People are going to beg you for this pork tenderloin dry rub recipe, mark my words. It’s a little smokey, a little sweet, perfectly salted, and will change how you think about pork tenderloin.
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This recipe is…
This pork tenderloin dry rub recipe is the most flavorful I’ve ever tried (and I’ve experimented with a lot). Best of all, these ingredients can be easily found at just about every grocery store. While the recipe is meant for a small batch, I have a feeling you’re going to double (maybe quadruple) the recipe, keep it in a mason jar, and start sprinkling it on everything …especially pork.
What is a good dry rub for pork tenderloin?
I’m a big fan of a combination of flavors for a really well-rounded dry rub, especially a dry rub for pork. This recipe calls for chili powder, brown sugar, and cinnamon (in addition to a few others). The fun combination makes the pork incredibly irresistible!
Pork Tenderloin Dry Rub Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ tablespoon of dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon of paprika
- ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt
How to Prepare this Dry Rub Recipe for Pork Tenderloin
This dry rub is insanely easy to prepare. You ready for this? First, you’ll get a bowl that’s large enough to fit your pork tenderloin, then add all of the spices to the bowl, and stir until well combined. That’s it!
How to Apply a Rub to Pork Tenderloin
Now that your dry rub is mixed and ready to go, go ahead and add the pork tenderloin to the bowl, and using tongs, toss the pork tenderloin in the mixture until it’s fully coated.
How many tablespoons of rub should I use on a pork tenderloin?
This recipe makes about 4 tablespoons of rub. Though you may have leftover in your bowl after coating your pork, it’s actually easier to work with a little more rub vs not quite enough. The mission here is to get the pork tenderloins coated completely in the rub!
How Long to Leave Dry Rub on Pork
Unlike a liquid marinade, the dry rub doesn’t need to stay on the pork for any amount of time before baking. You’ll just coat your pork tenderloin completely and then cook it in either the air fryer (following this air fryer pork tenderloin recipe) or oven!
How to Cook Dry Rub Pork Tenderloin
Now that you’ve got your pork tenderloin coated in a delicious, flavorful spice rub, it’s time to cook it! You’ve got a couple of options here – you can either pop your pork tenderloin into a 400°F air fryer for about 17 minutes (full recipe: air fryer pork tenderloin recipe) or into a 425°F oven for about 15 minutes. Either way, you’ll want to use an in-oven thermometer to make sure that your pork reaches 145°F before digging in!
Pork Tenderloin Dry Rub Recipe FAQs
You don’t *need* to let dry rub sit on the pork overnight, but if you want to get ahead on dinner prep, you certainly can. Simply season your pork, then store it (raw and covered) in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook. The more the seasonings sit on the pork, the more flavorful they’ll become! 2-3 days in advance is plenty of time to max it out.
This is a great question! Pork tenderloin has a pretty bad rap for being dry, tough, and bland, but the reasons for these are preventable.
Want to avoid bland pork? Use a flavorful dry rub or marinade! Want your pork to be juicy and tender? Use an in-oven thermometer to determine doneness (rather than a length of time) and pull it out of the oven (or air fryer) when the internal temperature reaches 145°F!
After experimenting with a lot of pork tenderloin, I find myself gravitating towards spices that are bold and smokey. Smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, garlic, onion, and oregano are all great candidates. I also really love a touch of maple sweetness on pork, and in the application of a dry rub, brown sugar is the best bet. If you’re looking for even more variety, check out these 3 marinade that the internet is obsessed with.
More Favorite Pork Recipes
Best Pork Tenderloin Rub
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix until well combined.
- Place the pork tenderloin in the bowl with the seasoning mixture, and toss to fully coat.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
You should indicate the ounces of pork one recipe takes care of. You are suggesting it is 4 servings, however not the ounces of meat. Thank you.
Hi Michele, this recipe is for one pork tenderloin. They vary in size, but not by much and average about 1 pound. If you were to purchase one slightly smaller or larger (it wouldn’t be by much, again, they don’t vary a ton), the dry rub would still take care of the entire thing.
This rub made for the best tasting tenderloin I’ve ever had. So flavourful! I seared just under a minute per side and then baked in the oven for only 7 minutes. Exquisite.
WHAT!? That is so kind, Pete! We are so happy you loved it!
This is SO good!!! My new go to recipe for a pork tenderloin rub. Mmmmm-good!
Wahooo! So glad you loved it, Karen!
Where are the full instructions?