Juicy grilled tenderloin, with hints of smoke, honey & balsamic, cooked over a glowing campfire, good friends, fresh evening air - what could be better? This lip-smacking pork tenderloin, with its quick marinade, makes your campfire dinner memorable, but is equally at home on a barbecue grill or in a skillet.

Jump to Recipe

A wooden cutting board with two sliced, grilled tenderloin on them, the grill with some fire under it behind.

It's been that kind of a year - rainy, cloudy, cool - like we haven't had summer at all. The garden weeds are out of control; we didn't get many yard projects done, and we only had our second campfire dinner of the summer in our fire pit last week. It felt wonderful to get out there with friends, sipping a glass of wine while we poked and prodded at the fire, then grilled some smoky tidbits, while catching up on our lives. It finally felt like we had a short, elusive celebration of our summer.

Standing around the campfire, enjoying a drink while we cook. — We need to enjoy every last bit of summer, and sharing a glass of wine and a meal with friends around the campfire is the way to do it.

Simple, Glazed and Grilled Tenderloin

Pork tenderloins make for a quick and easy campfire cooking main course. They are simple to prepare. The zesty honey, balsamic, and mustard glaze adds bright flavour and is especially easy if you prepare and marinate them a day ahead (but can be as little as 30 minutes marinating time). Grill them over the coals, or on a barbecue (or even in the oven or on the stovetop), watching them and turning them occasionally, and you've got big hunks of juicy, succulent lean meat that's loaded with flavour.

Two grilled tenderloins laying on a grill rack over the campfire, next to two foil packets of potatoes.

The pork tenderloins are grilling next to two foil-wrapped parcels of roasting potatoes. This double-foil-and-newspaper method of grilling campfire potatoes is easy and fool-proof.

Ingredients and Substitutions

2 pork tenderloins - each about ¾ to 1 lb in weight (350-450 grams). Smaller tenderloins (less than a pound) have the finest texture and flavour. You can easily increase this recipe and make grilled tenderloin for a crowd, too. One tenderloin will serve 2 to 3 people, depending on the size of it.
honey - liquid honey is easiest to stir into the recipe. Use flavourful local honey, if you can.
balsamic vinegar - adds a rich tanginess.
grainy mustard - this is the one with whole mustard seeds in it - adds lovely flavour and little pops of texture on the outside of the meat. But if you don't have it, regular Dijon mustard will do.
olive oil - just a bit, to add sheen and moisture.
soy sauce - adds a salty element. Use tamari sauce or gluten-free soy sauce if you want the recipe to be gluten-free.
garlic - make sure it is put through a garlic press or very finely grated (or finely chopped and then smashed with the side of a knife), so the bits don't burn when grilled. Or use a half teaspoon of garlic powder, instead.
cayenne pepper - to add a bit of zip. But you can also add a good squirt of your favourite hot sauce instead.

Two grilled tenderloins and two foil packs of potatoes on the grill on the fire pit.

Prepare the Tenderloins

You will need to remove the silverskin from each tenderloin - it's the thin, whitish-silver layer of connective tissue a few inches long, down one side of the rounded end of the tenderloin. To remove it, wiggle the pointy tip of a sharp knife anywhere under the silverskin, flat against the meat. Then slide the knife along underneath the silverskin, first in one direction, then in the other, to cut it off and remove it. Pull it off as you continue cutting. Trim any bits that didn't come off with the first cut.

One hand lifting up the silverskin, while the knife slides along and cuts off the rest on a pork tenderloin.

Two raw pork tenderloins on a cutting board, the front one with the silverskin removed. — The front tenderloin has the silverskin removed. I still have to do the back one.

Make the Marinade

Easy. Just whisk or stir together all the marinade ingredients in a cup or bowl. Place the tenderloins into a ziptop plastic bag or into a shallow container. Pour over the marinade and seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Smoosh the bag around with your fingers until you work the marinade in to cover every surface of the tenderloins. Or if using a shallow dish, turn the tenderloins over a few times to coat them with the marinade, then cover the dish with clingfilm.

Pouring the marinade into the plastic bag containing two pork tenderloins. — Pour the marinade over the tenderloins in the bag.

Fingers on the outside of the bag, smooshing the marinade around to make sure it's coating every side. — Press and smoosh the bag to get the marinade to coat every side of each tenderloin.

Place the bag in a shallow container (in case of leaks) and leave it to marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or move it to the refrigerator and chill it for up to 24 hours, turning the bag over a few times during that time.

Plastic bag of marinating pork tenderloins in a pan.

Grilling the Tenderloins

Get your fire ready. Build a medium-sized, roaring fire, then let the flames die down to a point where you have some good, glowing coals with a few flames still flickering. Set a grill over the fire, grease it lightly with a brush and some oil. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and place them on the oiled spot of the grill. Brush them with some of the marinade remaining in the bag.

Turning the grilled tenderloins with tongs and leather gloves. — Use long tongs and wear oven gloves or leather gloves for turning.

Grill the tenderloins over the fire, turning them occasionally, until the insides are still just lightly pink and the outsides are crusty, browned, and beautifully charred in spots. If you use an instant-read thermometer, they should read 160°F (71°C) in the thickest part. This will take from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the tenderloins, how hot the flames are, and how far the grill is from the flames, so check them often as you think they are getting done.

Once the tenderloins are ready, remove them to a cutting board or plate and cover them loosely with foil. Let the tenderloins rest for 5 minutes, to reabsorb their juices.

Tenderloins are laying on a cutting board, covered in foil, on the fire pit, with a glass of wine beside.

Then they are ready to slice.

Sliced grilled tenderloin on a cutting board with foil underneath, on the fire pit. — juicy, succulent slices of tenderloin

Delicious Campfire Dinner

We enjoyed our campfire dinner so much - hopefully we can get a few more in if we have a nice warm autumn!

The tender, juicy slices of grilled tenderloin with their slightly sweet, tangy and piquant marinade were absolutely delicious served with our packets of foil-wrapped campfire-roasted potatoes to which we had added slices of shallots and generous handfuls of chopped black garlic, a fresh garden cucumber salad dressed simply in sour cream and fresh dill, and chunks of my favourite homemade pickled beets.

Blue enamelware plate filled with sliced grilled tenderloin, campfire potatoes, cucumber salad, and pickled beets. — What could be better? A campfire meal outdoors with good friends and a glass of wine.

Campfire heaven.

Want to receive new Kitchen Frau recipes directly to your email as soon as they're posted? Sign up here and you’ll get bits of news updates on what's happening in my kitchen and garden, plus a handy and useful kitchen tip along with each recipe, too. (No spam ever.)

If you like my recipes, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You’d make my day. 😊

Guten Appetit!

Square thumbnail photo of honey balsamic glazed tenderloin, sliced on a board, by the campfire.

Honey Balsamic Grilled Tenderloin

Margaret Bose Johnson

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Save to Pinterest

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Marinating Time 30

Total Time 1

Course Barbecuing & Grilling, Main Course

Cuisine American, Canadian

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

▢ 2 pork tenderloins (¾-1 lb/350-450 g each)
▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ 2 tablespoons honey
▢ 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
▢ 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
▢ 1 clove garlic, pressed or finely grated
▢ ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Remove the silverskin from the pork tenderloins (it's the whitish band of connective tissue at the rounded end of each tenderloin) - slide the tip of a sharp knife under the silverskin, and then slide it along to separate the silverskin from the meat. Trim any bits not removed with the first cut. Discard the silverskin.
In a cup or small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until combined.
Place the trimmed pork tenderloins in a shallow dish or in a heavy-duty ziptop plastic bag. Pour over the marinade and seal the bag or cover the dish. Place the sealed plastic bag in a shallow pan or dish, in case it leaks.
Leave the meat to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
To grill the pork, remove it from the marinade and reserve the marinade.
Place the tenderloins onto a greased grill over medium-hot coals on a fire or on a barbecue. Brush with the reserved marinade. Grill the meat, turning it occasionally until it is just slightly pink in the center (about 20 minutes). When tested with a thermometer, it should read 160℉ (71℃).
Remove the grilled tenderloins to a cutting board or serving platter and cover loosely with foil or a large lid. Let them rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Notes

The marinated pork tenderloins can also be cooked on a rack set over a baking sheet under the broiler, or pan-fried in a heavy skillet.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!