Smoked pork tenderloin medallions with cherry sauce

These smoked pork tenderloin medallions with cherry sauce are the kind of dish you serve when you really want to impress your guests without turning the grill into a stress project. Tender pork tenderloin, wrapped in bacon, gently smoked, briefly grilled, and finished with a rich, sweet-and-tangy cherry sauce. This is refined barbecue cooking, but still very doable at home.

We served the medallions with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, turning this dish into a full three-star dinner straight from the grill. Comfort food, but with just enough elegance to feel special.

Making these pork tenderloin medallions does require a bit of hands-on work, but nothing complicated. You start by cutting the pork tenderloin into pieces roughly as wide as the bacon slices. Each piece is wrapped in bacon and secured with a toothpick. If you’re working with the thinner end of the tenderloin, simply fold it in half so all medallions end up about the same thickness. That way, they cook evenly on the grill.

Once shaped, the medallions are lightly seasoned with your favourite dry rub. We went for a pork rub with subtle spices like anise and nutmeg. Those warm spices add depth and pair beautifully with the cherry sauce’s sweetness. The sugar in the rub also plays an important role later on, as it helps create that beautiful caramelised exterior during the final grilling stage.

Because the medallions are smoked at a relatively low temperature, we recommend using a good-quality pork tenderloin with some marbling. Those thin white lines running through the meat are intramuscular fat, and that fat is key. It keeps the meat juicy and tender during the smoking process and adds more flavour than very lean pork ever could.

The barbecue is set up for a half-indirect cook at about 120°C (250°F), with a small chunk of cherry wood for smoke. While the pork gently cooks, the cherry sauce is made over the direct side in a small pan. The cherries simmer in their own syrup together with balsamic vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, and soy sauce, slowly reducing into a glossy, deeply flavoured sauce.

Once the pork medallions reach an internal temperature of about 58°C (136°F), they are removed from the grill, and the indirect setup is removed.

Now the barbecue is switched to full direct heat. This is also the moment to roast the Brussels sprouts: lightly pre-cooked, tossed with a bit of olive oil and bacon, and grilled until they get colour and texture. A small splash of balsamic vinegar at the end brings everything together.

To finish the dish, the pork medallions are grilled briefly over direct heat, turning them every so often until they develop a nice caramelised crust. Thanks to the sugar in the rub, this happens quickly. The final internal temperature lands around 65°C (149°F), leaving the pork just slightly pink, incredibly tender, and very juicy.

Thanks to strict farming regulations and food safety standards in most Western countries, pork is perfectly safe to serve at this temperature. There’s no need to cook it all the way to 70°C (158°F) or beyond. The result is pork that’s flavourful and moist, rather than dry and overcooked.

We serve the medallions with a generous spoonful of the cherry sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts, and some mashed potatoes. This is the kind of plate you proudly put in front of your guests. And yes, this one definitely gets people talking.