Blackberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Name: Blackberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 pork tenderloins; 1.5 TBS Melissa’s Lucky 7 seasoning; 1 cup Melissa’s Blackberry Basil Jam (or regular blackberry jam); 2 TBS balsamic vinegar; 1 TBS stone-ground mustard; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 TBS fresh chopped basil (optional if using Melissa’s Jam); 2 TBS water

Everyone who knows me knows I love blackberries. I mean, I love them. As a child, picking the ripe, juicy berries in the heat of summer was a constant mark of the season. I have a new line of jams available on this very website, and Blackberry Basil Jam was one of the first ones we made (my daughter Lauren was the jam genius behind our flavors!) The jams are great on biscuits, but they can be so much more- they make perfect bases for amazing, flavorful glazes. This recipe for Blackberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin is one of my favorites. The rich blackberry glaze goes so well with a perfectly cooked tenderloin, and it’s an amazingly easy recipe to prepare for the fam!

Trimming and Preparing a Pork Tenderloin

First, if you’re going to cook pork for dinner, start with the best pork out there- Prairie Fresh Pork. Their Natural Pork Tenderloins are always perfect, and I don’t have to worry about a tenderloin that’s been “juiced up” to increase the weight of the package. Pork tenderloins, just like beef tenderloins, have a layer of silverskin at one end. Silverskin is a thin membrane of connective tissue. Unlike fats, silverskin won’t cook away, or render. It will remain on the product all the way through cooking. It is tough and can really change the texture of a tenderloin if not removed. As you are going to be slicing these into thin medallions, it is not 100% necessary to remove it. But, as a matter of course, I always do.

tenderloin with silverskin — Tenderloin with silver skin

It’s not hard to remove the silverskin. You will also lose some meat in doing so, but not much, and the texture will be much better. To remove it, slide a thin filet knife right under the silverskin, turn the sharp end of the knife slightly up, and gently peel it off.

trimmed tenderloin — tenderloin after trimming

Now, you have a perfectly tender and ready-to-season tenderloin. Make sure after seasoning it to leave it on a counter, lightly covered, for about 20-30 minutes to come up to room temperature. This is called “tempering,” and is an advised practice for grilling meats. This will let you hit your desired internal temperature easier without having to overcook the exterior of the meat.

Cooking a Pork Tenderloin

Internal temperature is very important for pork tenderloin. Just like beef tenderloins, there is not much internal marbling in a tenderloin, so you need to hit your temps. Pork tenderloins won’t be too tough if you overcook them, but they will be amazing if you cook them right. I seasoned these with my Lucky 7 seasoning. This seasoning has a light, well-rounded flavor with a hint of citrus. With the delicious Blackberry Glaze, I didn’t want the seasoning on the pork to be too heavy. As hitting a temperature is so important, I used my MEATER thermometer and stuck it right down the middle of the tenderloin.

Meater in tenderloin — MEATER thermometer in tenderloin

I set the MEATER up for pork tenderloin. MEATER advises this cut to finish at 140 degrees, which is where I like to finish them as well. The USDA advises pork to cook to 145, and if you would prefer that temp you can just adjust your finish temp on the MEATER app. While you’re grilling, MEATER is always estimating the remaining cook time by judging the grill temp and the internal temperature of the meat. Don’t worry about the initial readings, give it a few minutes to adjust to your grill temp and it will be a good indicator. Another thing I love about MEATER is it will tell you when it’s time to pull the meat for resting so it will finish at your desire temperature (meat always continues to cook a bit after removing from the grill.) It will give you a proper resting time, then it’s time to eat!

Blackberry Glaze on the Pork Tenderloin

As with any sauce, don’t glaze it too soon! I like to glaze the tenderloins when they are hitting 135 degrees, allowing them a couple more minutes of the grill for the glaze to “set.” Then, I drizzle more on the medallions after plating. Glazes made with Blackberry Jam obviously have a lot of sugar, so they will burn quickly if left on the grill too long.

After the resting period is done, simply slice into medallions and plate. Allow 1 tenderloin per 2 people. The glaze recipe below will make enough for several tenderloins including serving some on the side. It will keep for up to a week in the fridge, so put any leftover glaze in a resealable container and save it. The glaze is also perfect on a grilled chicken breast!

As always, I hope you enjoy!