Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin is juicy, savory and bursting with herbaceous flavor. With 5 simple ingredients plus salt and pepper, you'll have this restaurant worthy main course ready to serve in less than an hour.
There are a few elements of this recipe that set it apart from others like it. First, a no-fail method for wrapping bacon evenly around the tenderloin. Second, rubbing the pork with an aromatic blend of olive oil, rosemary and garlic before it's wrapped in bacon. And last but not least, roasting on an oven safe rack inside a rimmed baking sheet to crisp the bacon evenly.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
- Bacon: not thick cut bacon
- Pork Tenderloin: trimmed
- Olive Oil: good quality extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh Rosemary: dried rosemary is not a good substitute here
- Garlic: fresh garlic cloves
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Easy and You Can Make it Ahead of Time
Weeknight easy, but date night and dinner party elegant, pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon is a main course you'll turn to often. It can also be assembled up to a day in advance, making it convenient for special occasion meals where you have other dishes to prepare as well.
Recipe Options
- Use fresh thyme or sage in place of the rosemary or use a combination of herbs.
- For an element of sweetness, use maple bacon slices. Or for an even sweeter version, skip the herb and olive oil rub and coat the tenderloin with brown sugar instead before wrapping in bacon.
What to Serve Alongside
- Mashed Red Potatoes, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes or Skillet Potatoes
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms
- Arugula Salad, Classic Wedge Salad or Lemon Garlic Asparagus
- And if you're a bacon lover, check out this collection of delectable Bacon Wrapped Recipes
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Arrange bacon strips side by side on a work surface so they overlap slightly. Rub pork tenderloin all over with olive oil mixture and place crosswise in the center of the bacon.
Wrap one end of bacon strips one by one over pork tenderloin. Repeat with the opposite end so that it overlaps the first and completely covers the pork. Place on oven safe rack inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast in an oven preheated to 425˚F 25 to 30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the internal temperature of the tenderloin registers at least 145˚F on a meat thermometer or instant read thermometer. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 8 strips bacon not thick cut bacon, (recipe note #1)
- 1 pound pork tenderloin trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for brushing oven-safe rack
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary dried rosemary is not a good substitute here
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Place an oven-safe rack inside a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush rack with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside. (recipe note #2)
- From left to right, lay bacon strips on a work surface side by side so that they overlap slightly. (The finished width should be wide enough to span the full length of the pork tenderloin.)
- Place pork tenderloin on a clean plate and tuck thin end under to create an even thickness.
- In a small bowl, stir olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper until well combined. Spoon mixture over pork and rub all over to coat.
- Place seasoned pork tenderloin on the center of the bacon so that it spans all of the slices. Starting from the front edge of the right, topmost bacon strip, wrap one strip at a time over the top of the tenderloin. Repeat with the back edge of each bacon strip, again working right to left, so that the bacon strips wrap the tenderloin completely.
- Carefully place the pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon seam side down on the prepared rack inside the baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the thickest part of the tenderloin reads at least 145˚F on an instant read thermometer. (recipe note #3) Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Cut into thick slices and serve.
Notes
- If your bacon strips are narrow, you may need 10 or more strips to span the full length of the pork tenderloin.
- If you don't have an oven-safe rack, bake directly on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet.
- For extra crispy bacon, flip on the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes just before removing pork from the oven.
This recipe was spot on!!! I served with pureed garlic potatoes and spicy quince chutney I made from our tree. That combo of the sweet tart chutney with the salty bacon pork and herbs was magic. Thank you so much for the recipe.
This is wonderful to hear, Sandra. That chutney sounds amazing! So glad you're enjoying the recipe.
How can I make it work with thick sliced bacon? Should I lay the bacon out and cook by itself in oven while I prep the tenderloin? Or for a certain amount of time?
Hi Rick! You can pre-cook the bacon on an oven-safe rack set inside a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet (for easy cleanup) at 425˚F for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how thick your bacon is and how crispy you like it (and be sure that it's still flexible enough to wrap the pork tenderloin).
Loved it. I used garlic & rosemary. Is there a trick to getting the sides a little more browned ? I should have used a larger rimmed pan, mine was 9 x13 which is the smallest in a set of 3 and it was full of bacon grease; a larger pan would have made taking the pan out of the oven easier. Great with the Fondant Potatoes. Thanks
My pleasure, Carmen! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Roasting on a baking rack inside of a rimmed baking sheet should expose the sides of tenderloin for even browning. (When you say 9x13, do you mean a deeper baking dish? That could be the issue with sides that are less browned.) Glad you enjoyed the fondant potatoes too!
No. It is the smallest of a set of 3 'cookie sheets' side aprox.3/4" deep.
Will try again with a larger sheet pan.
Thanks
This is gorgeous, Marissa. Love the golden color on the bacon and the garlic and rosemary are the perfect match for the pork. LOVE this combination. 🙂 ~Valentina
There's just something about rosemary and garlic with pork - so good! Thank you for your kind words, Valentina.
Mmmm. Delicious. And such pretty photos!
Oh this tenderloin looks absolutely perfect - so tasty and...well tender! Loving the use of herbs, although sweeter variations sound great too!
Thanks so much, Ben!
Oh that's a great idea to rub the tenderloin with herbs and oil before wrapping it with bacon - that would add so much flavor! This sounds like an easy but gourmet dinner recipe!
Thanks, David! That garlicky rub really does add SO much flavor.
Bacon makes everything taste so much better and juicier!