Step-by-step instructions for how to make the world's best smoked pork tenderloin! Soaked in a citrus brine and coated in the most flavorful BBQ spice rub, this is a "no-hassle" smoker recipe the whole family will love!
Pork tenderloin slow cooked in the smoker is the way to go! Incredibly tender and juicy, it's extremely easy to make. This smoked pork tenderloin recipe is full of flavor and will quickly become one of your favorite smoker recipes! If you've never smoked it before, you're in for a mouthwatering treat!
I have a special love for smoker recipes, especially when it comes to smoking a chuck roast and making my smoked whole chicken recipe. And when it comes to pork, smoking these barbecue pork ribs and this smoked pork butt recipe are sure winners. And now with this smoked pork tenderloin recipe, you have another delicious option for your next barbecue or dinner party.
Juicy, tender pork is a family favorite dinner at my house and since we're in the barbecue season, an easy pork tenderloin recipe is perfect for dinner and so easy to make. I love pairing it with this healthy coleslaw and this simple potato salad recipe. From the citrus brine to the pork dry rub, you're going to love everything this smoked meat has to offer!
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ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. Pork tenderloin is an inexpensive cut of meat and can be easily found at your local grocery store. You can also buy it from your local butcher, Sam's, or Costco.
2. Smoking a lean cut of meat is not only extremely juicy and flavorful, but is typically quicker to smoke. It's also a myth that smoking lean meat is more tough and tends to be on the dry side. Simply not true.
3. Pork tenderloin tastes amazing the next day warmed up and served in a wrap, on top of a salad, or in a sandwich!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need For Pork Brine
This pork brine recipe has a citrus base which helps tenderize the meat. The brining process allows the meat to absorb the liquid to not only make the meat juicer and more tender, but to add flavor.
- Orange & Lemon Slices: fresh citrus juice not only adds flavor, but the acidic level helps naturally tenderize the meat.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: used to add flavor and the acidic level helps tenderize the meat.
- Sugar: helps balance out the tartness from the citrus and vinegar with a hint of sweetness.
- Salt: maintains the moisture level and also penetrate the food so the flavors in the brine can seep in.
- Garlic: adds a savory flavor.
- Herbs: rosemary, peppercorn, and bay leaves adds layers of flavor in every bite.
🛒 Pork Dry Rub Ingredients You'll Need
- Pork Tenderloin: 2-3lbs will feed 4-6 people.
- Brown Sugar: adds a sweetness and helps with caramelizing the outside of the meat during the smoking process.
- Byron's Butt Rub: a blend of spices that enhances the flavor of smoked meats. It has savory, smoky, and slightly spicy flavors.
- Onion Powder: provides a savory flavor and adds to the depth of flavor.
- Garlic Powder: pairs extremely well with the brown sugar by adding a hint of both sweet and savory.
- Smoked Paprika: adds a subtle smoky flavor.
- Salt & Pepper: for additional flavor enhancement.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
📋 Variations
- Barbecue Sauce: Skip adding this if you want to stick to only using the dry rub. The flavor is fabulous with only the dry rub, but I love adding barbecue sauce because it takes this recipe to the next level flavor-wise.
- Byron's Butt Rub: If you it, you can skip this ingredient. But you can typically find it at Costco or on Amazon. Even a small amount adds to the flavor!
- Paprika: Using smoked paprika adds a rich and smoky flavor. You can also use sweet paprika which has a mild and slightly sweet flavor. Hot paprika provides a significant kick of spiciness and is ideal for adding heat to dishes where a touch of fiery flavor is desired.
- Wood Flavors: Any mild wood, such as apple or cherry provides the best flavor. Pecan is another good choice for this cut of meat.
👩🍳 Preparing the Smoker
It doesn't matter what type of smoker you use for this recipe. The smoke time and methods will be the same. But depending on the type of smoker you use will depend on how you prep it.
- Start by lighting the smoker. Let it preheat until it reaches 225°F.
- If a water pan is being used, put a disposable pan or wrap the water bowl with aluminum foil before filling it with water. This helps ensure an easy clean up after the smoking process. During the smoking process, the meat will drip.
- Depending on the type of smoker you use will determine if you should use wood chips, wood chunks, or pellets. If you use wood chips, they should last about 1.5-2 hours. Wood chunks will burn longer, about 2-4 hours.
📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Start by brining the meat. Place the pork in a large 13x9 dish.
Step 2: Combine all the brine ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
Step 3: Then, pour the liquid brine mixture over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
👩🍳 Expert Tip: For best results, brine for for 10-12 hours.
Step 4: After the brining process, remove the pork and place it on a large cookie sheet. Do not dry it off with paper towels. It should be wet when you apply the dry rub.
Step 5: Lather both sides of the meat with the pork dry rub. Using your fingers, firmly press the dry rub into the pork and ensure all sides are covered.
The tenderloins are still going to be wet from the brine which helps the dry rub stick to the meat better. There's no need to let them marinate in the rub.
Step 6: When the smoker has preheated to 225°F, put the meat directly on the smoker grates. Close the lid and smoke the meat for 1 hour.
Step 7: Open the smoker lid and using a basting brush, lather on a savory and flavorful barbecue sauce to both sides of the meat. This is the point in the smoking process when I insert the digital meat thermometer and start monitoring the internal temperature.
Step 8: When the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145°F, remove the meat from the smoker and let it rest for 3 minutes. Grab a meat carving knife, slice, and then serve.
The key to success when smoking a pork tenderloin is smoking it low and slow. And the results are full of mouthwatering flavor everyone will enjoy!
🙋🏼 Recipe FAQs
Smoking it at 225°F will take about 2 hours to smoke. On average, it takes about 40 minutes to smoke per pound.
Pork Loin is often called "the other white meat". It's super low in fat and indeed turns white when it's cooked. It is typically a large piece of meat, like a roast, and it comes from the back of the pig. That's why it's sometimes called a pork loin roast. It can come with the bone in or the bone out. And if you've never smoked pork loin, it's really easy to do and provides a lot of flavor.
Pork Tenderloin is more of a filet and just like the name implies, it is the most tender cut of pork you can get. It's smaller and tends to have a darker color to the meat than the pork loin. Even when this cut of meat is fully cooked, it still has a slight pink tint, especially when it has been smoked.
The USDA recommends that pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit with a 3-minute rest. And I couldn't agree more. The slightest degree over 145°F will start to dry out the pork.
💭 Expert Tips
- When you smoke any meat, smoke it low and slow. This will result in flavorful, juicy, and tender meat.
- Trim off any excess fat with a sharp knife before smoking.
- You'll sometimes find a layer of silverskin. You can easily remove this with a sharp knife or ask the butcher to remove it for you.
- It typically takes about 2 hours to smoke pork tenderloin, but always rely on the internal temperature gauge and not the smoking time. You want the internal meat to reach 145°F before removing it from the smoker.
- For storage purposes, it will last in the refrigerator in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- To reheat, place the meat in a cast iron skillet and bake in the oven at 300°F for about 20 minutes or until warm.
🥘 BBQ Sides
If I'm taking the time to prepare the smoker and smoke meat, I always smoke several side dishes.
- Smoked Macaroni and Cheese
- Baby garlic and herbed smoked potatoes
- Smoked Baked Beans
- Hickory Smoked Green Beans with Bacon
- Smoked Cherry Tomatoes
🍽️ More Pork Recipes
If you tried this smoked pork tenderloin or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Smoked Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
- Smoker Pellet, Electric, Charcoal, or Propane Gas
Ingredients
- 2 lb. pork tenderloin
Dry Rub Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Byron's Butt Rub
Brine Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 2 teaspoons rosemary, dried
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
How to Brine Pork Tenderloin
- To brine, place the pork tenderloin in a large 13x9 dish. Pour 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 sliced orange, 1 sliced lemon, 2 teaspoons rosemary, 2 bay leaves, 2 garlic cloves, ¼ cup sugar into a bowl and mix well.
- Pour the brine mixture over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. If you have the time, brine for 12-24 hours.
How to Smoke Pork Tenderloin
- In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 2 teaspoons Byron's Butt Rub. Mix well to combine.
- Generously apply the dry rub onto the meat and ensure all sides are covered.
- Prepare the smoker. Once the smoker is preheated to 225°F, place the meat in the smoker directly onto the smoker grates, close the lid, and smoke for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, open the smoker lid and baste with barbecue sauce on both sides of the meat. This is the point in the smoking process where I insert the digital thermometer and start monitoring the internal temperature.
- Once the pork tenderloin reaches 145°F, remove the meat from the smoker and let it rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE TIMING OF THIS RECIPE:
- Marinate the pork for a minimum of 2 hours, but preferably 10-12 hours.
- The estimated smoke time at 225°F will be between 1-2 hours. Always place a digital meat thermometer in the pork and when it reaches the desired done temperature, remove it from the smoker.
- Trim off any excess fat with a sharp knife.
- You'll sometimes find a layer of silverskin. You can easily remove this with a sharp knife or ask the butcher to remove it for you.
- Skip the BBQ sauce process if you want to stick strictly with the rub. The flavor is fabulous with only the dry rub, but I love BBQ sauce so I wanted to take this recipe to the next level flavor wise.
- If you can't find Byron's Butt Rub, you can skip that ingredient. But you can typically find it at Costco or on Amazon. Even a small amount adds to the flavor!
- For storage purposes, it will last in the refrigerator in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- To reheat, use a cast iron skillet and bake in the oven at 300°F for about 20 minutes.
Liz
My dad loves pork tenderloin and I was trying to find something fun to make my dad for father's day. So this is great timing! Thanks for the recipe!
Amanda Mason
He's going to absolutely LOVE this recipe! Let me know how it turns out!!
Eric
Wow! Delicious. I followed this brine recipe and used 4 pork tenderloins. No extra brine needed. Fruity brine flavor infused nicely into the meat. I used my own blend of spices for the rub. Smoked at 225F to internal temp of 145. Removed from heat and wrapped in foil and then a towel and placed it in an insulated cooler and allowed to rest for 1 hour. So so SO good!
Amanda Mason
Nice, Eric! I'm soooo glad to hear this!! That wrapping process REALLY helps make the pork even more tender!! I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe!! Let me know what other recipes of mine you try!! I can;t wait to hear!!
Mary K Ray
Newbie to smoking meats - I chose this recipe for my first try because of the short smoking time to test things out. Got my Pit Boss vertical pellet grill assembled (by myself w/hubs running back up as the screw tightener to his dismay) last weekend, primed and seasoned. Doing a chicken with it - testing, testing, testing. Going with the smoked potato recipe too! Maybe a little smoked chicken corn chowder coming - fingers crossed! Wish me luck.
Amanda Mason
Sounds all around amazing! Let me know how things turn out! I can't wait to hear!
Paul Pappas
Using my Traeger, Followed directions, brined for 6 hours applied rub, did not add barbecue sauce and all three pork tenderloins were done in 2.5 hours at 145 deg. we live at 6k feet. Fabulous taste enjoyed by all.
Amanda Mason
Hi Paul! I'm SO glad the pork tenderloins turned out so great!! I'm glad you all enjoyed them!! Please let me know what other recipes of mine you make! I can't WAIT to hear!!
Manuel Parra Garcia
Can you do same with regular pork loin?
Amanda Mason
You can! Here's how I'd smoke it using pork loin:
1. Prepare the smoker and pre-heat until the internal temperature reaches 225°F.
2. Place the pork loin directly on the smoker racks and insert a digital thermometer.
3. When the pork loin reaches an internal temperature of 110°F, wrap the pork loin in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
5. Place it back in the smoker and continue smoking until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
I've noticed with pork loin it dries out faster than tenderloin so wrapping it really helps maintain the moisture! Let me know how it turns out!
EA at The Spicy RD
This looks so tasty! I've never made a smoked pork tenderloin before, but I know my family would love this!
Monica | Nourish and Fete
This looks amazing, Amanda - I would never skip the brining step, it adds SO much flavor, and is so easy to do as long as you can plan in advance. (Not always my strong suit, but worth it for this, ha!) Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Scarlet
I love pork tenderloin but I never make it at home so thanks for the smoked tenderloin recipe so I can give it a go!
Amanda Mason
You are welcome! Enjoy it!!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme
I loved how easy and delicious the pork tenderloin came out! It was perfect for a simple summer backyard dinner!
Kushigalu
Mouth watering and flavorful. Love the presentation too. Pinned the recipe!