Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin doubles down on porky goodness for a weeknight sheet pan meal that feels a little fancier than usual. Serve with roasted vegetables.
Pork tenderloin is a simpler meal option than beef tenderloin–a cut often reserved for holiday dinners and other big-ticket occasions, and one that makes a lot of cooks nervous.
You don’t have to get stressed outt about cooking either, in my opinion, but there’s something about pork tenderloin that makes it seems a little more manageable.
However, the same qualities that make a pork tenderloin so appealing–lean, tender meat and a smaller size for a family meal–also contribute to the possibility of overcooking the cut.
Unlike beef, where a slightly undercooked center is ideal, you want pork to be cooked all the way through. 145 degrees F is the target temperature, and a meat thermometer will get you there every time.
(For those of you who remember when pink pork was scary and forbidden, those days are long gone! A ruddy center for pork is not something to shy away from–just make sure you’ve reached 145 degrees.)
But if you want a little more insurance and a lot more succulent flavor to boot, a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin is the way to go.
The prep is simpler than you think. Rubbing the tenderloin with flavorful ingredients like olive oil, garlic, and herbs gives the bacon something to grab onto.
And the bacon does double duty in this sheet pan meal. (Yes! Who doesn’t love a sheet pan meal?)
Because when you add vegetables all around the tenderloin, they absorb the bacon drippings as they roast.
I love doing this with root vegetables like sliced delicata squash or other cubed squash, bite-sized potatoes, or sliced parsnips or carrots.
You can also add sliced red onions, shallots, or pearl onions for another dimension of flavor. Mix and match to get a blend of sweet, starchy, and tangy in each forkful.
While the bacon will cook well in the oven, there are some optional steps you can add to make sure it’s extra crispy all around, which I note in the recipe below.
First, the bacon on the underside of the tenderloin–the side touching the sheet pan–won’t get as crispy as the bacon on top.
If this bothers you (as it bothers me!), you can pre-cook the wrapped tenderloin in a hot skillet for a few minutes before transferring it to the sheet pan.
Second, if you want to finish off the tenderloin under the broiler for a few minutes, you can really get the bacon blistered and crispy before slicing and serving.
The sliced tenderloin also makes excellent next-day sandwiches or wraps–don’t forget the garlic mayo!
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables
Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin doubles down on porky goodness for a weeknight sheet pan meal that feels a little fancier than usual.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 rosemary sprigs, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound root vegetables, such as delicata squash, potatoes, parsnips, and carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds
- 6-7 bacon slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil with half the rosemary and garlic in a large bowl.
- Add the vegetables and a pinch each of salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Transfer the vegetables to the prepared sheet pan, leaving some room in the center for the pork.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
- Slather the herb-garlic oil all over the tenderloin.
- Wrap the tenderloin with strips of bacon. Hold the thicker end of one bacon strip in place on the thicker end of the tenderloin and start wrapping the bacon, overlapping the strip slightly as you go.
- Continue until the tenderloin is completely wrapped—you may not need all the bacon, depending on the size of your tenderloin.
- Place the sheet pan of vegetables in the oven and begin roasting.
- To ensure that the bacon on the bottom of the tenderloin crisps up, heat a 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
- Carefully add the wrapped pork tenderloin to the skillet and cook for 7-8 minutes, until the bacon on the bottom is partially cooked and starting to brown in spots.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and very carefully transfer the tenderloin. I find it easiest to slide a sturdy spatula such as a fish spatula under the tenderloin with one hand, and hold the tenderloin with tongs in the other hand to stabilize while you're moving it.
- Scrape any bacon drippings over the pork and vegetables and return the sheet pan to the oven.
- Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork tenderloin hits 140 degrees F, about 18-20 minutes.
- If you want to get the bacon extra blistered and crispy, transfer the sheet pan to the broiler and cook for 3-5 minutes more.
- Let the pork rest until it reaches 145 degrees F on the meat thermometer, then slice and serve with the vegetables.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 407Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 484mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 9gSugar: 7gProtein: 18g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on January 5, 2010 and completely revised with new information, recipes, and photos on January 6, 2022.
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Casey Barber
Casey Barber is the owner and founder of Good Food Stories LLC and a visual storyteller whose work often focuses on the intersection of food and culture. She is also the author of the cookbooks Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food and Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats, and she couldn’t get anything done without the help of her executive assistant cats, Bixby and Lenny. Her favorite color is obviously orange.
Another great thing to do to pork is brine it. For a tenderloin all it takes is a few hours. I do one cup salt, I cup sugar, to about 5 cups cold water. I add bay leaves, garlic gloves, peppercorns, a squeezed orange and onion (skin on is fine). Combine it all and submerge the pork for a few hours. It really does keep the moisture in.
I’m with Lara – brine is nothing but beneficial to pork tenderloins and chops. Updating the post now with my earlier brined and grilled tenderloin recipe!