The delicious fun of making pork recipes in the Instant Pot continues as we make the Best Damn Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin. Tender, juicy and bursting with awesome flavor, then topped with a gravy made from the very juices the pork cooks in. It’s super easy to make and the whole thing is complete and on your plate in about 25 minutes.
Pork tenderloin is an extraordinary meat that is very lean, very tender, and always makes an excellent meal. Making pork tenderloin in the Instant Pot is not only super easy, the pressure cooking makes it so succulent and delicious, it’s my preferred way to make it.
The Best Damn Pork Seasonings
One of the most popular recipes on RecipeTeacher.com is The Best Damn Instant Pot Boneless Pork Chops. In that recipe we use a very simple rub and some chicken stock with a couple of added ingredients to make terrific pork chops. For this recipe, we’ll borrow the same basic ingredients with just a couple of modifications.
Make Sure It’s Pork Tenderloin and not Pork Loin Roast
Both cuts of meat can be right next to each other at the grocery store, but be aware that they are very different cuts of meat. Make sure the package clearly says “pork tenderloin”. It will be long and narrow, usually about 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter. I like to use the vacuum sealed packages that will say if the tenderloin contains a solution. This solution is the brine and is a big step saver and helps to keep the meat tender and juicy. So always keep an eye out for it – it’s the best buy.
Start with a Simple Rub
We start by cutting our pork tenderloin in half crosswise to have two equal lengths of meat. This will help the pressure cooking process. Then we add a rub of brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Fresh, course ground pepper is my choice to use and I like to go heavy on it. I personally love to use a peppercorn medley which consists of black peppercorns, pink peppercorns, green peppercorns, white peppercorns and coriander. The combination of peppercorns, especially when fresh ground creates such a wonderful flavor profile when combined with the other seasonings for this recipe. You can find peppercorn medley grinders in just about any supermarket spice section, usually very affordably too.
Prepare the meat
One of the keys to success is to let the meat sit out of the fridge for a bit. When meat goes right from the cold fridge to the hot pot, it is not going to be as good. Let the meat stay in its packaging on the kitchen counter for 15-20 minutes first. Then after unpackaging, rinse it under water and cut it in half. Coat it with some oil and apply the rub liberally. Set the Instant Pot to saute mode, and when hot, add the meat carefully and brown on all sides. This will take a total of about 5-7 minutes. Remove the meat, and press cancel. Then add the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Make sure to scrape up all the little bits that have stuck to the bottom. This is important. If they’re not all scraped up, the pot can issue a burn notice when pressure cooking during the next step.
Pressure Cook Only 3 Minutes
After we’ve deglazed the bottom of the pot, we add some Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke to the chicken broth. Then we place the pork tenderloin right into the liquid, secure the lid, make sure vent is set to “sealing”, and pressure cook on high pressure (manual on some cookers) for only 3 minutes. Yes, just 3 minutes. Then let the pressure naturally release. The NPR will take about 12-15 minutes.
When cooking in complete and pressure has naturally released, remove the pork and set on a plate for 5 minutes before slicing.
Make Some Gravy!
Once the meat is removed. Press cancel, then press saute. Scoop out about 3 tablespoons of the juices into a cup and add 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Mix it well and slowly pour it back into the pot. Everything will thicken nicely in about a minute. Press cancel and you’ve got an amazing gravy from the very juices from which we cooked our meat.
PrintRecipe
Best Damn Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin, 1.25lb – 1.5lb
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons course ground black pepper (use less to taste preference – see note at bottom)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
Instructions
- Let pork tenderloin stay in package out of fridge for 15-20 minutes. Remove tenderloin from package and rinse and pat dry. Trim any visible fat. Cut tenderloin into 2 pieces of equal length.
- Coat each piece with about 1 teaspoon each of olive oil. In a small dish, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Apply the rub liberally onto meat.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute mode. When hot, add meat and brown each side for a couple of minutes each. When all sides are browned, press Cancel and remove meat to a plate. Add the chicken stock to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke to the chicken broth.
- Place meat directly into the liquid, secure lid, set the vent to “sealing”. Pressure cook (manual) on high pressure for 3 minutes. When cycle is complete, allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes. Remove meat to a plate and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing into pieces about ¼ inch thick.
- To make gravy: After removing meat, press Cancel, then press Saute. Scoop out 3 tablespoons of the liquid to a separate cup and add 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Mix well until corn starch is dissolved. Slowly pour mixture back into the liquid in the pot. Once it starts to boil, press cancel. Mix well and sauce will thicken into a delicious gravy.
Notes
If you’re normally sensitive to pepper, please feel free to use less to your personal taste.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 3 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
HOLLY YOUNG says
Welp, here I am back here again for this amazing recipe my husband ASKS for at least 2x a month. Just the most delicious pork recipe around, and I am not even a huge FAN of pork….this recipe changed that!
RecipeTeacher says
Ha!!! I love it!! Thanks, Holly! I’ve got a bunch more recipes right around the corner I hope you guys will like too. Thank you for the feedback!
Diana says
Is the brown sugar in the dry rub very noticeable? I’m wondering how sweet it will taste or if it’s masked by the other flavors in the rub.
Thanks!
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Diana, the brown sugar, through prominent in this recipe, really accents the natural flavors of the pork and works great with the other ingredients in the rub mix. It’s not candy sweet, but it’s not “not sweet” either. 🙂
Barb says
This was my very first Instant Pot meal and it turned out WONDERFUL! I have an 8qt Duo so I adjusted the liquid amount. I put the Worcestershire and liquid smoke in a 2 cup measuring cup and filled to 1 1/2 cup mark with Chicken Broth. I also sautéed some finely diced onion and minced garlic with the pork. We love our onions and garlic. Left them in the liquid when I made the gravy.
The ‘rub’ is very similar to one I already use on pork so I knew that we’d love this one. And we did. Hubby and dog went back for seconds and I’m sure the dog would have gone for thirds if she could reach the counter.
A definite KEEPER Instant Pot recipe.
Thanks very very much!
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome! I love hearing this, Barb! So glad your first Instant Pot recipe was a success. Love the addition of the onions and garlic too. 🙂
Susanna Bour says
Im in a panic. I have a 3# pork tenderloin that I need to fix for 8 guests the day after thanksgiving and cannot find how long to cook that size in my instant pot. Please advise.
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Susanna. That’s awfully large for a pork tenderloin, but not entirely unheard of. Just to be sure, are you certain it’s a tenderloin and not a pork loin roast or pork loin filet? If it is indeed a tenderloin, cut it in half, double the dry ingredients in the recipe, and pressure cook on high for 4-5 minutes. If it needs more time, it would just be a minute or two and you can always put it back in. You can test it quickly with an instant read thermometer. You want it between 145 and 160 degrees F.
Julie P. says
I’m in the same boat. I have a 2.75 lb. tenderloin. Yup – a tenderloin for sure. Must have been some pig! I’ll try the extra time and rub.
Judy says
EXCELLENT…will make again!
Catherine says
This was amazing, my whole family loved it. Thank you so much!
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much, Catherine!
Veronica says
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious!
I had a pork loin verses a tenderloin, so I cut it into 4 pieces. Followed the directions as written, except I used Splenda Brown Sugar, and it was a big hit with my husband. Will make it again when the family comes to visit.
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome! I’m glad it worked out well with the Splenda brown sugar. I’ll have to give that a try. Thanks for the feedback, Veronica!
Kelly says
This was DELICIOUS! The gravy was a bit on the spicy side. Maybe it was the liquid smoke I used? Could one of the other ingredients make it really spicy? Could i cut down or cut out the liquid smoke, or will that ruin the flavor?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Kelly. Maybe the pepper gave it a little kick. The liquid smoke doesn’t have any heat. I’m glad you liked it! Thank you for the feedback.
Calico says
Thank you, I’m making it tonight. I’ll stick with the 3 minutes since pork doesn’t need to be well done.
RecipeTeacher says
Let me know how it goes!
Callie says
I made this per the recipe (except a bigger piece of pork). It was fantastic, definitely will make it again.
RecipeTeacher says
Yes! Glad it worked out for you, Callie. Thanks for the feedback!
Carolyn says
I am normally not a big pork fan, but I ate 4 pieces of this!!!! The flavor is awesome.
Michele says
Made this tonight and OH. MY. GOD! I don’t have liquid smoke, don’t know where to buy it, and not sure what it adds to the recipe, but this was delicious without it. Will definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing.
RecipeTeacher says
Love it! Thanks, Michele! If you liked it without the liquid smoke, it’s all good then. 🙂
Michele says
Cooking it again tonight WITH the liquid smoke. Can’t wait to see what it brings.