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This pork tenderloin with pineapple salsa is the perfect weekend meal. Cook the tenderloin in the oven or on the grill, your choice!
Summertime is the perfect time for backyard BBQs and parties!
And what’s better than a juicy piece of pork with a crisp, sweet, and spicy pineapple salsa?
This pork tenderloin with pineapple salsa is a total crowd-pleaser and can be cooked in the oven, or on your grill. It’s super versatile!
Pineapple and pork are a perfect pairing of sweet and savory.
You can make the pineapple salsa days ahead, so it’s super convenient!
Trust me, this pork tenderloin with pineapple salsa will become your new favorite summertime party go-to!
Ingredients for pork tenderloin with pineapple salsa
Salsa:
- Fresh pineapple – Sweet and tangy and fruity. I use fresh here, but you could use canned pineapple as well.
- Red onion – Red onions have a great bite! If you’d like less of a kick, feel free to rinse the red onions after chopping them. This will soften their flavor.
- Red bell pepper – Red bell peppers give us a sweet crunch.
- Cilantro – Fresh and green. I know cilantro can be divisive, so feel free to omit it if you’re not a fan.
- Jalapeño pepper – Jalapeños have a great spiciness to them.
- Lime – Bright and citrusy, lime juice will bring a freshness to the salsa.
Pork:
- Pork tenderloin – Tender, affordable, juicy, and widely available at all major grocery stores.
- Spices – We’re using a mix of chili powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and smoked paprika for a combination of flavors with no additional spiciness.
- Kosher Salt – Essential to helping bring out the flavors.
- Pineapple juice – Pineapple juice is a great marinade for the pork tenderloin, it gives the pork a super juicy flavor.
How to cook the perfect pork
The biggest thing to remember when cooking pork is: Do not overcook it!
Pork can be served safely while still pink in the middle, and is considered cooked and done at 140ºF.
The second biggest tip is: Let it rest!
Pull your pork out of your oven, or off of your grill when it hits 140 degrees F cover it with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it.
This lets the meat rest, and the juices stay inside.
Adjusting spices
Using jalapeño pepper might be intimidating, but you have full control over how spicy your salsa is when you know how to use them properly.
The spice from a jalapeño lives in its seeds and ribs (the white parts inside that the seeds are attached to).
If you remove the seeds and ribs, your jalapeño will be significantly less spicy than if you leave them intact.
Storage and leftovers
Leftovers of this pork tenderloin and pineapple salsa can be kept in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Store the pineapple salsa separately from the pork tenderloin.
Reheating the pork tenderloin is as easy as putting it in a microwave-safe dish and microwaving it for 3-4 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
More pork recipes
- Need another roast idea? Try my Citrus Herb Crusted Pork.
- Looking for an easy dinner? Try my Instant Pot Pork Chile Verde.
- Loving the pineapple salsa? Try my Ground Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa.
- Craving some pasta? Try my One Pot Cheddar Cajun Pork Pasta.
Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
For pork:
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 pork tenderloin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For pineapple salsa:
- 2 cups diced fresh pineapple
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeño pepper diced, seeds removed
- 1 lime, juiced
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
For pork:
- In a ziplock bag add pineapple juice, chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cumin.
- Gently mix and add in pork tenderloin.
- Let marinade for about 30 minutes while you prepare the salsa.
- After your salsa has been prepared preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron or oven-safe skillet set over medium heat.
- Once the oil is shiny and hot add in pork tenderloin and throw away the remaining marinade.
- Quickly brown the tenderloin on all sides and add the tenderloin to the preheated oven.
- Roast in the oven until the internal temperature is 140 degrees F, about 20 minutes depending on size. (I keep a thermometer in the pork while cooking so I can easily check. If you don't have an oven-safe thermometer I would start checking on the pork at the 15-minute mark)
- Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for about 7 minutes. T
- his will help the pork reach 145 degrees and will be perfectly cooked.
- Slice, top with pineapple salsa, and enjoy.
For salsa:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl add pineapple, red onion, red bell pepper, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, and lime juice.
- Stir to combine, season with salt and keep cold in the refrigerator while you cook the pork.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t make pork often, but such good looking dish I would love for sure!
Thank you! This dish has inspired me to make pork more often!
Brandy. You are a wizard of pork. This looks absolutely succulent. I love that a blush of pink is acceptable in pork cooking now. It makes it so moist and perfect!
Thank you friend! Pink in pork is delicious! I’m so happy they are recommending it now too! I may have been doing it well before they told me it was safe…haha.
This pork tenderloin looks absolutely amazing! Love the pineapple salsa!
Thank you Anna! I could have eaten the salsa all by it’s self 🙂
I made a pork tenderloin last week, but it didn’t look as fabulous as this! After so many attempts, I have finally learned that a little pink in the middle is way better than dry like leather. Oh! And we both made a fruit salsa. *high five*
Dry like leather….been there and done that! The #pinkpork message is something I hope catches on! Also, great minds think alike when it comes to fruit salsa 🙂
I am totally and completely in love with this recipe – and know exactly what you mean by weed duty. Worst job ever, especially on 5 acres of land. There’s a lot of weeds!
Thanks for participating in this campaign! It was an honor to have you help spread the good pink pork word!
Oh man, you got weed duty even worse than me! Now I feel bad for even complaining….haha. Thank you so much for inviting me to work for this campaign. I had a fantastic time!
Now that is one gorgeous Pork Tenderloin!! That pineapple salsa looks heavenly!
Thank you Angie! I wanted to eat that pineapple salsa on everything!
Hubba Hubba now that is a beautiful tenderloin!
Haha thanks Paula!
Great looking pictures! I love the pork and fruit combination! Thank you for participating!
Thank you so much! Since I grew up in Ohio I am extra thrilled to be working with you! I love supporting my home state 🙂
I make pork often but it’s usually chops. You’ve now inspired me to go make some loin, as this looks amazing.
Hope you love it and give it a try! 🙂
I remember eating many a dry pork chop as a kid…yikes! But yours looks anything but. Totally juicy and filled with tropical flavor!
Dry pork chops make me sad….sigh.