Now, I’m always a sucker for cooking meat with soda. It’s a super classy thing to be a sucker for–I’m pretty sure food snobs around the world are aghast at the idea of marinating a pork tenderloin in Dr. Pepper, and yet I’m pretty sure if they tried it, they would think it’s pretty fantastic.
Variations of this recipe have been floating around for as long as I can remember (7Up, anyone??) and it’s of my favorite ways to prepare one of my favorite cuts of meat. If you’ve had a hard time getting into pork tenderloin, here are a few reasons why you should, there are so many reasons why you should. Just like it’s name, when it’s cooked correctly, it’s incredibly moist (sorry, Sara) and tender. It’s fancy enough for guests, but it cooks quickly and easily enough for a weeknight. It’s super lean, so if you’re watching your calories, pork tenderloin is a must-have. Plus, it’s just flat-out delicious.
To make this, you’ll need a can of Dr. Pepper (caffeine free is fine, but you’re going to want the sugar–it will help create a flavorful, crispy crust), soy sauce, vegetable or olive oil, Sriracha sauce, garlic, and green onions.
Rinse and pat dry 2 pork tenderloins (1 package).
Pierce pork tenderloins several times with a fork and place in a Ziploc bag. Set aside.
Whisk together remaining ingredients
and add Dr. Pepper.
and pour over the pork.
Marinate for at least four hours, not longer than 24 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat grill over medium high heat. Set one side of the grill to high and the other to low. Lightly oil grates. Place the tenderloins on the side set to medium-low and cook for 7 minutes. Flip and cook for 6 minutes. Leave the lid closed, turn off heat, and allow to stand for 5 more minutes (an internal temperature should read at least 145 degrees F.) Slice into 1/2″ slices and serve with veggies and rice if desired.
Grilled Dr. Pepper Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 12- ounce can Dr. Pepper caffeine free is fine, but not Diet or Zero Sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 5-6 cloves garlic smashed or roughly chopped
- 2 green onions chopped (plus green ends for garnish, if desired)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Sriracha sauce
- 2-3 pounds pork tenderloin
Instructions
- Pierce pork tenderloins several times with a fork and place in a zip-top bag. Set aside.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over the pork. Marinate for at least four hours, not longer than overnight.
- When ready to cook, preheat grill over medium high heat. Set one side of the grill to high and the other to low. Lightly oil grates. Place the tenderloins on the side set to medium-low and cook for 7 minutes. Flip and cook for 6 minutes.
- Leave the lid closed, turn off heat, and allow to stand for 5 more minutes (an internal temperature should read at least 145 degrees F.) Slice into ½" slices and serve.
Notes
- We serve this with vegetables and rice.
Questions & Reviews
We don’t have a grill. Can it be baked? How long what temp? 🤷
Try 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until it reaches temperature.
Would this work with steak or beef? We don’t eat pork.
Sure, you are welcome to use the marinade with any cut of meat you like.
Would this work with steak or beef?
Yes, you could use this marinade on beef!
Hi, I was just curious, could you possibly cook this in the oven if you didn’t have a grill? This sounds so good and I’d love to try it, but all I have is an oven. Can you please help me with this recipe? Thank you so very much!
You definitely can! Roast at 400 degrees in the oven until it reaches temperature 🙂
This sounds really tasty and I will have to give this a try but might use Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla instead to give it an extra kick.
I’m not sure what the problem is but this recipe doesn’t work for us. We’ve tried it twice now and each time it takes over an hour to come to temperature on the grill and gets super charred on the outside. We thought it was the grill we had the first time- we got a new grill and it still hasn’t worked.
That’s really strange—do you think it might be your thermometer?
Any thoughts on using this recipe on the smoker? I usually use a temp. of about 225 degrees. Looks like an internal temp of 145 and I’m good to go. Or, I can crank the smoker up to 450 to cook quicker. Thoughts? Thanks!
I think 225 is perfect, that’s what I usually do for tenderloin!
How long would you smoke for?
Generally in the 1-2 hour range, depending on the size!
Hello! I have probably a silly question. Is there a good substitute for Sriracha? I didn’t want to buy a whole bottle for such a small amount but didn’t know if there was a good substitute I could use instead. If I need to bite the bullet and just get the Sriracha I will. 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful recipes! My whole family loves you guys!
I would just use about 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar. Hope that helps! 🙂
Question: In this and other of your recipes, how different is fresh vs bottled lime juice? And fresh garlic vs the minced garlic from Costco? How can you tell when the lazy substitute will work and when to use the fresh? Thanks for such tasty recipes!
I would say pretty much NEVER use bottled lime juice. It’s not the same at all and generally gives a very bitter component. The only substitution we love for fresh lime juice is a product called True Lime, which is granulated fresh lime juice and it’s fantastic. When it comes to garlic, jarred garlic works great in a lot of things. I usually keep both on hand. I especially like jarred garlic for things like salad dressings- anything where the garlic is eaten raw, because the jarred won’t add that strong heat in case you add too much, haha. For other things, fresh is the only way to go. I guess it’s just a preference thing and you figure out by trying!