grilled lemon garlic pork tenderloin
This Grilled Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin recipe with rosemary is super simple, but full of flavor. It is easy to make and the pork takes on so much great taste from the marinade in only 1 hour!
I originally shared this recipe on April 20th, 2018. I have changed some of the text and added a video to reshare it with you today.
If you’re a subscriber to my email list then you know my latest obsession is that I have been paying more attention to the saturated fat in my diet. It goes back to a recent study about saturated fat in EatingWell and I can’t stop thinking about it. I really encourage you to take a moment to read it this week, because there has been a lot of conflicting news and voices about fat over the last decade, and this is a study that is the first of its kind.
I know in the last five years or so, I have become somewhat lackadaisical about monitoring my saturated fat intake, eating more coconut oil, and using butter and ghee for cooking, and eating red meat. It’s been pretty confusing all the while the internet fanning the flames. EatingWell has always been a trusted source of information for me (I am a contributing editor after all.) So after reading this article, I’ve actually changed my course a little bit. Nothing drastic, but a gentle course correction.
I should remind you that I am a trained chef, not a dietitian. So I am not offering advice about your diet, but I am telling you what my plan is in knowing this. I am going to focus a little more on getting my fats from unsaturated sources like nuts, seeds, salmon, tuna, avocado, etc and getting more of my protein from leaner cuts like chicken breast, pork loin, pork tenderloin, turkey and fish.
Which brings me to the most delicious way to make grilled pork tenderloin with this easy Grilled Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin recipe!
How To Make Grilled Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin
- Pork Without Hidden Sodium: I made a special trip to our natural grocery store to buy sustainably raised pork. You can read more about why I do that here in this recipe for 15-minute ginger pork. Not only is the animal husbandry a consideration for this recipe, but also conventional pork tenderloin has sodium solution added to it, and I try to avoid that.
- Make Seasoning Paste: I took two cloves of garlic and grated them with my micro-plane zester. Then I zested a lemon. I mixed the garlic and lemon together with a little chopped rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil. It formed a paste of sorts which I coated the pork with.
- Use Just a Little Lemon Zest: I only used 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Any more than that makes the pork taste like lemon Pledge. 1 teaspoon however, is bright and lovely and pairs well with the rosemary.
- Marinate the Pork Tenderloin Up To 4 Hours: If you plan ahead, refrigerate the pork all slathered in the paste for four hours. That will really impart a ton of flavor. But I also tested it with only an hour of marinating, and that was also totally fine.
How To Grill This Easy Pork Tenderloin
Tie the Tail End for Even Cooking
Because pork tenderloins are thin on one side and thick on the other, the thin end becomes dried out while the thick end is still coming up to temp. To help even them out, I tie the thin end. To do this. Tuck the last two or so inches of the tenderloin tail under. Then secure with a single strand of kitchen string. Trim the string so there aren’t any long pieces hanging off because they’ll burn.
Prep Your Grill
To grill the pork tenderloin, I preheated the grill, and brushed it down well. Then I oiled it and on went the pork.
Turn Often
I turned it every three or four minutes, and then checked the internal temperature with my insta-read thermometer.
How To Insert The Thermometer
Make sure to insert the probe into several places to get an accurate reading. Note, the sensor of the thermometer may not be at the very tip. For pork tenderloin, I insert the thermometer lengthwise, from thick end and use the lowest temperature as my guide.
Internal Temperature For Grilled Pork
The official recommended internal temperature for pork is 145 followed by a rest. But when I tried that, it was really overcooked. These natural pork tenderloins are only 1 pound- and by the time the center is up to 145 it’s hot all the way through basically, and the carryover takes it way beyond where it needs to be. So I found pulling it at 138 was much better. As you can see in the pics, there is only a faint amount of pink. If you are at all concerned about the safety of the internal temp, I say do what YOU think is best.
Let The Pork Rest
Let the pork rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. This allows the proteins to relax, and will ensure that all the juices don’t flow out when you slice it.
Steps To Make Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- 1. Combine garlic, oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and lemon zest in a shallow dish.
- 2. Rub the garlic rosemary mixture all over the pork tenderloin.
- 3. Fold the tail (thin) end of the pork tenderloin under and secure it with butcher twine.
- 4. Oil the grill rack by dragging an oil soaked towel along the grill grates.
- 5 Grill the pork, turning every 3 to 4 minutes.
- 6. Take internal temperature of the pork so the center of the probe is in the coldest center of the pork tenderloin.
What To Serve With Grilled Pork Tenderloin
This Vegan Herb Potato Salad will make everyone happy! I love the addition of sun dried tomatoes. They really make the flavors pop!
My Healthy Coleslaw is a fan favorite and so classic you can’t go wrong. But if you’re feeling more adventurous, try this blue cheese coleslaw with walnuts. The lemon and rosemary will really go great with the blue cheese.
For a Low Carb side dish, make this Zucchini Ribbon Salad. We adore it! Or keep it low key and make a batch of my Apple Cider Vinaigrette and toss it with simple greens.
For desserts try Pineapple Coconut Sorbet in frosted glasses topped with toasted coconut!
More Easy Healthy Grilling Recipes
If you like this Lemon Garlic Grilled Pork Tenderloin, then this Garlic Lemon Chicken Marinade will be right up your alley. You’ll never guess the secret ingredient!
My family loves lamb, and these Kofta have been making a regular appearance on our menu lately.
These Pork Chops with Rosemary are also so good, and the arugula and shaved cheese make it into an elegant meal to serve al fresco.
As Mary Said in Something About Mary, the world needs more meat on sticks. I agree! Try these 4-ingredient Pork and Peach Kebabs with Sweet Onion. Amazingly sweet and savory.
Question:
Do you pay attention to the saturated fat in your diet?
Grilled Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: grilling
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This Easy Grilled Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin recipe with rosemary is super simple, but full of flavor. It will be one you return to over and over again this spring and summer! It’s naturally gluten-free, paleo, whole-30 and low carb.
Ingredients
- 2 clove garlic, peeled and grated with a rasp-style grater
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 1-pound pork tenderloin, preferably with no salt added solution
Instructions
- Combine garlic, oil, zest, rosemary, salt and pepper in a shallow baking dish. Add pork, turn to coat in the marinade, cover and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Soak a paper towel with oil and set near grill with tongs.
- Just before grilling, hold the oil soaked towel with tongs. Drag gently along grill grates, pulling toward you. Immediately place pork on oiled grill. Cook, turning, every 3 to 4 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 138 degrees F, 13 to 17 minutes. (Note: It should rise above 145 degrees as it rests.)
- Let pork rest on a carving board tented with foil, at least 5 minutes. Slice cross-wise into ½-inch slices and serve.
Notes
Pork tenderloin from factory farms often contains added sodium solution. Not only does this pork come from farms with questionable animal husbandry practices, but the addition of sodium is unnecessary. Look for Certified Organic pork or Heritage pork instead. Check the label and make sure it doesn’t include added sodium.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4oz
- Calories: 214
- Fat: 8.5
- Saturated Fat: 2.3
- Carbohydrates: 0.3
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 32
Hey Katie…this is perfect for a traditional sunday, this looks an awesome and sound so delicious…Thanks for sharing…!
★★★★★
This is so simple but so tasty. And I love your point about buying sustainably raised pork. It’s so important to support farmers who are using methods good for the environment and for us.
And that article about saturated fat is interesting. I’m not really convinced that it’s bad for us but I want to keep investigating. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
I totally agree that regenerative farming is so important to the future of our food system!
Sorry, one more thing: the article doesn’t even link to the study (or if it does, I don’t see it), there’s no date on the article and it’s attributed to the editorial team rather than an actual person you can contact. I’d want to know a lot more about that saturated fat study before I buy into it (who paid for it? What other factors did they control for?).
★★★★★
Having a healthy dose of skepticism is half the battle! I applaud that, as I too am the same way. I checked the print version of the article, and it doesn’t say who the editor was. I can find out though. 😉 This study was the first of its kind, so hopefully there will be more data to back it up in the future.
I’m all about grilling everything right now with the temperature heating up, and anything with rosemary is an automatic ‘must make’!
★★★★★
Oh my goodness! It looks so delicious and I know that my family would love this recipe!
★★★★★
We love pork tenderloin, and this recipe is just perfect for a quick and tasty dinner. Thanks for sharing the information about saturated fat!
★★★★★
Summer grilling just got more interesting! Lemon and rosemary are a favorite with pork too.
★★★★★
How would you cook this in the oven?
I would make sure to pat it dry before searing. Use a heavy skillet over high heat. First, sear in the skillet for 6-8 min. Then transfer it to the oven and continue cooking it until it reaches 136-145 degrees, If the pan starts to brown too much you can deglaze with wine.
Here’s another one of my recipes you can use for reference.
https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/easy-roasted-pork-tenderloin-and-apple-skillet/
Hello
I’m new to your site, and have looked up a number if recipes that I would love to make. It’s great to have the nutritional information for the recipes, but I’m wondering why the sodium content is left out of the panel for nutrition count for some, not all of the recipes. We have to follow a sodium restriction, so it’s nice to have that info. I know I can just leave the salt out or half the amount.
Absolutely excellent. I only got this marinated for about 2 hours and let it set at room temperature for 30 minutes. Since it is January in Iowa I used my grill pan, browned all sides, baked it in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes and then let it rest for 10 minutes. Served MINE with roasted sweet potatoes and DH’s with a boring baked white potato. This will be my go to pork tenderloin recipe….tasty!
★★★★★