It just doesn’t get much tastier – or easier – than Smoked Pork Tenderloin. Juicy, meaty, and tender, the subtle smoke flavor is the perfect match for pork, making this easy-peasy recipe a must-try! Fire up that smoker and get smokin’!
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Meaty, tender, and with flavor through-and-through, there’s few things tastier than Smoked Pork Tenderloin. I love throwing a pork tenderloin on the smoker whenever I’ve got a wee bit of room. This forgiving cut of meat can smoke well at most low temperatures, and it hardly takes up any space!
Making Traeger smoked pork tenderloin or making it on any smoker is easy. Read on for all my best tips and tricks!
What You Need To Make Smoked Pork Tenderloin
- Traeger pellet grill/smoker – or your favorite smoker
- Applewood pellets – my favorite for pork
- Digital meat thermometer
- Pork tenderloin – remove the pesky silver skin (see below for tips)
- The Best Pork Rub – or your favorite rub
How To Make Pork Tenderloin on a Pellet Grill
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Fire up your pellet smoker and set it to 180-F.
- Liberally rub the trimmed pork tenderloin with The Best Pork Rub or your favorite dry rub.
- Smoke it at 180-F for 15 minutes to give it a good kiss of smoke, then turn up the heat to 225-F and smoke it for about 45 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145-F on a digital meat thermometer.
- Let it rest for about 10 minutes then cut and serve!
How To Remove The Silver Skin on Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is notoriously lean but there is a bit of tough connective tissue called silver skin, which should be removed prior to cooking. It’s really tough and unpleasant to eat, so do yourself a favor and remove it. Here’s how:
- Using a sharp knife, slip the knife in between the pork tenderloin meat and the silver skin cutting a bit of it away from the meat.
- Holding the flap of silver skin in one hand, work the knife down the pork tenderloin – from the thick end towards the thin end, with your knife cutting at slight upward angle to remove the silver skin.
- That’s it! Discard the silver skin, rub the pork tenderloin, and smoke it!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- When buying pork tenderloin, look for UNseasoned pork tenderloins. Seasoned is a code word for injected with saline solution and some flavoring. This plumps up the meat adding weight to it so they can charge you more by the pound. Look for pork tenderloin with NO added ingredients. It doesn’t need tenderizing or additional flavor.
- Pork rubs can be notoriously high in salt. To keep the salt in check, make your own rub or try my favorite rub which I call The Best Pork Rub. Not terribly original but it’s got the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.
- Use a meat thermometer to avoid overcooking pork. Pork can be safely cooked to a minimum temperature of 145-F. This is still fairly pink. I prefer my pork to have a blush of pink, which means an internal temperature of 150-F. Pulling it off the smoker at 145-F and covering it loosely to let it rest should allow it to come up to 150-F.
- How many people does a pork tenderloin serve? I usually count on 4 smaller appetites, or 3 larger ones, for each pork tenderloin.
- You’ll need about 1/4 cup of rub per pork tenderloin.
What To Serve with Smoked Pork Tenderloin
Sauced with this Bourbon BBQ Sauce or unsauced, this smoked pork tenderloin Traeger recipe pairs so well with so many sides. Some of my favorites include Smoked Mac and Cheese, Smoked Asparagus, Sauerkraut with Apples and Bacon, and Au Gratin Potatoes. These Smashed Potatoes are another good pick, or keep things light with this cold quinoa salad. Don’t forget about the Blueberry Grunt for dessert!
This full-color ebook cookbook features more than 50 of Chef Jenn’s tried, tested, and favorite smoker recipes! Enjoy:
- Smoked Beef Kabobs
- Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Pork Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
- Smoked Spaghetti Squash with Herbs
and so much more!
Frequently Asked Questions
The Best Pork Rub is a mix of sweet and spicy and has loads of flavor. Mix up a batch of this for a fraction of the cost of buying name-brand rubs.
Yes! I consider this a newbie-level recipe, but it’s also one that pro smokers will turn to again and again because it is just so darn delicious. Just keep your digital thermometer handy and pull the pork out to rest at 145-F, and you’ll impress everyone!
I like applewood pellets. The sweet flavor of that smoke pairs so nicely with pork. But, a good blend will work, too. Stay away from heavier flavors like mesquite and hickory as those smoke flavors are a bit too much for the delicate pork.
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Step By Step Process
Smoked Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin 1 – 1 1/2 pounds
- 1/4 cup The Best Pork Rub or your favorite pork rub
Instructions
- Fire up your pellet smoker and set it to 180-F.
- Liberally rub the trimmed pork tenderloin with The Best Pork Rub or your favorite dry rub.
- Smoke it at 180-F for 15 minutes to give it a good kiss of smoke, then turn up the heat to 225-F and smoke it for about 45 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145-F on a digital meat thermometer.
- Let it rest for about 10 minutes then cut and serve!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- When buying pork tenderloin, look for UNseasoned pork tenderloins. Seasoned is a code word for injected with saline solution and some flavoring. This plumps up the meat adding weight to it so they can charge you more by the pound. Look for pork tenderloin with NO added ingredients. It doesn’t need tenderizing or additional flavor.
- Pork rubs can be notoriously high in salt. To keep the salt in check, make your own rub or try my favorite rub which I call The Best Pork Rub. Not terribly original but it’s got the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.
- Use a meat thermometer to avoid overcooking pork. Pork can be safely cooked to a minimum temperature of 145-F. This is still fairly pink. I prefer my pork to have a blush of pink, which means an internal temperature of 150-F. Pulling it off the smoker at 145-F and covering it loosely to let it rest should allow it to come up to 150-F.
- How many people does a pork tenderloin serve? I usually count on 4 smaller appetites, or 3 larger ones, for each pork tenderloin.
- You’ll need about 1/4 cup of rub per pork tenderloin.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
