Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The Perfect Pork Tenderloin Recipe from Southern Smoke’s Matthew Register

Southern Smoke Matthew Register
Southern Smoke

Just because the temperature is slowly dropping does not mean you should stop grilling. In fact, what better way to stay warm when it’s a little cooler out than to be standing near your grill? (Bourbon is a good way to stay warm, too, but we’re trying to make a point here.)

What we’re trying to say is that you should be grilling until you physically can’t grill because of snow, et cetera. The next question, then, is what to grill? Burgers and dogs are so (literally) last summer, so you need to move on to heartier fare that will stick to your ribs and fill you up.

Related Videos

We reached out to Matthew Register, creator of the Garland, North Carolina barbecue joint Southern Smoke (and author of the newly-released ), to see what he would suggest for a great fall grilling recipe.

Southern Smoke Cookbook Cover

Below, check out his recipe for grilled pork tenderloin with tomato and greens ragu. It is sweet, salty, warm, and hearty all at once and we plan on cooking it all autumn long.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Tomato and Greens Ragu Recipe

Southern Smoke Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Tomato and Greens Ragu Recipe
Harvard Common Press

(Serves 4)

“I’ve done a lot of cooking in an unassuming house in Sledge, Mississippi. It’s not a fancy kitchen. The countertops are often cluttered with duck calls, coffee cups, and the occasional wine glass. The reason I love this kitchen is the people I’ve shared it with: My father, uncle, cousin, and friends. After a day of hunting, this is the recipe I’ll make, served up family-style on a huge platter. The ragu — which gets its sweetness from the tomatoes, aided by the garlic — is a perfect way to use fresh greens to liven up a basic grilled pork tenderloin. When it’s poured over the top of the rich pork loin, the ragu creates a perfect balance of sweet and salty heartiness that will warm your soul.”

Ingredients for the ragu:

  • 4 tsp (20 ml) olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • .25 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 5 cups (150 g) greens, such as spinach, escarole, or turnip
  • 2 cans (14½ ounces [411 g] each) diced tomatoes
  • 2 whole pork tenderloins (about 1 pound [455 g] each)

Ingredients for the pork tenderloin rub:

  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • .5 tsp dried oregano
  • .5 tsp garlic powder

Method for the ragu:

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir. Cook for about 1 minute.
  3. Stir in the greens and cook for 2 minutes, or until they begin to wilt.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and cover to keep the ragu warm while you grill the pork loins.

Method for the pork and pork rub:

  1. Prepare a charcoal grill (see page 25). Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the rub ingredients and stir with a fork until well mixed. Pat the rub onto the tenderloins and let them sit at room temperature while your grill heats up.
  2. Once the grill is ready, place the tenderloins over direct heat.
  3. Cook the tenderloins for 5 to 7 minutes per side and try to flip them only once. After cooking on both sides, check the internal temperature.
  4. From here, the goal is to get the tenderloins in the 140°F to 145°F (60°C to 63°C) range without overcooking them. To do this, move them over indirect heat and continue to cook until they reach the correct internal temperature, about 18 minutes total cooking time.
  5. Remove the pork from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Slice the tenderloins in ¼-inch (0.5 cm) slices and place on a large platter. Spoon the ragu over the top and serve immediately.

You can pick up your own copy of Southern Smoke here.

Recipe and Photos courtesy of Southern Smoke by Matthew Register. Harvard Common Press 2019.

Editors' Recommendations

Oyster Blade: The delicious cut of steak you’ve never heard of
Oyster Blade: Get to know your new favorite steak cut
oyster blade steak cuts 13839614695 d08e418609 k

We love a lesser-known cut of beef. Tri-tip, for example — one of the most delicious of all steaks and a prized treasure to any Californian — away from the West coast, is often dismissed as a curious cut with no real culinary value (how dare they). Until the last few years, flank and skirt steaks were both scoffed at as cheap, tough cuts, hardly worthy of the time spent to prepare them. It's hard to believe this blasphemy, yet somehow, it's true. Underappreciated, shier types of steak often fly under the radar for decades without anyone pausing to appreciate their unique character and flavors. We say it's time to end this nonsense.
Enter the Oyster Blade. Commonly brushed aside due to its center vein of connective tissue, this flavorful piece of meat is one of the best steak cuts in town. Similar to the flat iron, the oyster blade differs only in the way it's butchered. A flat iron comes from the meat being cut along the long grain from the top and undersides of the gristle. When the meat is cut across its grain, the gristle line lies in the middle of the steak, and that is an oyster blade cut. Both cuts come from below the shoulder blade and are tremendously flavorful and savory.
Because of its signature line of gristle, oyster blades are too often overlooked. But if you know how to prepare this delicious cut of beef, your flavor reward will be immense. Like most lean cuts, the Oyster can be tough, but only when prepared incorrectly. While it can be deliciously pan-seared or grilled, our favorite preparation is a slow-cooked braise. Giving this flavorful cut of beef time to release its meaty flavor will give you one of the most savory stews or roasts you've ever prepared.

Oyster Blade braise recipe

Read more
Want a gorgeous, perfectly browned steak? Use water (yes, really)
This counterintuitive method will give you a beautifully browned steak every time
Porter-House-Steak

Every once in a while, a new piece of information comes along that goes against everything we've been taught, and it's pretty mind-blowing. It turns out, cursive is useless, Pluto isn't a planet, and we actually do carry around a calculator with us all the time (sorry, 1990s-era teachers). From time to time, these new truths hit the food world as well, and when they do, it's pretty exciting.

For as long as we can remember, the key to a good sear on steak has been fat and fast, high heat. Anything else would create a greyish, lackluster piece of meat that was hardly appetizing. But there's a new trick in town — water. While cooking a steak in water sounds pretty counterintuitive when it comes to proper searing, if done the right way, this technique can create a beautifully browned, perfectly seared, deliciously juicy piece of meat. So, how is this possible, you ask?

Read more
This is the secret to fluffy, moist, downright perfect bread
It's time to get to know Tangzhong
tips for making bread at home element5 digital h5rgwo1 f u unsplash

The art of bread making is an ancient one, its techniques, methods, and even recipes passed down for centuries. Of course, bread is a staple of the human diet. It fills and nourishes our bodies with rich grains and sustaining carbohydrates. And if done correctly, a homemade loaf can be one of the most beautifully perfect, decadent indulgences imaginable. A tenderly sliced piece of made-from-scratch, fluffy bread, warm from the oven, slathered in fresh butter is one of life's greatest pleasures. For those who enjoy baking, the process can also be a therapeutic and peaceful one. Kneading, stretching, and rolling dough into submission can feel like magic happening in your bare hands.

But for those of us who aren't Nancy Silverton, making bread at home can come with its frustrations. All of that hard work, effort, and mess resulting in a dry, humdrum loaf is truly heartbreaking and can send you running for the bakery before you can say "sourdough starter." But there is a solution, one that can give your homemade rolls, sandwich breads, and even sweet rolls like cinnamon buns a flakey, pillowy, soft, and buttery texture every time. That solution is called "Tangzhong."

Read more