Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin is one of the most delicious methods to prepare pork tenderloin. Filled with savoriness, a teriyaki pork tenderloin can be grilled, baked in the oven, or even prepared in a pressure cooker or slow cooker.

A delicious pork tenderloin is a very tender cut of meat, tasty and low fat, and one that is extremely juicy when prepared correctly. The key is to marinate the pork tenderloin overnight in a really rich and delicious marinade and then cook it at a very high temperature on either a grill or in the oven.

How to Make Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

Grilling or baking your own pork tenderloin is SO SIMPLE! Any marinade will do, heck even salt and pepper will work well too! BUT, this teriyaki sauce will impress all your friends and family! It is SO delicious! All you need are a few simple ingredients, the pork tenderloins, a resealable bag (or container), and a grill or oven.

I prefer a plastic bag that I can toss in the trash bin so I don’t transfer or spread any bacteria from the raw meat. But if you prefer a container, that works just as well. I like to marinate overnight to maximize flavor. But if you only marinade for a couple of hours, that is fine too. Place all the marinade ingredients in the bag or container and squish a bit, then add the meat and place in the fridge. I like to turn the bag over every couple of hours.

Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to grilling or cooking. Turn on your grill and heat to 400 degrees. Keep in mind that every time you open the grill, the heat immediately leaves the grill and the temperature will drop. It takes a few minutes for the grill to heat back up, so if you leave the lid open for a length of time, you may have to adjust the grilling time due to the heat escaping. Just open the grill, turn the meat and close the lid in a short amount of time. You want to cook the tenderloins at the highest heat for the shortest amount of time to keep all the juices.

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 small to medium whole pork tenderloins (or 1 large)

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 3 tbsp light brown sugar

• 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tsp freshly minced ginger

• 4-6 cloves minced garlic

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic in a resealable bag, squeeze together to combine. 

2. Add the pork tenderloins and seal tightly. Place in a shallow pan and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for a minimum of two hours or overnight. 

3. Pull the tenderloin from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes to an hour before cooking and let it warm on the counter. When ready to cook, preheat the grill on medium-high, about 400°F.

4. Remove the pork from the bag and place on the grill. Cover and cook, flipping the tenderloin only once. GRILLING TIP: I set my timer for 7 minutes - then I flip the meat. If your meat is sticking to your grill grates - it is NOT ready to flip. That is how you know when the meat is ready to flip - it will no longer stick to the grill grates. Set the timer for another 7 minutes. If the meat still seems very squishy, rotate to another side and grill for another 5 minutes. The timing all depends on the size of the tenderloin and the weather.

5. While waiting for the tenderloin to grill, make the homemade teriyaki sauce. Pour the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic into a pot and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Boil the sauce until it reduces by half and thickens. You can reduce to medium heat after the first rolling boil.

6. Remove the tenderloin from the grill and let it rest while you complete the teriyaki sauce. Do not slice the tenderloin immediately or all the juices will release and you will end up with a dryer tenderloin. I let mine rest for about 5-7 minutes. Slice the tenderloin against the grain of the meat and serve with the homemade teriyaki sauce.

HOW DO YOU MAKE TERIYAKI SAUCE FROM SCRATCH?

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce is super simple to make, you simply need about 15 minutes for it to boil and thicken to a lovely sauce. I marinade the pork tenderloin in the same exact ingredients but do not use the same marinade as I use to boil. I don’t want to use the leftover marinade as the uncooked meat has been sitting in the marinade all night long. I use all new ingredients while the pork tenderloin is grilling and toss the marinade down the sink, just to be safe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 3 tbsp light brown sugar

• 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tsp freshly minced ginger

• 4-6 cloves minced garlic

Pour the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic into a pot and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Boil the sauce until it reduces by half and thickens. You can reduce to medium heat after the first rolling boil.

RECIPE TIPS:

Pork Tenderloin: I usually look for the smaller tenderloins when shopping. Sometimes pork tenderloins are sold with 2 small tenderloins in one package or one large tenderloin in one package. All of these will work. You will just need to adjust the grilling time. One large pork tenderloin will need at least 20-25 minutes to grill. There will not be a need to make more marinade - this recipe will work for one large or even two large. tenderloins.

Salt: Do not use salt in this recipe - not even on the meat. Trust me - the soy sauce has enough salt!

Ginger: Don’t be intimidated by fresh ginger. Simply peel it with a peeler and then use a grater. It looks really weird when it is grated - but that is how it looks! If you do not have fresh ginger - go ahead and use powdered, the recipe will still take amazing. I would use 3-4 tsps of powdered ginger instead of freshly grated.