This chipotle grilled pork tenderloin is topped with a fresh cherry salsa. Easy to prepare with a delicious smoky/sweet flavor, this recipe is perfect for summer!
So…remember last week when I was so excited about painting my dining room?
Well. After I painted the dining room, a funny thing happened:
The living room looked terrible. So I painted the living room.
And then the couch didn’t match. So I bought a new couch (well a ‘new to us’ couch).
And now the kitchen looks terrible.
Reasons you’ll ♡ this chipotle grilled pork tenderloin with cherry salsa
- it’s easy to prepare and does not require your oven
- it’s gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo
- the smoky and sweet flavor combination is so delicious!
To be fair, the kitchen is ORANGE. Seriously orange…check it out in this post here. As you can see, the paint has a really weird ‘sheer’ thing going on that I haven’t been really loving. So someday that kitchen is going to get a new paint job. Maybe not that soon. I am starting to experience paint-fatigue…and I still haven’t done the bedroom!
So for now, I am going to have to stay away from Apartment Therapy and avoid looking at house-related pins on Pinterest. They put waaaay too many ideas in my head!
With all the painting/decorating/organizing and reorganizing that has been happening, it is nice to have a simple, easy dinner, like this chipotle grilled pork tenderloin.
We have had this chipotle grilled pork tenderloin in one variation or another for dinner several times this summer. It is so easy: marinate in a combination of lime, chipotle peppers and honey. The pork is then grilled until cooked through and the marinade has caramelized, coating the tenderloin in a sweet and smoky layer.
Then comes Alton Brown’s weird but awesome trick for ultra-moist, super flavorful grilled tenderloin: wrapping the cooked pork with additional marinade for 10 minutes. In those 10 minutes, so much more flavor and moisture seeps into the pork. It really revitalizes it {we made the mistake of skipping this step one night and were so disappointed}.
I topped this chipotle grilled pork tenderloin with a simple and easy fresh cherry salsa: cherries, a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. The cherries and the chipotle are an unexpected, but delicious pairing…I am totally obsessed with it!
And this is another oven-free recipe…so if I decide to take the plunge and paint my kitchen, I have this recipe in my tool belt 😉
Tips & equipment for the perfect grilled pork tenderloin
- I recommend using a digital thermometer to tell when your pork tenderloin is cooked through, and we love using this cherry pitter
- freeze leftover adobo sauce and adobo peppers to use later
- looking for more pork tenderloin recipes? Check out this post on How to Cook Pork Tenderloin, this Amazing Pork Tenderloin Marinade and this Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin with Soy Ginger Sauce
Chipotle Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Cherry Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tenderloin (roughly 450 g)
Marinade
- 1 lime (zested)
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 chipotle peppers coarsely chopped
- 4 teaspoons adobo sauce {from can of chipotle peppers}
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
Fresh Cherry Salsa
- 1 cup cherries pitted and sliced into quarters
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Instructions
Grilled Chipotle Pork Tenderloin
- Combine marinade ingredients. Pour half of marinade into a resealable bag with pork tenderloin; cover and store other half of marinade until ready to cook pork. Marinate pork for 1 hour or more.
- Pre-heat barbecue to medium-high. Discard marinade and cook pork over indirect heat {towards the edge} for 15-20 minutes per side, or until cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F {63°C}.
- Place cooked pork tenderloin in aluminum foil, bringing the edges up around it to form a 'basket'. Pour the remaining marinade over the pork, and seal the aluminum foil, allowing everything to rest for 10 minutes.
Fresh Cherry Salsa:
- Combine all ingredients and serve over the pork.
Notes
Nutrition
- Recipe adapted from the Food Network
Denise
Thanks, Shelley! I take no credit for the tip. But it sure does work!
Leah | So, How's It Taste?
Gah, these pics are gorgeous! I love pork tenderloin because it’s so versatile in the flavor department. I’m going to try Alton’s trick! I need this on my dinner menu asap!
Denise
Thanks, Leah! Alton is one of those weird geniuses that you just have to listen to 😉
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)
Oh wow this looks pretty darn fantastic too!
Denise
Thanks, Jocelyn 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche
this pork looks so amazing and delicious.. love the cherry salsa! i really need to cook with pork tenderloin more, looks so tasty!
Denise
Thanks, Thalia 🙂
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel
This is so pretty and looks SO delicious. I really don’t cook pork enough! I get stuck in chicken and ground beef ruts, but this might be inspiration enough for me to branch out!! 🙂
Denise
I don’t really like other pork, especially not pork chops…they always end up so dry for me! Pork tenderloin is the only pork that I actually like 🙂
Annie @Maebells
You are just like me when it comes to home projects!! I came home from the hardware store with paint swatches and as soon as my husband saw them he said NO! NO! NO! hahaha! Bless him! Maybe I should paint anyway and make this chipotle pork tenderloin to apologize. This looks totally amazing! And the cherry salsa…oh.my.gosh!
Denise
Haha…Ben was also SO against painting, I think he had a feeling that something like this would happen 😛 It is so worth the effort though, everything feels so revitalized!
katie
I love pork tenderloin, it’s such a great summer grilling favorite. I’ve never wrapped up the meat after it leaves the grill. What a great tip. This looks amazing Denise!
Denise
THanks, Katie 🙂 I love pork tenderloin, too, much better than pork chops.
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
Cherry salsa!? Wow that’s genius! Love the contrasting sweet, smoky, and spicy flavors here 🙂
Denise
Thanks, Medha, I’m obsessed with the cherry-chipotle combo 🙂
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
I know how easy it is to get carried away with painting. Once one room is done, you realize how blah the next room looks! This pork tenderloin looks beautiful, Denise! I absolutely love that you created a cherry salsa. So fresh and creative!
Denise
Ugh, painting is so addictive! But so worth the effort. Thanks, Gayle 🙂