Balsamic Glazed Smoked Pork Tenderloin

If you need an easy, delicious main dish for a family dinner or gathering, look no further. Juicy, tender pork tenderloin is smoked to perfection and smothered in a sticky-sweet balsamic glaze. You have to try this Balsamic Glazed Smoked Pork Tenderloin.

Ingredients for Smoked Pork Tenderloin

This is what you’ll need for this recipe:

Pork Tenderloin

You’ll need pork tenderloin for this recipe. Not to be confused with pork loin, because that’s a totally different cut. Pork tenderloin is long and skinny with a pointed end. I usually buy pork tenderloin in a pack of two from the store.

Sage

I use dried sage in this recipe, but you can use fresh.

Garlic Powder

Garlic powder is easy, but you can totally use fresh minced garlic or jarred minced garlic if that’s what you like.

Salt and Pepper

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I love Redmond Real Salt!

I am very picky about salt! I love to use fine sea salt from Redmond Real Salt because it is pure, unprocessed, and contains no fillers, anti-caking agents, additives, or unhealthy pollutants. It’s also full of naturally occurring trace minerals. Redmond Real Salt has been mined from an ancient seabed in central Utah, making it true sea salt! 

To make it more cost-effective, I buy in bulk and order a 25 pound bag of salt every few years. I store it in mason jars and it lasts me a few years.

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Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic vinegar is used to create a thick and sticky glaze.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar adds a perfect sweetness to the glaze.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch makes the glaze nice and thick.

Soy Sauce

It might seem out of place, but soy sauce adds a great umami flavor that balances out the acidity of the vinegar.

How to Prep Smoked Pork Tenderloin

To prep pork tenderloin, make sure that you remove the silver skin from the outside of the tenderloin. It’s a membrane that’s not very pleasant to eat. You can remove it by peeling the membrane back with your hands (gripping it with a paper towel can help). Or you can cut it off. Trim any fat that you would like to remove as well. Let the pork sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before cooking.

How to Smoke Pork Tenderloin

Smoking meat is not as hard as you think. Especially if you start with an easy-to-cook cut like pork tenderloin. Add your wood chips or pellets to your smoker and preheat to 350 ºF.

Place room temperature meat directly on the hot smoker. Cook for 20-30 mins or until internal temperature reaches 140 ºF.

Once the meat has reached temperature, remove from heat and place on a cutting board to rest. Cover it with tin foil while resting for about 10 minutes. Resting allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat while the internal temperature continues to rise to about 145°F.

Avoid cutting the meat until it has rested so that the juices don’t run out, or you’ll be left with dry meat.

How to Bake Pork Tenderloin in the Oven

Follow the same prep method as the smoking method. Place pork tenderloins in an oven-safe dish with ¼ c water to steam. Cover the dish and place in the oven for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 140 ºF. Make sure to rest the meat for at least 10 minutes after cooking.

How to Make Balsamic Glaze

This balsamic glaze is so delicious and easy to make. While the meat is cooking, prepare the glaze on the stovetop by mixing the cornstarch and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Add the water, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar to the pot. Mix well and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Brush the glaze onto the rested meat with a pastry brush, and pour more over the sliced pork medallions. You’ll definitely want to bring extra glaze to the table!

What to Serve with Balsamic Glazed Smoked Pork Tenderloin

This Balsamic Glazed Smoked Pork Tenderloin is a delicious main dish to serve for a family dinner or dinner party. I would pair this with roasted vegetables or a salad like Orange Avocado Salad or Bacon, Spinach, and Poppyseed Salad and some homemade bread. Try my Sourdough Rosemary French Bread, Easy Dutch Oven Sourdough, or Fast Classic White Dinner Rolls.

More Main Dish Recipes

If you love this recipe, try my Crockpot Pork Chops and Mashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Chuck Roast, or Mini Meatloaf.

Happy Cooking!

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! If you want to follow along with my cooking adventures, come find me on Instagram  @AMBERSKITCHEN. I appreciate your support so much!

Balsamic Glazed Smoked Pork Tenderloin

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Rest Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Meat:

• Pork tenderloin about 2-3 pound, trimmed
• 1 tsp sage dried
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Glaze:

• ½ C water
• ⅔ C brown sugar
• 2 T cornstarch
• ⅓ C balsamic vinegar
• 2 T soy sauce

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Instructions

• Bring meat to room temperature on the prepared cooking space. There are usually 2 small tenderloins in each shrink wrapped package of pork; unwrap packaging and separate the tenderloins. With a sharp knife, trim excess fat and remove silver skin from the pork, discard trimmings.
• Dry rub the meat with salt, pepper, garlic, and sage. Fresh garlic and sage may be substituted for the dry herbs.
• Preheat the smoker or oven to 350 degrees.

Smoker Instructions

• Place room temperature meat directly on the hot smoker. Cook for 20-30 mins or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.

Oven Instructions

• Place pork tenderloins in an oven safe dish with ¼ c water to steam. Cover dish and place in oven for 30 mins or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.
• While meat is cooking, prepare the glaze on the stovetop. In a small saucepan, mix cornstarch and sugar together before adding liquids. Mix well and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 mins or until thickened.
• Once the meat has reached 140 degree temperature, remove from heat and place on a cutting board to rest. Cover meat with aluminum foil while resting for about 10 minutes. The meat will continue to cook and the temperature will eventually reach 145 while resting. Avoid cutting the meat until it has rested so that the juices can be evenly distributed and the meat can remain moist.
• Coat meat with glaze using a pastry brush after the resting period.
• Slice meat into medallions and drizzle glaze on top of individual servings of cut meat.