Pork Tenderloin Rub - How to Smoke Pork Tenderloin

The right pork tenderloin rub is the first step for those delicious pork tenderloin medallions! One of my go-to rubs is Butcher BBQ Honey Rub and this is sweet with very little heat. It is a good dry rub for pork tenderloin and it’s a great foundation for any pork dish! Let’s talk about it!

What is a Pork Tenderloin

First, let’s talk about what a pork tenderloin is. It is a lean strip of meat along the pig’s backbone. The tenderloin is a small muscle that is not used often by the animal and therefore it is very tender.

This is not to be confused with a pork loin. A pork loin is a wider cut of meat from the pig’s back. This muscle is used more by the animal and it is not as tender.

Pork Tenderloin Rub – Let’s Get to Prepping

Ok, back to the pork tenderloin rub and prepping the meat. The tenderloin requires very little preparation. It may have some silver skin and a small amount of fat that needs to be trimmed, but that’s about it.

How to Remove the Silver Skin

The pork tenderloin seasoning will not be able to penetrate the silver skin so we want to remove it. Silver skin is a whitish membrane that will not render during the cook. It is rubbery and blocks smoke and rub from penetrating the meat. Also, it is not appetizing.

It’s very easy to remove the silver skin:

• Use a sharp boning knife and, aligning parallel with the meat, use the tip and go just under the silver skin.
• Push your knife through and this should give you a “pull tab.”
• Now grip the tab with one hand and use the knife in a fillet motion going down the silver skin.
• This will remove very little meat and take the silver skin off the tenderloin.
• You will need to repeat this process several times to get all the silver skin off.

Tie that Tail

Your pork tenderloin consists of a head and a tail. The head is the thicker part and the tenderloin’s tail is the thinner area of the meat. You will want to fold the tail over and tie it with butcher twine if it is too thin. This prevents the tenderloin’s tail from being overcooked.

Personally, I like to tie both the head and the tail with butcher twine. Sometimes the tenderloin’s head has a small piece of meat that dangles and can get overcooked as well.

Pork Tenderloin Rub - Time to Season

Now the prep is done, it’s time to dust your tenderloin with rub. The pork tenderloin seasoning I like to use is Butcher BBQ Honey Rub. This rub pairs very well with pork! It is sweet with very little heat on the back end. Your pork tenderloin will start to turn a beautiful orange, mahogany color, and it will smell amazing!

Simply dust your tenderloin from head to tail and let it rest for about half an hour while you get the pit ready.

Fire up the Smoker

Ok, now to the good part. Almost time to cook that pork tenderloin! You will want to smoke your tenderloin around 250°F. Pair it with some fruit wood or fruit wood pellets. I personally like to use apple wood chunks with my pork.

Apple wood, Butcher BBQ Honey Rub, and pork tenderloin are a match made in BBQ deliciousness!

Let’s Get to Smoking

Now put your pork tenderloin on the smoker. Let it baste in that delicious apple wood smoke for about an hour. I put a temp probe in one of my tenderloins. Around the 145°F internal temperature mark I basted the tenderloins with BBQ sauce. Wow, they looked good!

Check it around the hour mark. You should start to see the rub set and that pork tenderloin rub will smell incredible! My tenderloins hit the 155°F internal temp after an hour and fifteen minutes. They cook relatively fast!

Time to Rest

Let those pork tenderloins rest! I let mine rest for about 30 minutes. During the rest, the carry-over cook will put them over 160°F internal temp.

Let’s Eat

Your tenderloins have cooked, rested, and now that delicious pork tenderloin rub has set. It’s time to eat! Slice them into about half-inch medallions. As you slice each medallion, they will start to release that internal moisture! You should also see a faint smoke ring and wow, I am getting hungry just thinking about them!

In Conclusion

Ok, there you have it, straight to the point, no fluff, how to smoke a pork tenderloin! They are easy to cook and they are a quick option for weeknights! Now it’s your turn, grab some pork tenderloin rub and let’s fire up that pit!

Also, please leave us a comment and let us know how your pork tenderloin turned out!