Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin takes a lean, mild cut and gives it a crisp, salty jacket. Trim the tenderloin, season it lightly, wrap it in thin-sliced bacon, brown it seam side down in a skillet, then finish it in a 400-degree oven until the pork reads 145 degrees F. It is on the table in about 45 minutes.

Pork tenderloin is the small, tapered muscle that runs along the inside of the backbone. It is the most tender cut on the pig and carries very little fat, which is why it cooks so quickly, why it dries out when it is overcooked, and why bacon is such a common partner for it.

At a glance: serves 3 to 4. Prep 15 minutes, cook about 25 minutes, rest 5 minutes.

Talking about chefs who really understand meat, Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, said:

“he or she doesn't have to try to do too much, but just let the meat speak for itself.”

Gray Shipley

Wrapping pork in bacon is, plainly, doing a little more. The bacon adds smoke, salt and fat that tenderloin does not have on its own, and that is a fair choice for a dinner party or a cold night. It is a choice, though, not a requirement. If you would rather taste the pork alone, follow the same steps without the bacon, raise the salt to 1 1/4 teaspoons, and see the plain tenderloin guide below.

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin, 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 8 to 10 slices thin-cut bacon (regular, not thick-cut)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup stirred together with 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional glaze)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle. Pat the tenderloin dry. Slide a thin knife under the silverskin, the tough, shiny membrane on the surface, angle the blade slightly upward, and cut it away in strips.
2. Fold the thin tail end under and tie it in place with kitchen twine, or simply tuck it under when you wrap, so the tenderloin is an even thickness from end to end. Season it all over with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme.
3. Lay the bacon slices side by side on a cutting board, overlapping slightly, in a row about as long as the tenderloin. Set the tenderloin across the middle of the slices. Bring the ends of each slice up and over the pork so they overlap on top, stretching the bacon a little as you go. Pin the ends with toothpicks or tie a few loops of twine if they will not stay put, then roll the tenderloin over so the seam is underneath.
4. Heat the oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Lay the tenderloin in it seam side down and cook for 3 to 4 minutes without moving it, until the bacon is browned and the seam has set. Turn it and brown the other sides, 6 to 8 minutes more in all.
5. Turn the tenderloin seam side down again and brush it with the glaze, if using. Move the skillet to the oven and roast for 12 to 18 minutes, until a thermometer in the thickest part of the pork reads 145 degrees F. Use an oven mitt from here on; the handle will be very hot.
6. If the bacon is not as crisp as you like, broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely. Move the tenderloin to a cutting board and rest it for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the twine and toothpicks, slice the tenderloin about 1 inch thick, and spoon any pan juices over the slices.

Add 1 pork tenderloin to cart

Use thin bacon, not thick

Thick-cut bacon takes longer to render and crisp than a tenderloin takes to cook. It tends to come out pale and chewy around perfectly cooked pork, or crisp around overcooked pork. Regular thin-sliced bacon crisps in about the time the pork needs to reach 145 degrees F. Stretching each slice slightly as you wrap helps it cling and cook evenly.

Why sear before roasting

Browning the bacon in the skillet first renders some of its fat and sets the seam, so the wrap stays in place and the bacon crisps instead of steaming in the oven. Keep the heat at medium. Over high heat, bacon burns long before it renders.

Oven temperature and timing

At 400 degrees, a seared tenderloin of 1 to 1 1/2 pounds takes 12 to 18 minutes in the oven. Start checking at 12. Tenderloins taper and vary, so trust the thermometer over the clock: push it in from the side, through the bacon, until the tip sits in the center of the thickest part. Lean pork goes from juicy to dry within a few minutes past 145 degrees F, so take it out as soon as it gets there. At that temperature the center may still look faintly pink. Go by the thermometer, not the color.

What to serve with it

Roast sweet potatoes, or apples and onions, in the same oven while the pork cooks, and add a pan of green beans. For a quick sauce, pour off all but a spoonful of fat from the skillet once the pork is out, add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and scrape up the browned bits, then whisk in a tablespoon each of Dijon mustard and butter.

Food safety

USDA FSIS lists 145 degrees F, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes, as the safe minimum internal temperature for whole cuts of pork, tenderloin included. Wash your hands and the cutting board after handling raw pork and bacon, refrigerate leftovers promptly, and reheat them to 165 degrees F. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.