Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa

Grilled Pork Tenderloin is one of the easiest, most flavorful meals to prepare! Seasoned with a jerk rub and served with fresh pineapple salsa, this Pork Tenderloin is balanced with the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors.

If you are looking for an easy, healthy, flavorful dinner, Grilled Pork Tenderloin is a great recipe to try. A humble pork tenderloin turns into a masterpiece thanks to the flavorful rub and fresh salsa, yet it is still ready in less than 30 minutes. I suggest pairing this pork tenderloin with a side of Pineapple Rice, or Baked Sweet Potatoes, for a delicious, healthy meal.

Secrets to Perfect Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Just like chicken breast, pork tenderloin is lean meat that can be rather bland and dries out quickly if not prepared correctly.

To cook perfect pork tenderloin, you need to remember two critical things:

• Seasoning is your friend. Because pork tenderloin is fairly bland in flavor, it takes on flavoring really well and demands to be heavily seasoned for the best flavor.
• Cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. The national pork board recommends only cooking pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. This keeps the pork from drying out.

If you remember to fully season your pork tenderloin and not overcook your tenderloin, you really can not go wrong. And this recipe will guide you through how to perfect both!

Key Ingredients

• Jerk Rub: I traveled to Jamaica many years ago and learned a Jerk Marinade and rub from a local chef. This rub is made with a lot of dried spices, but most of them are ones you probably commonly keep on hand.
• Pork Tenderloin: Be sure you purchase pork tenderloin, not pork loin. Pork tenderloin is skinnier and often sold in packages of two.
• Pineapple Salsa: The pineapple salsa is optional but it really completes the grilled pork. It adds sweetness and texture to the pork and helps to balance out the heat of the jerk rub.

How to make Grilled Pork Tenderloin

• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Combine the ingredients for the homemade jerk rub in a small bowl.
• Remove pork tenderloin from packages and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Rub the pork evenly with the spice mixture patting the rub to adhere to the pork.
• Place the seasoned pork on the grill and cover.
• Turn pork after 8-10 minutes. Flip the pork tenderloin continue to grill for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature is between 140-145 degrees. It will continue to rise in temperature a few degrees while it rests, hence why it is okay to remove from the grill below 145 degrees. 
• While the pork is cooking combine the pineapple with onion, cilantro peppers, onions, cilantro, salt, and lime juice.

• Once the pork reaches the desired temperature, remove from grill and tent with foil for 10 minutes.
• After the pork rests, slice and serve with the salsa.

More Delicious Pork Tenderloin Recipes

• Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin 
• Maple Glazed Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
• Skillet Pork Tenderloin with Cabbage

Next time you are craving a trip to the islands, take yourself there with this culinary adventure and make Grilled Jerk Pork--no passport required. 

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa

Seasoned with a jerk rub and served with fresh pineapple salsa, Grilled Pork Tenderloin is sweet, savory, and spicy--and ready in less than 30 minutes.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Jamaican

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Resting Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 199kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pork tenderloin (1 to 1.5 pounds in size)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons homemade jerk rub

Pineapple Salsa

• ▢ 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• ▢ 1 small red pepper diced
• ▢ 1 red onion minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ cup minced cilantro
• ▢ juice of 1 lime

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Instructions

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Combine the ingredients for the homemade jerk rub in a small bowl.
• Remove pork tenderloin from packages and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Rub the pork evenly with the spice mixture patting the rub to adhere to the pork.
• Place the seasoned pork on the grill and cover.
• After 8-10 minutes, flip the pork tenderloin and then continue to grill for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature is between 140-145 degrees.
• Once the pork reaches the desired temperature, remove from grill and tent with foil for 10 minutes.
• After the pork rests, slice and serve with the salsa.

Pineapple Salsa

• While the pork is cooking combine the pineapple with onion, cilantro peppers, onions, cilantro, salt, and lime juice.

Equipment Needed

• Digital Thermometer

Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled to use both pork tenderloins typically sold in a package.

For the jerk rub use: 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Leftover pork tenderloin can be store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

If you don't want to grill the pork tenderloin, you can instead roast in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for  20-22 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 145 degrees is reached. 

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 676mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2165IU | Vitamin C: 77mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg

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