Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

This pork tenderloin is wrapped in bacon, coated with an easy but delicious garlic brown sugar sauce, and then roasted to perfection! With plenty of crisp bacon and an interior of juicy pork tenderloin on the inside, this is the perfect savory, meaty dish for a big dinner.

For more bacon-wrapped delicious recipes, why not try making some Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts? Or maybe learn How to Cook a Boneless Pork Loin Roast instead?

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is one of the most classic ways to enjoy pork; rich in flavor and with plenty of fat, pork tenderloin makes for a great family roast or big dinner to serve to guests.

However, one of the things that pork tenderloin lacks when it is simply roasted is that little bit of added complexity.

By covering it in bacon and seasonings and drizzling over a delicious brown sugar garlic sauce, you can add saltiness, sweetness, and depth of flavor all in one go!

Other than that, you just need to make sure that you cook it properly, and that you are in for an amazing pork dinner.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.

• Hickory smoked bacon

• Pork tenderloin

• Garlic powder

• Salt & pepper

• Olive oil

Brown Sugar Garlic Sauce

• Light brown sugar

• Maple syrup

• Low sodium soy sauce

• Garlic powder

• Cayenne pepper

How To Make Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

• Slightly precook the bacon by placing them onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with a baking rack, or precook on the pan instead

• Bake until the bacon has rendered some of its fat but is still soft and malleable enough to wrap around the tenderloin, about 12 minutes

• Remove from the oven and let cool

• Heat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit

• Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels and then discard the towels

• Season generously all over with salt & pepper, as well as ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, coating the tenderloin

• Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron or oven-safe skillet

• Place the tenderloin into the skillet and sauté until browned on all sides

• Remove and place on a cutting board to cool

• In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic powder, and cayenne

• Coat the tenderloin with half of the mixture

• Starting at one end, wrap the bacon strips around the tenderloin, overlapping them slightly so that when they shrink more in the oven, the tenderloin will still be covered

• Place the tenderloin back into the cast iron pan and coat the top of the bacon with the remaining sauce mixture.

• Roast in the preheated oven until an internal thermometer registers 145°F at the thickest part of the tenderloin, around 25 minutes

• Make sure to baste the top with the drippings in the pan occasionally while roasting

• Remove and let rest for 5 minutes, then slice into 1-inch-thick rounds and serve

Do You Need To Season & Brown The Pork Tenderloin Before Wrapping It In Bacon

Having to both season and then brown the pork tenderloin might seem like an added step that does nothing but increase complexity, but it is actually a super vital part of making delicious pork tenderloins.

Seasoning thoroughly and browning completely before wrapping it in bacon adds a lot of flavor to what can be a pretty plain tenderloin under the bacon layer.

If you neglected to season the tenderloin, then the salt wouldn’t have enough time to penetrate the meat, leading to an under seasoned insides.

If you didn’t brown the meat before wrapping it in bacon, then you would end up with mushy, grey, and unappetizing meat just underneath the surface of the bacon because the pork wouldn’t have a chance to brown in the oven due to being covered by the bacon.

So even if it seems like it adds too much time, make sure to season and brown the meat before you even consider wrapping it up.

How To Ensure That Your Pork Tenderloin Gets Cooked Properly

Pork tenderloin may be delicious, but it is also a bit hard to cook it perfectly right every single time due to its thickness.

Cooking thin pork chops or steaks is easy enough, but the problem is that pork tenderloins are pretty thick, and can be difficult to get them totally cooked through.

Browning the meat a bit before roasting it is really great to both get some color on the meat and to help ensure that the heat reaches all the way into the interior.

Other than that, the main thing you should have on hand is an instant read thermometer. A thermometer than can instantly tell you the interior temp of the meat allows you to be totally accurate with your finished temp, as well as ensuring that you don’t end up with dry or leathery pork tenderloins.

One thing to remember is to take into account carry-over heat – you want to pull your tenderloins from the oven when the interior temp is around 5 degrees lower than your target temp.

This is because the leftover heat in the pork tenderloin from the oven will continue to cook the inside, bringing it up around 5 more degrees. So if you want perfectly pink and juicy pork tenderloins, ensure you pull them a little bit early.

Looking for more delicious Pork recipes? Try these out:

• Grilled Pork Chops

• Country Style Ribs

• How to Cook a Boneless Pork Loin Roast

Happy Cooking

Love,

karlynn

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