When I first started cooking a BBQ glazed pork tenderloin was my go-to item when I wanted a savory entree that was sure to impress the family. It is such a flavorful and lean piece of meat, it is the perfect canvas to paint any variety of flavor profiles. My homemade sweet and smoky cherry chipotle BBQ sauce makes this a show stopper!
Ingredients Needed
- Pork tenderloin
- Butter
- Onion
- Cherry preserves
- Ketchup
- Cider vinegar
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Molasses
- Fresh ground black pepper
If you have never cooked with chipotle peppers before, there is no reason to be intimidated. Chipotles are just smoked and dried jalapenos, you will most commonly find them canned in a dark red adobo sauce made from ground chiles, herbs, and vinegar. A little will go a long way, but whatever you don't use can be stored in the refrigerator.
The unmistakable deep smoky flavors of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce really contrast nicely with the fruity sweetness of the cherries in my Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce. The sugar content from the cherries and molasses makes this an amazing glaze as it will cook down into a deliciously sticky syrup as the pork roasts!
How to make it
The basic premise of this recipe is to prepare the sauce, paint it on the pork, then bake it. Pretty easy, right? You can do this!
Begin by sauteing your chopped onions until they are tender. Then all of the remaining ingredients can be added to the sauce pan to simmer (except the pork tenderloin, of course). After simmering for five minutes, place it in a blender and puree until smooth. Your BBQ sauce is now ready to go!
Pour the sauce into two bowls. One will be used to paint on the raw meat, the other will be used as a condiment. Using two bowls prevents cross-contamination. Not only can it be used as a sauce for your finished tenderloin, but you can also use it when you want to add a little flare on any of your favorite BBQ dishes. Imagine this on a pulled pork sandwich!
Finally, all that is left to do is painting the pork generously with sauce and then baking it in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the pork reaches 145 degrees.
Tips and Tricks
- The flavor of the chipotle BBQ sauce will continue to meld after it is prepared. For this reason, you can make this sauce days in advance for an even more robust flavor.
- Each tenderloin will cook at different rates depending on their size and thickness. I always recommend using a meat thermometer to monitor how the meat is cooking.
- This sauce would taste phenomenal on grilled chicken as well!
FAQs
Chipotle peppers are ripened jalapenos that are smoked and dried. These are often sold canned in a richly seasoned adobo sauce made from chiles, herbs, and vinegar. This can typically be found in the Mexican food section of your favorite grocery store.
Bake pork tenderloin at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the meat reaches your desired temperature.
According to the USDA, pork tenderloin is safe to eat at 145 degrees.
More Pork Recipes
Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-2 pound pork tenderloin
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- ¾ cup cherry preserves
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce minced
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Let tenderloin sit out at room temperature while creating the sauce.
- Saute the onions in butter in a small saucepan until translucent.
- Add all remaining ingredients to saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer sauce to blender and puree until smooth.
- Pour sauce into two separate bowls to prevent cross contamination.
- Using one bowl with a smaller amount of sauce, brush liberally onto the raw meat.
- Add more sauce to this bowl as needed, but throw away any sauce left in the bowl that is not used since the brush came in contact with raw meat.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place tenderloin on a wire rack sitting on top of a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145. Cook time will vary depending on thickness of the tenderloin.
- Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes then slice on the bias and serve with remaining sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com on August 24, 2015.
Adriana Martin
I wish I was invited to this feast! I love pork and the combination you did with the cherry and the chipotles is brilliant. Many thanks for a great recipe #client