These super-easy pork medallions from tenderloin will become a summer favorite. The whole family will love a healthy dinner recipe that only takes 10 minutes on the grill.
Ingredients
Pork tenderloin
Seasoning salt
Garlic powder—or seasonings of choice
Jump To (scroll for more)
- Ingredients
- 👨🍳How To Grill Pork Tenderloin Medallions—Step-by-Step
- How to sear and oven-bake pork tenderloin medallions
- ⏲️How long to grill pork tenderloin medallions
- Related Recipes
- 🧂Seasoning and options
- ♨️Grill setup
- What to serve with grilled pork tenderloin medallions?
- How to store leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 🐖About Pork Tenderloin
- 📖 Recipe
I'm always up for a quick, tasty meal, and my wife is always up for garlic... and me cooking. While this is a grill recipe, you can make seared and oven-baked pork tenderloin medallions.
Pork tenderloin medallions are slices of pork tenderloin cut across the grain to make it even tenderer. They are smaller servings, so they are perfect for kids and adults. It is easy to complete in under 30 minutes.
👨🍳How To Grill Pork Tenderloin Medallions—Step-by-Step
1. Preheat the grill to medium-high with a surface temperature of 450° to 500°.
2. Trim the pork tenderloin of any trimmable fat and silver skin. Cut the "tail end" off at 3 inches and the remainder into 1 ½ inch slices. At the halfway mark of the 3-inch "tail," cut through ¾ of the way and bend over on itself. You will have 4 to 6 medallions.
3. Compress all pieces to about one inch thick—season to taste.
4. Grill for 5-6 minutes and flip. Aim for an internal temp of 140°-145°—total grill time about 10-12 minutes.
5. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
See the printable recipe card for detailed instructions, or continue to read for more discussion.
How to sear and oven-bake pork tenderloin medallions
Sear all sides (including the bacon) to about the final color over medium-high heat in an oven-safe fry pan with some oil. Check internal temperature and transfer to a preheated 400° oven to finish if needed.
⏲️How long to grill pork tenderloin medallions
Pork medallions will take 10-12 minutes to reach 145° to 150° internal temperature (medium-rare) on a 450° grill. In contrast, a whole pork tenderloin will take about 25 minutes.
- Rare (less than 145°)—Not recommended due to USDA safety recommendations
- Medium-Rare (145°-150°) will take about 10-12 minutes.
- Medium (150°-155°) will take about 12-14 minutes.
- Medium-Well(155°-160°) will take about 14-15 minutes.
- Well Done(160°+)—Not recommended due to dryness and texture.
Times will vary by the size and thickness of pork tenderloin medallions and the grill surface's exact temperature. Always cook to a final internal temperature with a meat thermometer and never by time.
Related Recipes
Try Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions for a more eloquent meal with a little more work. Other related recipes are Grilled Memphis Pork Tenderloin and Grilled Pork Tenderloin on a Gas Grill.
🧂Seasoning and options
Pork tenderloin medallions can be an easy change of pace for dinner. But it can also be a great BBQ or a fantastic Mexican meal.
Try the suggested seasoning salt seasoning and some extra garlic powder for a simple, eloquent flavor. Add a shake of ground black pepper if you want.
For BBQ or Southwest, use BBQ Dry Rub, Memphis Dry Rub, or Chipotle Seasoning.
For a Mexican flair, use this Mexican seasoning: 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, 2 teaspoons cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt. Add a touch of cayenne if you want a little heat.
♨️Grill setup
Almost any grill will do; a gas or charcoal grill will work if you can control the surface temperature. You grill surface temperature of 450° to a maximum of 500°. Most gas grills will be at about 60-75% burner power.
Investing $10 in a grill surface thermometer is always a good idea. DO NOT look at the thermometer on the hood of your grill; it is not even close. For help on grill surface temperature, please see my A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
What to serve with grilled pork tenderloin medallions?
Serve with Grilled Little Potatoes, Grilled Mixed Vegetables, or Grilled Asparagus.
If using a BBQ dry rub, add Memphis BBQ Sauce, cole slaw, or baked beans. And if using Mexican seasoning, try Guacamole, Mexican Rice, or corn chips with Pineapple Mango Salsa.
How to store leftovers
Store left medallions sealed in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 3 months.
Serve leftovers reheated in the microwave, skillet, or air fryer. Or cut up cold on a salad.
❓FAQs
No. A pork loin is tougher and bigger—a pork chop is a slice of a pork loin. A pork tenderloin is much smaller and very tender—the pork equivalent of a beef tenderloin.
Serve with Grilled Baby Potatoes, Grilled Mixed Vegetables, or Grilled Asparagus.
If using a BBQ dry rub, add Memphis BBQ Sauce, cole slaw, or baked beans. And if using Mexican seasoning, try Guacamole, Mexican Rice, or corn chips with Pineapple Mango Salsa.
🐖About Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is a very tender, underused muscle and will absorb flavors easily. Cut into slices of pork tenderloin, and they can be grilled quickly over medium-high heat with just one flip in a little over 10 minutes.
Since the pieces are uniform, they will all cook about the same with no overcooked/undercooked areas. And by being slices, there is more surface area for seasoning and grill taste.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
📖 Recipe
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Medallions
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Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon granular garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium-high with a surface temperature of 450° to 500°. Notice I said surface temperature, not that thermometer on the grill hood.
- Trim the pork tenderloin of any trimmable fat and silver skin. Cut the "tail end" off at 3 inches and the remainder into 1 ½ inch slices. At the halfway mark of the 3-inch "tail," cut through ¾ of the way and bend over on itself. You will have 4 to 6 medallions.
- Compress all pieces to about one inch thick—season to taste. I suggest 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Add a sprinkle of black pepper if you want. But choose the seasoning of your choice.
- Compress all pieces to about 1 inch thick. Season to taste. I used 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. But choose the seasoning of your choice. The optional Mexican seasoning in the tips is very good.
- Grill for 5-6 minutes and flip. Aim for an internal temp of 140°-145°—total grill time about 10-12 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Be sure to use pork tenderloin instead of pork loin.
- The grill surface temperature needs to be about 450°.
- Cut into 1 ½ inch chunks, then compress to about 1 inch thick before cooking.
- The thin tail is 3 inches long. Cut across the grain midway. Get about 75% through with the cut. Then bend at the cut to make a piece of a similar size to the others.
- The optional Mexican season in great. 2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, 2 teaspoon cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt. Add a touch of cayenne if you want a little heat.
Sear and Oven-Baked Pork Tenderloin Medallion instructions
Sear all sides (including the bacon) to about the final color over medium-high heat in an oven-safe fry pan with some oil. Check internal temperature and transfer to a preheated 400° oven to finish if needed.Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published April 3, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Jim says
And how do you measure the surface temp of the grill exactly? Since this is 101?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Jim,
Welcome to the blog. You need a grill surface thermometer for this and also for grilling many other things. I have a guide referenced in the post but here's the link: https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/grill-temperature/
Please let me know if you have questions.
Dan