Best BBQ Pork Tenderloin

If you’ve read some of my other blogs, you know by now that I love pork. You also know that I’ll be the first to admit that it’s got a pretty mild flavor, so in most cases, it needs some extras in order to shine the way it can.

Ribs and shoulders are easy to work with and, in some cases, will have a little bit of fat that often proves to be more than welcome. But… what about pork tenderloin?

A few decades ago, pork tenderloin was seen as a top-quality cut in the mass market. As time went by, it slowly lost its appeal and is now seen mostly as a midweek, fast to eat, dinner option. This begs the question: what happened?

Starting with the obvious, pork tenderloin is a very lean cut and the meat can easily dry out. Sadly, it seems that people forgot the fact that it does not have to.

Nowadays, the definition of “Best BBQ Pork Tenderloin” is a simple rubbed tenderloin seared and cooked to an internal temperature of 140°F. It’s gonna have plenty of juice, I’ll give you that, but that’s about all you’re gonna get.

What if I told you that most blogs with the same title have it all wrong? What if I told you that they are not really telling you about the best BBQ pork tenderloin out there, but rather the simplest and fastest way to cook it?

I went ahead and actually gave some thought on what would be, based on my experiences, the best pork tenderloin, and here’s my conclusion:

Chives-, Spinach- and Boursin Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I know, the name sounds very fancy, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The first thing that you need to do to add flavor and personality to a tenderloin is to add fat. This will result in a richer and creamier bite. You want your tenderloin to be as juicy as can be, but also to add layers upon layers of flavors to it for it to taste amazing.

A lot of people will go ahead and use bacon as a go-to fat, but I feel like Boursin cheese works a lot better with tenderloin. Crispy prosciutto is also a solid choice to add later down the road as it mixes really well with this kind of cheese.

Hence, without further delay, here is what I consider to be the best BBQ pork tenderloin recipe:

(If possible, I suggest working with a Pellet grill as they do wonder for these types of cooking sessions. Using one of them is pretty much like working with an oven, but outside.)

Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin
• Chives, freshly chopped, to taste
• Boursin cheese, to taste
• Garlic, minced, to taste
• Spinach, to taste
• House of BBQ Experts California spice mix and rub, to taste
• Grapeseed oil, to taste
• Prosciutto, to taste

Cooking method:

1. Preheat the BBQ at 400°F.
2. In a bowl, whisk together some freshly chopped chives and Boursin cheese. Set aside.
3. Add the spinach in a cast-iron skillet and let it simmer down until it is tender. If needed, drain the water to make sure that spinach is the only thing that’s left in the skillet. Set aside.
4. With a knife, butterfly the tenderloin all while trying to keep it as evenly shaped as possible. (If a big tenderloin is used, it may be easier to cut it and to “unroll” it to have a consistent half-inch thickness all the way through than to butterfly it.)
5. Spread a nice layer of Boursin cheese over the ‘“insides” of the tenderloin and top it off with some minced garlic and the spinach that was set aside. Sprinkle some California spice mix and rub over everything and roll the tenderloin onto itself.
6. Brush the outside of the tenderloin with grapeseed oil and sprinkle an extra layer of the California spice mix and rub, just for good measures.
7. Drape the tenderloin with prosciutto. (If time is not an issue, another option would be to create a weave of prosciutto to make sure that it stays tight on the tenderloin.)
8. Place the tenderloin in the skillet, over indirect heat, and let it cook in the BBQ for about 25 minutes or until the inside temperature of the tenderloin reaches 140°F. (A  thermometer that gives the min/max read would be best, as it is possible that you may be probing in the cheese a few times instead, which can be misleading.) Once the prosciutto looks crispy around the tenderloin and the cheese starts to slowly flow out from its ends, know that the tenderloin is close to being ready. To give it more taste, use the juice that’s inside the skillet and spread it over the piece of meat (optional). 
9. If possible, optimize that good ole BBQ smoke profile that blends well with charcuterie by adding some cherry wood chips in the BBQ.
10. When the tenderloin is done cooking, remove it from the BBQ and let it rest for about 10 minutes to give the meat time to soak as much fat as possible and to allow the cheese to firm back together a little.
11. Serve and enjoy!

And there you have it, the best BBQ pork tenderloin out there! Cook this recipe and you’ll get a juicy, creamy, flavorful, mouth-watering dinner that will catch your family and friends off guard and set the stage for a night to remember.

It sure is a bit more intricate than your standard “rub and sear tenderloin,” but let’s be honest here, you’d go for my take on any given Saturday if you had the choice between both options.

If you’re feeling even more adventurous, this whole recipe can be turned into a very nice pork Wellington recipe as well, once again, proving that even the most “neutral” of meat can be the cornerstone of some of your favorite meals.

Have a great BBQ!