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These Pork Tenderloin Sliders are a weeknight family favorite that are so simple and delicious! A quick brown sugar rub, seared in a cast iron skillet, and the oven does the rest. While the pork finishes roasting, the onions caramelize in the pan juices, and everything gets sliced and piled on soft brioche slider buns. A drizzle of barbecue sauce and dinner is ready in 35 minutes!
- A Simple Homemade Dinner! - These pork tenderloin sliders have turned into such an easy fallback dinner for us! You can buy an extra pork tenderlion and throw it in the freezer to thaw for those busy nights! Everyone loves a hearty sandwich night, and even my pickiest eater will eat these minus the onions and with ketchup instead of barbecue sauce!
- Versatile Sides any Time of Year - Make it a meal with corn on the cob and sliced watermelon in summer, or roasted veggies or oven fries in the winter. Parties or just any night, this dinner is an anchor that can go with anything.
- If you Love Sandwich Night, try my similar Shaved Pork Roast Sandwiches make with pork loin instead of tenderloin, or these Easy French Dip Sandwiches with Deli Roast Beef!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Just a few basic ingredients here, generous seasonings, good quality buns, and that slow cooked onion that gets sweet and caramelized!
- Pork Tenderloin - A pork tenderloin is usually around 1 pound and will make about 10 slider sandwiches when sliced thin.
- Salt, Pepper, and Brown Sugar - Season with just basic kosher salt and fresh black pepper and then rub with brown sugar. This gives the pork a sweet and savory element that pairs well with the caramelized onions. Next time you run out, try making your own Homemade Brown Sugar, easy and fun!
- Onion - A humble onion turns amazingly delicious when slowly caramelized, bringing out its natural sugars. Use a medium yellow or white onion and slice it thin.
- Brioche Buns - You can use any kind of slider buns, hamburger buns, or Hawaiian rolls. We love brioche buns that are super soft and shiny on top. They may be called slider buns or dinner rolls.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Really easy, just season the meat and sear it in a hot skillet. Then transfer to the oven with the onions to bake! While it bakes to can get any side dishes ready.
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Lay the pork tenderloin on a plate. Mix the salt, pepper and brown sugar in a small bowl and evenly season the meat, rubbing it on all sides.
Slice the onion.
Step 2 - Preheat a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. Sear the pork on all sides which takes about 5 minutes total.
Don't try to move it around as it sears, but you also don't want the sugar to burn. Check it with tongs, when it gets a nice brown color and pulls away from the skillet easily, it's ready to flip.
Step 3 - Add the onions next to the pork and transfer to the hot oven to bake for about 20 minutes.
Step 4 - Check about half way through and give the onions and pork a flip with tongs.
Use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the pork should reach 140°F.
Step 5 - Let the meat rest in the skillet for 5 or 10 minutes before slicing.
Slice the pork thinly, about half inch or thiner slices.
Step 6 - Pile evenly onto about 10 slider buns, 2 or 3 slices per sandwich.
Top with the onions and serve with BBQ sauce.
Notes & Helpful Tips
- Preheat the Oven and the Skillet to Sear - It's really important that the pork hits a hot skillet to sear. You want that brown sugar to caramelize into a brown golden crust, but not burn. Before the sugar burns, you'll transfer it to the oven where it can gently finish cooking all the way through.
- Don't Burn or Overcook the Pork - Pork tenderloin is a very lean cut and dries out quickly if overcooked. It needs to sear about 5 minutes, bake about 20 minutes, and then rest for 10 minutes. Pull it from the oven at an internal temperature of 140°F, it will look just slightly pink in the center, which is what you want. Overcooked pork tenderloin is dry and tough, so use a meat thermometer.
- Serving Suggestions - Really any side dishes work great here! In the winter, add Mashed Sweet Potatoes or Roasted Potatoes with Broccoli. In the summer, serve with this White Bean Salad or Tomato Cucumber Orzo Salad. Keep it simple with just veggies and Parmesan Herb Yogurt Dip, chips and pickle spears! Corn on the cob, sliced watermelon, blanched green beans or asparagus, or a can of baked beans, really endless options!
- Storage and Leftovers - Leftover sliced pork can be refrigerated for 3 days and leftovers can be used in lots of ways! Make these slider sandwiches again or switch it up and make pork and cheese panini sandwiches. Chop the pork up and add it to quesadillas or sheet pan nachos. It is seasoned so simply that it can be used in any way.
Recipe FAQs
Pork tenderloin should reach an internal temperature of 145°F, but pull it from the oven at 140°F and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. At 145°F the pork will be slightly pink in the center, this is what you want and gives you the juiciest, most tender result. Cooking beyond 160°F will give you dry, tough pork.
Yes, pork tenderloin sliders are a great party option. Roast the tenderloin and caramelize the onions up to a day ahead (consider doubling the recipe in a large skillet) and store separately in the fridge. When ready to serve, slice the pork and reheat gently in a pan or in a crockpot with the onions a splash of chicken stock to keep it moist. Set up a slider bar with the brioche buns, pork, onions, and barbecue sauce and let guests build their own, perfect for feeding a crowd!
I'm from Wisconsin so the answer is always yes! I often do add a slice of provolone, Havarti, or white cheddar melted over the pork before adding the onions and BBQ sauce. For a fun party version, set up a slider bar with several topping options like different cheeses, pickled red onions, coleslaw, and a few barbecue sauce varieties, and let everyone build their own.
More Favorite Sandwiches!
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Pork Tenderloin Sliders
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 onion sliced
- 10 slider buns
- BBQ sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ and a cast iron skillet over medium heat with the olive oil.
- Lay the pork tenderloin on a plate. Mix the salt, pepper and brown sugar in a small bowl and evenly season the meat, rubbing it on all sides.
- Sear the pork tenderloin in the hot skillet on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Use tongs to flip. Let the meat sear a couple minutes without moving it, you want a nice brown crust to form, but don't go too long that the sugar starts to burn.
- When it's seared on all sides, add the sliced onions next to the pork and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, giving the onions and the pork a flip about half way through. Use a thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the pork reaches 140℉ at the thickest part. Let it rest on the stovetop for 10 minutes (with carryover cooking it should reach 145℉).
- Slice the pork tenderloin thinly (about half inch slices or thinner) on a cutting board. Assemble on small buns (can be warmed in the oven) with a few slices of pork, caramelized onions, and bbq sauce if you like.
Notes
- Onion - Use a medium sized yellow or white onion, sliced thin.
- Preheat the Skillet - Cast iron is best, but any oven safe skillet will work. Just preheat it so the pork can hit the hot skillet and a nice golden crust can sear on all sides. Then transfer to the oven so it can cook through.
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