Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Bacon

For a while I tried to tell people that bacon 'jumped the shark'. Everybody seemed to be diving on the bacon bandwagon head first- bacon popped up in drinks and chocolate chip cookies, bacon air fresheners were hanging at coworkers desks and bacon gum was offered after meals. I felt like people were intruding on my private bacon love fest and I didn't like it.

So I turned to chorizo- which is spicy Spanish sausage and fun in its' own right. But the truth is, bacon is irreplaceable. The salty, smoky, sweet, crunchy, chewiness cannot be achieved with sausage, or turkey bacon and certainly not a tofu-bacon.

So to add to the deluge of pork recipes, I'm sharing with you my classic pork wrapped bacon (is that an oxymoron?) The bacon seals in the pork and it comes out with finger licking, dripping down the arm juicy.

Yes, there are times that sausage can suffice, and even be the right choice on occasion. But do not overlook the glorious under belly of the pig. And I'm here to tell you that bacon has not jumped anything... certainly not my fat and happy mouth!


Fat and Happy Tips and Techniques: Lattice the bacon instead of wrapping it and also use kitchen string to keep it all together. To create this lattice effect, lay 5 strips of bacon vertically, then weave the remaining strips in an over/under fashion horizontally like you would with the top of a pie crust.

Succulent Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Bacon

1 pork or turkey tenderloin (about 1-1.5 lbs)

10 slices bacon (use more if needed to cover the pork)

fresh sage leaves

fresh pepper

There is no reason to complicate this recipe. Purchase a pre-marinated tenderloin for ease (lemon and garlic works great with bacon), you can find these in the meat section of any grocery store.

Lattice the bacon slices to make a 'coat' for the loin. Lay the sage leaves on the bacon, place the tenderloin at one end of the latticed bacon and roll. Tie a couple of pieces of kitchen twine around the whole thing to keep it together. Sprinkle with fresh black pepper.


To grill, I like to put the front and back burners on medium high heat, and the middle burner on medium to medium low heat. Grill the bacon wrapped tenderloin over the lower heat. This will help cook the inside without completely burning the bacon on the outside.

Remember to let the meat rest at least 10 minutes before slicing (or all the juices will run out.) Serve with anything!

Variations: Try rubbing the tenderloin with spicy brown mustard and brown sugar before wrapping in bacon- simply outstanding.