Juicy Smoked Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin is like the filet mignon of pork. It’s tender, juicy and absolutely delicious.

Because it’s a lean cut, pork tenderloin can dry out if you’re not careful. That’s why I love to smoke pork tenderloin whole at low temperatures and then slicing it into steaks to serve.

Smoking a pork tenderloin is easy and only takes about an hour. The smoke adds an amazing flavor, especially when finished with a light layer of sweet BBQ sauce.

Smoked pork tenderloin

Key Information

• Recommended wood – Oak, Pecan, Apple
• Prep Time – 10 minutes
• Cook Time – 60-75 minutes
• Smoker Temp – 250°F
• Meat Finished Temp – 145°F

Pork tenderloin is a quick and easy dish perfect for weeknight dinners or when you want the delicious flavor of barbecue pork without spending hours tending to a large cut of meat.

This is a highly versatile cut that pairs well with any rub or sauce you have in your pantry. Best of all, it’s one of the most affordable cuts of barbecue.

The key to making a great pork tenderloin is to avoid overcooking it. They can be quite narrow, allowing for quick cooking. And because it’s a lean cut, you really don’t want to overcook it.

You want to shoot for an internal temperature of around 145°F (but not higher than 155°F) to ensure you have tender, juicy pork that is not dried out. 

Ingredients you’ll need

• Pork tenderloin – I like to smoke two tenderloins at once. The size of a single tenderloin can vary depending on where you purchase it but the ones I used were around 1 pound
• BBQ Rub -You can use our classic BBQ pork rub or any rub with a bit of sweetness and spice. 
• BBQ Sauce – Use any BBQ Sauce you have in your pantry, or whip up our Homemade Carolina Gold BBQ sauce.  

Equipment you’ll need

• Smoker – I cooked these tenderloins on my Traeger Ironwood XL pellet grill, but any smoker or grill will work as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F. 
• Wood or Pellets – I used the Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ pellets for this recipe, but any wood will work. I prefer to use woods like Oak, Pecan, and Apple when I’m cooking pork because they yield a milder flavor that doesn’t overpower this delicate cut. 
• BBQ Tongs
• Basting brush
• Instant read thermometer

What is pork tenderloin?

Pork tenderloin is a long, narrow muscle that runs along the backbone of the pig. It’s extra lean and tender and comes packaged boneless.

It’s the budget-friendly equivalent of beef tenderloin.

Don’t confuse it with pork loin, though. That’s a different cut, wider and flatter, that comes from the back of the pig.

A typical pork tenderloin will weigh between 1-2lbs and be enough to feed 3-4 people.

Ideas to modify this recipe

I’ve provided a straightforward recipe for smoking a pork tenderloin, but you can easily modify it to suit different flavors.

• Wrap the tenderloin in bacon or prosciutto – The fats in the prosciutto slowly melt and baste the pork loin, infusing it with a salty flavor and making it even more juicy. Instead of finishing with a sear, bump the smoker temperature up to 350°F so the prosciutto crisps up.

• Cook it hot and fast – Ditch the reverse sear and smoke it at 350°F until you hit around 140°F
• Swap out the BBQ sauce glaze – Instead of adding BBQ sauce, try combining 1/2 cup of maple syrup with 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and brushing that on towards the end of the cook.

How to make smoked pork tenderloin

1. Prep and season

Typically, pork tenderloins come pre-trimmed and ready to cook, but occasionally, you will find ones with loose meat or silverskin. You want to trim off any loose pieces of meat and remove the silverskin, as it can create an uneven bite. 

You also want to cut off any tail ends so everything cooks more evenly. Or you can tuck the tail in and tie every 2-3″ with butcher twine.

Once your tenderloin is trimmed, you can season it generously on all sides with a rub. You can use our classic BBQ pork rub, a blend with a hint of sweetness and spice, or opt for a savory rub like SPG.

You can use a binder of mustard or even a splash of water if you like, but I applied the rub straight onto the pork.

You want to ensure that all sides of the tenderloin are well-seasoned. I like to season before my smoking has preheated, that way it the rub has some time to sweat before it goes on.

2. Fire up the smoker

Preheat your smoker to 250°F.

Once the grill is hot, place the pork tenderloin on the grates.

Let it smoke for about 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 135°F.

If you are making our homemade mustard or sweet BBQ sauce, you can whip it up while the pork is on the smoker.

3. Smoke and sauce

When the internal temperature reaches 135°F, I like to brush on some sauce. You want a thin, even layer of sauce. Flip it over and brush the other side. 

You can use any sauce flavor you have in the fridge, or you can leave the sauce off altogether.

Then, you want to let it smoke for another 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145°F and the sauce is tacky.

If you’re going to rest your meat, there’s an argument you could take it off even lower. If you remove at around around 140°F it will safely hit 145°F while it rests.

Do not let the tenderloin cook longer than this, as the pork will dry out quickly at this temperature. 

4. Resting and serving

Remove the tenderloin from the smoker and let it rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10-15 minutes before slicing it into 1/2″ thick pieces.

I like to serve some extra sauce on the side if people want more.

Side dishes to serve with smoked pork tenderloin

You can’t go wrong serving our tangy southern style coleslaw with this smoked pork tenderloin.

Roasted vegetables are also a great option. You can always cook the vegetables on the smoker at the same time to get a little extra flavor, like we do with our smoked potatoes. Then, while the pork is resting, bump the temperature up to get them nice and crisp. You can also do vegetable skewers over the grill to get some nice char.

Our smoked balsamic brussels sprouts would be another great option.

More great smoked pork recipes

• Smoked Pork Loin
• Competition Pork Spare Ribs
• Smoking Your First Pork Butt
• Hot Honey Pork Belly Burnt Ends
• 19 Leftover Pulled Pork recipes

Smoked Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Follow this recipe and the tips and techniques above, and you’ll have a perfectly cooked smoked pork tenderloin that can be sliced and served with a huge variety of sides.

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