Smoked Pork Tenderloin

Smoked pork tenderloin is the perfect meat for a quick meal made on the smoker. Tender, juicy and full of flavors from smoky bacon, garlic, rosemary and sage.

If you have a smoker, which obviously you do since you are looking at this recipe, you know how deep a love for your smoker can go.

I mean you just can't beat making a dinner that smells like a campfire when you make it. There is absolutely nothing like it.

You get tender, perfectly cooked meat every single time. And this smoked pork tenderloin recipe is no exception.

If you haven't smoked a tenderloin on yet, you are in for a treat. The best part is that it takes about an hour (depending on the thickness) and you have dinner on the table.

So lets have a chat about what flavors we are working with here.

Let's get the scary part out of the way. I use bacon grease in the recipe. But don't fret. It CAN be optional although I strongly advise against omitting. And if it still weirds you out, just think of it like this.

If you would eat a pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon, you should have no problem smothering it in bacon grease. Let's just be logical about things. And if you want my dissertation on why bacon grease is better for you than most oils...just sent me an email.

Bacon goes so freaking well with the smokiness of the tenderloin. It is like the sophisticated brother of pork family. Leaving him out of the recipe would be a major disappointment to your taste buds.

On top of the bacon grease, we use a flavor dried spice rub with flavors that were just meant to be together. I am talking aromatic flavors of garlic, rosemary and sage. Ugh! So,so, so good.

Jump to:

• What is a tenderloin
• What to serve with your smoked pork tenderloin
• Temperatures
• Wood chips
• Recipe

What is a tenderloin

A pork tenderloin is a boneless piece of meat that is from the muscle that runs alongside the backbone. It is a slender long round piece of meat.

The tenderloin is different from the pork loin, which is it is often confused for, because it is from a different part of the pig. Here is a great in depth article if you are looking for more information on the difference between the two cuts of pork.

What to serve with your smoked pork tenderloin

Here are a few ideas to serve with your pork tenderloin:

• Baked Mac and Cheese
• Salad like this Bacon, feta and red onion salad
• Twice baked potatoes
• your favorite green beans, brussel sprouts or roasted broccoli

Temperatures

For this recipe, we will be smoking the pork at 250°F. It typically takes about an hour for your pork to be cooked thru at this temperature. I would start checking your pork at the 30 minute mark. Then recheck again at the 45 minute mark so you don't over cook the pork.

Of course if you have super thick or thin pieces of tenderloin the cooking times will vary.

Pork is cooked through when it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. If you know you like your pork cooked on the more done side feel free to cook above that temp.

Wood chips

I used hickory flavored chips for this recipe but pork goes well with pecan, apple cherry and mesquite. So use what you have on hand or change it up. Thirty minutes is a general recommendation for how long you should soak your chips.

I do typically soak mine, but it is closer to like 10-15 minutes.

This is a good quick read on soaking wood chips if you want more info.

Let's cook

Are we ready to smoke some meat? Don't forget to pin this recipe for later! And share it with all your friends on all the social channels, cause you are the best!

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Recipe

*This recipe was inspired by these potatoes on The Spruce Eats.