Smoked Pork Tenderloin is fantastic with a rich and flavorful Blackberry Bourbon Sauce drizzled over the top. Find out how to make this delicious meal!
Pork tenderloin was one of those gateway meats that brought me back to the dark side — or rather, eased my transition from being a pseudo-vegetarian to a smoked-meat-loving carnivore.
Shortly after we started getting serious about smoked foods, we even won our first food competition because of this pork tenderloin recipe.
What I’ve learned is simple: Smoked pork tenderloin, seasoned lightly and smoked slowly, is da bomb.
The blackberry bourbon sauce is just the icing on the cake!
How to Smoke a Pork Tenderloin
Smoking a pork tenderloin couldn’t be easier. Start by seasoning it with your favorite pork rub, we use this one, and then cook it at a low temp for about an hour.
- Preheat smoker: Set smoker between 225-250 degrees F.
- Season the meat: Coat the pork tenderloin with a layer of Dijon mustard (just to coat and allow the dry rub to adhere), and season with dry rub around the entire pork tenderloin.
- Smoke the pork tenderloin: Place on smoker for roughly 60-90 minutes or the internal temperature reads 140 degrees.
- Remove: and rest 10 minutes.
- Sauce it up: Slice and drizzle the blackberry bourbon sauce over the top.
If you haven’t smoked berries you’re missing out.
How to Smoke Berries
Smoking any kind of berry (strawberries, cherries, you name it), softens them and brings out deep concentrated sweetness of the berries, and adds a fascinating smoky element. We wanted to add something dark and rich to contrast the sweet fresh berries, so we cooked them with a little bit of bourbon. We also wanted to add just a little bit of liquid to the berries so that they didn’t dry out. Bourbon did the trick!
- Place a pint of the berries in a glass dish mixed with a tablespoon of sugar, a touch of salt, and ¼ cup of bourbon.
- Place it in the smoker, along side your pork (see photo below) for about 1 ½ hours.
- To Make The Smoked Blackberry Sauce: Transfer the berries and juices to a small saucepan with softened shallots, and mix with some balsamic and rosemary, until the berries start to break down and it turns into a rich thick sauce (about 5 minutes).
- Press down with a fork or potato masher to break up the berries and turn into a chunky sauce. Taste and adjust flavors. If not sweet enough add an additional ½ teaspoon of sugar at a time.
- Remove and drizzle over the smoked pork tenderloin.
No Bourbon? If you don’t want bourbon you can substitute wine. If you don’t want any booze at all, try a few tablespoons of apple juice or orange juice (just know that juice will accentuate the sweetness of the berries).
Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Blackberry Bourbon Sauce Recipe
Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Blackberry Bourbon Sauce
Ingredients
For the Pork Tenderloin
- 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb
- 1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, for coating
- 2 tablespoons Dry Rub (or your favorite pork rub)
For the Blackberry Bourbon Sauce
- 1 pint of blackberries
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons diced shallots
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
- ½ teaspoon sugar, optional
Instructions
For the Pork Tenderloin
- Set smoker between 225-250 degrees.
- Coat the pork tenderloin with a layer of Dijon mustard (just to coat and allow the dry rub to adhere).
- Sprinkle the dry rub around the entire pork tenderloin.
- Place on smoker for roughly 60-90 minutes, or the internal temperature reads 140 degrees.
- Remove and let rest 10 minutes.
- Slice and drizzle the blackberry bourbon sauce over the top.
For the Blackberry Bourbon Sauce
- Set smoker between 225-250 degrees.
- Rinse the berries and place them in a glass baking dish (8×8 works well for this). Toss with 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ cup bourbon.
- Place on smoker and cook for 90 minutes.
- Remove.
- In a small saucepan add the extra virgin olive oil and shallots. Let them soften (about 3-5 minutes). Add balsamic and bring to a boil (about 1 minute). Add the smoked berries with bourbon juices. Add the rosemary. Let them cook together about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Press down with a fork or potato masher to break up the berries and turn into a chunky sauce. Taste and adjust flavors. If not sweet enough add an additional ½ teaspoon of sugar at a time.
- Remove and drizzle over the smoked pork tenderloin.
Wine Pairing for Smoked Pork Tenderloin
I love love love pork and Pinot Noir, no matter how the pork is cooked. And here in Oregon we’ve got Pinot a plenty!
Look for a warmer vintage for this smoked pork tenderloin dish (like 2015, 2016). Something with good fruit with a lot of substance. You’ll find rich cherry and black berry flavor and some concentrated pomegranate that goes well with the sauce, and some baking spice and smoky notes that melded well with the pork.
Want more smoked berry recipes?
- Try these Smoked Strawberry Shortcake with Smoked Bacon Biscuits. So so good!
- Or these amazing Grilled Strawberry Sundaes.
If you like this recipe we’d truly appreciate it if you would give this recipe a star review! And if you share any of your pics on Instagram use the hashtag #vindulge. We LOVE to see it when you cook our recipes.
[…] Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Blackberry Bourbon Sauce […]