Cherry Bourbon Smoked Pork Tenderloin
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Smoked pork tenderloins are one of the easiest things you can cook in your smoker when you want something that tastes great, has a “fancy” feel to it and you don't have a lot of time to spare.
In around 2 hours, you can take a pork tenderloin from raw to smoked amazingly delicious and folks will think you slaved over it for hours.
The cherry bourbon compote Abi came up with is a perfect match for this as well.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1.5 to 2 hours
- Smoker Temp: 225°F
- Meat Finish Temp: 145°F
- Recommended Wood: Cherry
- 2+ Pork Tenderloins
- Yellow mustard
- Jeff's original rub
- Cherry bourbon compote (recipe below)
Remove the pork tenderloins from the package, give them a rinse under cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel
Lay them on the cutting board and do your best to remove any silver skin, extra fat, etc.
Now that the meat is all cleaned up and all that extra stuff is removed, you can proceed with the seasoning process.
As usual, I like to use the old trusty yellow mustard base on this pork to help that rub to stick really well.
Apply a thin layer all over..
Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of Jeff's original rub .
Massage it into the meat all over.
If you are doing these the night before (recommended) simply put them in a big ziploc bag and place in the fridge overnight.
If you are ready to smoke, you can lay them on a Bradley rack or Weber grill pan with a little space between them and you are good to go.
Set up your smoker for cooking at about 225°F using indirect heat. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up. Once the smoker is preheated, it is time to cook.
Place the pork tenderloins directly on the grate or place the Bradley rack with the meat on the grate.
You can probably expect these to take around 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the perfect safely done temperature for pork at 145°F*.
Keep the smoke going for the entire time if you can or for at least an hour to get some good smoke flavor on the meat.
I used cherry to go along with the cherry compote but any fruit wood or even pecan would be really good on these.
When the pork tenderloins reach about 110°F or about an hour into the cook, brush some of the cherry bourbon compote onto the top of each one.
Wait about 20 minutes and repeat.
Be sure to use a tested digital thermometer to monitor the temperature while they cook. You are looking for about 145°F but I often remove them a couple of degrees early if I plan to wrap them in foil and hold them for 30-60 minutes until dinner time.
*The USDA has now assured us that it is perfectly safe to eat pork at medium rare (145°F ) and if you have not tried this, it makes all of the difference in the world. The pork will be so tender and juicy, you might not be able to believe its lean pork.
- ¼ cup Bourbon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 13 oz jar of cherry preserves (I used Bonne Maman)
Place all of the ingredients into a medium sauce pan. Using medium heat, bring the mixture to a rolling boil then reduce heat slightly to simmer for 10 minutes.
The compote will reduce by about 1/3 by the time it is finished.
When 10 minutes have elapsed, remove the compote from the heat and allow it to cool.
Remove the pork tenderloins from the smoker and bring them into the house. It is a great idea to immediately wrap them in foil and then in a thick towel on the counter to hold them for 30-60 minutes until dinner time.
When ready to serve, remove from the foil, slice and serve about 1/3 to ½ tenderloin per person.
Be sure to have some of the warm compote on the table so your guests can pour a little over the top of their slices if they want to.
Can I do the same thing with a whole pork loin?
Yes, but the cook time will increase to around 4 hours or so. You still need to watch the temperature and pull it from the smoker when it reaches 145°F.
Cherry Bourbon Smoked Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 Pork tenderloins
- 2 TBS Yellow mustard
- ¼ cup Jeff's original rub
Cherry Bourbon Compote
- ¼ cup Bourbon
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- ½ cup Water
- 12-13 ounces Cherry preserves (Other berries will work fine)
Instructions
- Remove the pork tenderloins from the package, give them a rinse under cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Lay them on the cutting board and do your best to remove any silver skin, extra fat, etc.
- As usual, I like to use the yellow mustard base on this pork to help that rub to stick really well.
- Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of Jeff's original rub and massage it into the meat all over.
- If you are doing these the night before (recommended) simply put them in a big ziploc bag and place in the fridge overnight. If you are ready to smoke, you can lay them on a Bradley rack with a little space between them and you are good to go.
- To make the compote: Place compote ingredients into a medium sauce pan.
- Using medium heat, bring the mixture to a rolling boil then reduce heat slightly to simmer for 10 minutes. (The compote will reduce by about 1/3 by the time it is finished.)
- Remove the compote from the heat and allow it to cool.
- Set up your smoker for cooking at about 225°F using indirect heat.
- Place the pork tenderloins directly on the grate or place a rack with the meat on the grate.
- When the pork tenderloins reach about 110°F or about an hour into the cook, brush some of the cherry bourbon compote onto the top of each one. Wait about 20 minutes and repeat.
- You are looking for about 145°F but I often remove them a couple of degrees early if I plan to wrap them in foil and hold them for 30-60 minutes until dinner time.
- Remove the pork tenderloins from the smoker and bring them into the house.
- When ready to serve, remove from the foil, slice and serve about 1/3 to ½ tenderloin per person
have you tried the compote on spiral ham?
Jeffrey, I have not but that stuff is so good, I’d just about put it on anything LOL. I’d say yes to the compote on ham!
You might be surprised to hear me say ‘yet another winner!’ but I ain’t lied yet!
Jeff’s recipe is foolproof as usual and produces a tender, juicy result. Abi’s bourbon cherry compote brings the ‘fancy’ element and takes this dish over the top. Incredibly simple recipe with a huge payoff. We had a great Christmas Eve dinner and it paired perfectly with our wine choice. Saw a user rec to try a peach version of the compote, that sounds like summer to me, can’t wait to try it soon.
I made this recipe last night, and it turned out great!!! The house loved it.
I divided the sauce and added mango to one. It also turned out great.
Thanks, Jeff
Jeff. I typically use a drum smoker but I’m interested in an electric smoker for convenience. Any ideas without blowing the budget?
I know it’s been months, but if you have yet to decide I personally love me Masterbuilt Electronic Smoker (MES). I have the 40″ and it is about as convenient as can be. If you pair it with the A-Maze-N pellet smoker then it is truly set it and forget it!
Thanks for highlighting the importance of not over cooking pork. People do not believe how tender and juicy pork can be, when cooked properly (pink). Great recipes and enthusiasm for smoking. Thanks Jeff.
I exchanged the cherry preserves for peach preserves…..DELISH!!! Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to try it with chicken thighs next
-Jason
Jeff I smoked the bourbon loin everybody loved it
I’m using a Bradley electric smoker at 225 degrees, and my tenderloin went to 175 degrees after only one hour. I was going to start monitoring the temp @ the one hour mark, so I missed medium rare. The sauce was so good that it made well-done tenderloin taste great! My Christmas guests all liked it.
Hi Jeff, That’s an amazing recipe, got your book ordered sounds like a good one.
My question is can the Bourbon be replaced with a non alcoholic liquid? My son is a group leader at a recovery center of about 120 men and I sometime take stuff there.
Thanks and God bless!
I think you could safely replace the 1/4 cup of bourbon with a couple tablespoons of apple juice or even cider.
I have checked some other sources and that seems to be the consensus.
The alcohol will cook out, leaving the finished glaze alcohol free. It won’t break anyones sobriety.
Contrary to popular belief, it is rare for alcohol to completely burn off. In addition, some of the flavor, alcohol remaining or not, may be a trigger. Smell and taste are known to possess a strong correlation with memories.
For example, A certain shortcake, and flakey biscuits take my brain back to my grandmother’s house, even though it was half a century ago.
Check with the center before bringing in any food cooked, topped or otherwise in alcohol.