and allow it to run through the start up cycle. Then, set the temperature to 270°F.
Oil the grates, and allow the grill to preheat.
We like adding either a pellet smoker tube or a firebox with real wood and charcoal to bump up the smoke flavor on our pellet grill.
For the pork tenderloin we used apple wood chunks in the firebox.
Smoke the Pork
Place the pork on the grates of the Pit Boss with the smaller, tapered end toward the cooler side of your grill.
On our Pit Boss, the right side is cooler than the left, so we placed the tapered end on the right.
After the pork has cooked for a while, insert a leave in probe meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature.
We like this one from ThermoPro for an inexpensive option, but our favorite leave in thermometer is the wireless MEATER thermometer.
The MEATER pairs with a free app on your smart phone to allow you to monitor both the internal temperature of the meat as well as the ambient temperature inside the grill.
This allows the app to calculate an estimated cooking time for you based on those data.
Baste the Pork with Marinade
While the pork is cooking, you can brush on some of the remaining marinade with a silicone basting brush.
Just make sure to stop basting when your pork is close to being done, as the marinade contains raw pork juices.
It is also a good idea to flip and rotate the tenderloin several times during cooking.
Target Internal Temperature
In addition to using the MEATER, we also like to spot check with an instant read thermometer in several places to ensure the pork is cooked throughout.
This will also allow you to assess whether one side of the pork is cooking faster so you can rotate it as needed.
For our 1 ⅓ pound pork tenderloin it took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach the target internal temperature of 145°F.
This is the safe temperature for pork.
At that point, remove the pork tenderloin to a cutting board to rest before slicing.
Rest the Meat and Slice
Allow the pork tenderloin to rest for about 15-20 minutes. Use a good meat slicing knife to cut the pork into slices.
Wearing food safe nitrile gloves can help protect your hands from the heat.
Only cut what you plan to serve. Cutting the entire tenderloin at once can cause the slices to dry out.
Serving Suggestions
Pork tenderloin goes great with smoked mashed potatoes, twice baked potatoes, corn on the cob, or baked beans.
Storage
The pork will keep for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Reheat leftovers by placing the pork in a shallow pan filled with a small amount of chicken, beef, or vegetable broth, covered in foil, in the oven at 300°F until heated through.
📖 Recipe
Pit Boss Smoked Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
- Pit Boss Pellet Grill
Ingredients
- 1 Pork Tenderloin about 1 ⅓ lbs
Garlic Herb Marinade
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- Juice of 2 Lemons
- 2 ½ tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon Fresh Rosemary minced
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme minced
- ¾ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
Marinate the Pork
- Add the marinade ingredients to a resealable gallon sized bag. Push around the bag to mix the marinade.Zest of 1 Lemon, Juice of 2 Lemons, 2 ½ tablespoon Olive Oil, 2 cloves Garlic, ½ tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme, ¾ teaspoon Dijon Mustard, ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt, ½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Add the pork tenderloin to the bag, mix it around in the marinade, press out the air, and seal the bag.1 Pork Tenderloin
- Place the bag in the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for several hours, preferably overnight.
Start Up the Pit Boss
- Start the Pit Boss and allow it to run through the start up cycle. Set the temperature to 270°F.
- Oil the grill grates.
Smoke the Pork Tenderloin
- Place the pork with the smaller, tapered end toward the cooler side of your grill.
- Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the tenderloin to monitor the internal temperature throughout the cook.
- Brush on the leftover marinade with a silicone basting brush every 15 minutes, making sure to stop basting about 20 minutes before the pork is finished cooking.
- Flip and rotate the tenderloin several times during cooking to ensure it cooks evenly. Use an instant read thermometer to check different spots of the tenderloin to judge whether to rotate it.
- Cook the pork until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Remove the pork to a cutting board to rest.
Rest and Slice
- Allow the pork to rest on a cutting board for 15-20 minutes.
- Slice through the pork tenderloin using a good meat slicing knife. Only cut how much you will be eating so the slices do not dry out.
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