For a tasty dry rub for your pork tenderloin, mix together 1 ¼ cup brown sugar, ⅔ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons black pepper, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 tablespoons ground ginger, 4 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, 4 ½ teaspoons onion salt, 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons paprika, and ¾ teaspoon dried thyme. [2] X Research source To make a good basic marinade for a pork tenderloin, combine a ½ teaspoon of minced garlic, ¼ cup of cola, ¼ cup of dark brown sugar, ¼ cup of soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 teaspoon minced onion, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. [3] X Research source
Pork tenderloins usually have a silvery-looking membrane known as the silverskin on the top of it. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut off the silverskin before applying the rub or marinade. You can also trim away any fat as desired. [4] X Research source
Lightly scoring the tenderloin before you apply a dry rub can help the spices better penetrate the pork. When using a marinade, you can also place it in a plastic zipper bag, add the pork to it, and move the meat around inside to ensure that it is completely covered with the mixture.
Make sure to keep the seasoned tenderloin refrigerated until it’s time to smoke it. If you marinade has citrus in it, don’t let it sit on the pork for more than two to three hours. [7] X Research source Make sure to throw away any excess marinade that’s still in the bag or dish after you remove the pork. It can contaminate other food if you reuse it.
If you are using wood chips, soak them in water for at least an hour before putting them on the grill. Never use sap woods, such as pine for smoking. Not only will they ruin the taste of the pork, they can be toxic.
If you’re using a gas grill, start the smoking process by preheating it to medium. [10] X Research source
If your grill doesn’t have a temperature gauge, you can test the temperature by holding your hand over the charcoal. If you can do it for three seconds or more, the grill needs additional coals. If it’s too hot to keep your hand over the charcoal for more than two seconds, it’s hot enough If you’re using a gas grill, put the wood in a smoker pouch or box inside the grill, set it to high until you see smoke, and then reduce the grill heat to medium. [12] X Research source
If you’re using a gas grill, place the tenderloin on the grate directly above the smoker pouch or box.
As a rule of thumb, it takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes per pound to smoke a pork tenderloin. Because you’re cooking with indirect heat, there’s no need to touch or move the meat during the heating process. [15] X Research source With a charcoal grill, you will need to open the lid to add fresh lit coals during the smoking process to ensure that the temperature stays at 250 degrees. Use oven mitts to remove the tenderloin and the grate, add more hot charcoal, and then replace the grate and pork so you can close the lid as quickly as possible. A digital meat thermometer makes it easy to figure out if the pork is fully cooked.
If you want to give your tenderloin extra flavor, you can apply barbecue sauce or more of the marinade that you used right after it comes off the grill and it’s still hot. If you’re using a marinade, just be sure that it’s fresh and hasn’t touched the raw pork.
