White BBQ Sauce Grilled Pork Tenderloin is marinated in and topped with Alabama White BBQ Sauce. Try this with any cut of pork!
This post is sponsored by my friends at Iowa Pork, but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are all my own – just as always. Thanks for supporting the brands and businesses that support me.
I get inspiration for new recipes from pretty much anywhere you can imagine. This particular recipe was inspired by a similar dish I ate at the beach several years ago. I know what you may be thinking… bbq pork at the beach? I even surprised myself with this one.
I’m almost always ordering seafood when we are on the coast, but for some reason this particular pork dish really got my attention. It was a white BBQ sauce grilled pork tenderloin that was served over collard greens, mac and cheese, and was topped with onion rings. It was completely over the top! SO delicious. And, while the combinations of flavors was excellent, I just really loved the juiciness of the tenderloin. So, I knew I had to make it myself, and share with you!
What is Alabama White BBQ Sauce?
White BBQ sauce is a tangy, peppery sauce created in the 1920s by a man named Bob Gibson. He created the sauce as a way to keep the chickens he smoked moist. He’d pull them off the pit and dip them in the sauce. He later opened a restaurant called Big Bob Gibson’s, and the sauce has been on the menu since day one.
I have my own recipe for Alabama White BBQ Sauce which you can find by clicking here.
White BBQ Sauce is perfect on just about any kind of meat. You can also use it as a baste near the end of cooking, a dipping sauce, or poured over pulled pork sandwiches. For the purpose of this recipe, we will use it as a marinade and as a sauce.
How to grill a juicy pork loin:
Use an instant read thermometer: For pork tenderloins, you want to grill them until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. This is the sweet spot for a juicy grilled pork tenderloin.
Let the pork rest. In order to lock in the moisture and flavor, remove the tenderloins from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Add more sauce at the end. Drizzle a little more of the sauce over the finished pork to add even more flavor and tenderness.
Other Pork Recipe Variations
Besides this grilled pork tenderloin recipe, I have many other pork recipes on the blog that I think you would enjoy. Here are two of my favorites:
Pork Chops with Creamy Bacon Pan Sauce – This recipe combines juicy pork chops with an easy garlic and bacon cream cheese pan sauce all cooked in one skillet over medium-high heat. Delicious and filling!
Sheet Pan Brown Sugar Garlic Pork Loin Filet – Need to throw together a quick family meal? This is the perfect pork recipe! This sheet pan dinner blends sweet and savory flavors by offering a pork loin rubbed in brown sugar and garlic roasted over Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. Yum!
Ingredient FAQ
Pork Tenderloins: Many grocery stores sell individually wrapped pork tenderloins in vacuum-sealed bags, but they’re almost always flavored in some way – pepper, BBQ, herb, etc. You’ll want to find the unflavored/unmarinated pork tenderloins for this recipe. They’re usually in a similar vacuum-sealed bag, but most often are packaged two per package.
Mayonnaise – I know mayo might seem like a strange ingredient when it comes to grilling and smoking. However, it’s actually pretty genius! As a marinade, mayonnaise is excellent at adding flavor and locking in moisture. As a matter of fact, some of the moistest pork tenderloins I have ever eaten have all used mayo in their recipes. (Is moistest a word? Should it be juiciest? If it’s not a word, it is now!)
Creole Mustard: A little goes a long way so you only need a tablespoon for this recipe. If you can not find Creole mustard, then spicy brown mustard will do the trick.
Recipe Card
White BBQ Sauce Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 (1 to 1.5-pound) pork tenderloins (see note)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Creole mustard (spicy brown mustard will work as well)
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Make the white BBQ sauce by combining the mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, garlic, vinegar,black pepper, salt, and paprika in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Use paper towels to dry the tenderloins off and trim away excess fat and silverskin if present. Place the tenderloins in a gallon ziptop bag and add about half of the white BBQ sauce. Seal and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Cover remaining sauce and refrigerate.
- When ready to cook, allow the pork to warm to room temperature so it will cook evenly. Preheat the grill over medium high heat. Place the tenerloins on the grill and cook for 20 to 25 minutes (turning occasionally) or until an instant read thermometer placed in the center of the pork loins reads 145°F.
- Remove from the grill and tent with foil. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining white BBQ sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note:
If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
I’m sure you’ve already been notified that it’s Big Bob GIBSON, not Gipson
Oh yes! It must have been autocorrect. I got it fixed. Thanks!
I baked the tenderloin in the oven so I added some chili powder, coriander, cumin, and brown sugar to give some smokiness the grill would have given. I threw in some mushrooms and marinated everything overnight. It was a hit!
Glad you loved it!
Stacey ,
Can I make this and place the pork in the oven instead of grilling ?
Thank you ,
Jimmy
I don’t see why not! Enjoy!
This dish at the beach also has a pepper relish that was divine. Any tips on how they did the collards?
Yeah, now that you mention it, I think it does have a pepper jelly on it. When it comes to the collards, I can’t say for sure. They had all the flavor of slow cooked collards, but had a bit more texture to them.
I have never had the White BBQ Sauce but am anxious to try it. I always buy the pork tenderloins when on sale, bogo for buy 1 get 1 free. They are usually the marinated ones with garlic and pepper. Since I have several in the freezer I am going to try one and put this sauce with it too. Will just have to see how it turns out.
Sounds great! Let me know!
Made this tonight. We all ate it too fast and didn’t get a picture!! Love this and will have it again. Thanks for all your great recipes!
Awesome! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know!
This was awesome – especially the white sauce. I could use the sauce for many things. Also, don’t know if you noticed this, but this sauce recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of horseradish, which was perfect, but your separate older recipe for just the sauce calls for just 1 teaspoon of horseradish.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kathy! Yes, I did add a little more horseradish in this version since I suggest you use this one with pork and I think the horseradish pairs well with pork.
Stacey, I love the white sauce too. The man’s name is Bob Gibson and the restaurant is Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, AL.
Yep! We have him to credit for this deliciousness!
Can I use this marinade with a turkey tenderloin?
I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why not.