Make this flavorful grilled pork tenderloin seasoned with homemade Mexican adobo seasoning for a tasty weeknight dinner!
Mexican Adobo Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Lean pork tenderloin, rubbed with homemade Mexican adobo seasoning is perfect for the summer. Grilled (or broiled) this is a great tasting, smoky, tender piece of meat. Perfect with Cilantro Lime Rice to make it a meal.
Pork tenderloin is the leanest cut of pork, in fact it’s just as lean as a skinless chicken breast, and it doesn’t take long to cook, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights. If you’re tired of making the same ‘ole thing for dinner, this is the answer (and bonus, it’s totally man-friendly).
This recipe is from the cookbook Simple Food, Big Flavor, (affil link) by Aarón Sánchez (you may know him as one of the judges on Chopped). Yesterday I made a batch of Aaron’s Adobo just to make this pork dish. I also used this adobo seasoning on grilled pork chops and chicken breast, so flavorful!
What to serve with Adobo Pork
I was really in the mood for some Cilantro Lime Rice, and I thought it was the perfect compliment. Finish with lime wedges to squeeze over the pork – delish! Avocado, Refried Beans or Fiesta Bean Salad would also be fabulous on the side.
Variations
- If you don’t want to make the dry rub from scratch, you can certainly buy a pre-mixed seasoning and use that instead.
- If you want to make this in the air fryer, cook it 400F 20 minutes similar to my air fryer bacon wrapped pork tenderloin recipe.
- To bake it in the oven, bake 425F until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center reads 145 F. Let the pork rest about 5 minutes before slicing.
Mexican Adobo Rubbed Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 18 oz pork tenderloin
- 3 tbsp Aaron's Adobo
- 1 tsp olive oil
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Rub the olive oil over the tenderloin and pat on the adobo. Set aside about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high, or preheat the broiler. Generously season the pork with salt.
- Grill or broil on high until an instant read thermometer inserted in the center reads 145°F, about 20 to 22 minutes, turning a few times.
- Let the pork rest about 5 minutes before slicing into 8 slices.
FABULOUS!! I made this tonight for hubby and me. We both thought it was excellent. Used a premade adobo seasoning. Did in the air fryer. Made the cilantro lime rice and my own corn and black bean “salsa” – 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained and 1 bag of frozen corn micro’d about 30 seconds less than time low end. Mix both and add your favorite jarred salsa! Way to go Skinnytaste – this one was knocked out of the park!
What temp did you set the air fryer to, and Joe long did you cook it? I would love to try this in the air fryer!
In the recipe ot says 400° for 20-22 minutes until the internal temp is 145° let rest for 5 minutes.
This is a definite keeper! Just made it tonight and everyone loved it! Take the time to make Aaron’s Adobo. We made it and then did a taste test with a store bought brand. There is no comparison! Store bought was so salty and Aaron’s was SO good! We played ours on the cilantro lime rice like the recipe shows. It was beautiful and delicious!
Y’all, trust me when I tell you NOT to use Goya Adobo in place of Aaron’s Adobo linked above. Goya is basically a salt bomb with a little bit of garlic and turmeric thrown in. Aaron’s Adobo is a mix of like 10 different spices and chilies. If you dump 3 tbsp of Goya Adobo on your little 18 oz. pork tenderloin, you’re going to regret it. And, perhaps have a heart attack from all the salt.
I am making this tonight as part of the meal plan. I bought all the ingredients on the shopping list but now I see there are ingredients for the dry rub for the Mexican Adobo Grilled pork tenderloin that were not on the list.
What can I use instead? I do not want to have to go shopping again.
Thanks!
Heather
How much salt should I add?
The flavor was amazing! I’m not usually a pork lover but this was so good and I can’t wait to eat the leftovers. The adobo seasoning was perfect and with cilantro lime rice and grilled corn on the cob, it was delicious.
How would I prepare this if I had a Turkey tenderloin?
All I can say is WOW! This was absolutely delicious. I grilled this pork and some corn to go along with this. During the week, I like to keep meals simple and this was so good and easy!