An easy recipe for bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin. The bacon adds flavor and fat to the lean meat, making it juicy and flavorful. Keto option included.
Bacon really does make everything better. In the case of this recipe, it adds juiciness and flavor that the naturally lean meat lacks. Wrapping the pork in bacon does more than enhancing the flavor. It also ensures that the meat stays nice and juicy.
My roasted pork tenderloin is juicy and very flavorful, but I think this bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin is even better, and my family agrees - it's one of the dinner entrees they request most often!
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty main dish. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Olive oil spray: A delicious oil, but if you're unsure about cooking with it, you can use avocado oil instead. It has a higher smoke point.
Honey: You can try replacing this with a low-carb sticky sweetener. But I think the real thing is worth it.
Dijon mustard: It's creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use. A teaspoon of kosher salt weighs less than a teaspoon of table salt.
Garlic powder: Make sure it's fresh! A stale spice can easily ruin a dish. I should know!
Pork tenderloin: I usually get a piece that weighs around 1.25 lb. They can sometimes go up to 1.5 lb. and then you would need to roast for a little longer.
Bacon strips: If you'd rather avoid processed meats, try this recipe for roasted pork tenderloin.
How to make bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin
It's so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. Make the glaze. Start by mixing the honey-mustard glaze. Divide it into two portions. You want to separate the portion you'll spread on the cooked meat from the portion that you'll spread on the raw meat.
2. Prepare the pork. Season the pork, then wrap in bacon, as shown in the video below. Brush the top and sides with half the glaze.
3. Cook the pork. Roast it to medium doneness, about 40 minutes at 450°F. Loosely cover with foil after the first 15 minutes. Otherwise, the bacon will burn.
4. Rest it before slicing. Let rest, then brush the cooked pork with the remaining glaze, slice and serve.
A keto version of bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin
To make this dish extra delicious, I like to brush the bacon with a mixture of honey and Dijon mustard. It's still a fairly low carb recipe - 9g carbs per serving.
If you'd like to further lower the carb count, you can use a sugar-free honey substitute instead of the honey. Although I suspect it won't be as tasty, and won't caramelize as nicely as honey does.
It's OK to cook pork to medium
You'll see in the recipe card below that I cook the pork to 145 degrees F (medium doneness).
A wonderful thing happened a few years ago. The USDA lowered its safe temperature for whole cuts of pork (not ground pork) from 160 to 145 degrees F, with a 3-minute rest period.
So thankfully, we can now cook whole cuts of pork to a wonderfully juicy, slightly pink medium temperature. No need to dry them out completely!
More "bacon-wrapped" recipes
Enjoyed this bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin? Try my other "bacon-wrapped" recipes! Here are a few of them:
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Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
INGREDIENTS
- Olive oil spray
- 2 tablespoons honey (or a low carb honey substitute)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (not fine salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pork tenderloin (1¼ lb.)
- 6 bacon strips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with foil. Fit it with a roasting rack and spray the rack with olive oil spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together the honey and Dijon mustard. Divide into two equal portions. Set aside.
- Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder all over the pork.
- Wrap the tenderloin with the bacon strips, wrapping each bacon strip crosswise around a section of the pork and securing the end by tucking it underneath. It will feel a bit loose at this point, but will meld together while roasting.
- Place the wrapped pork tenderloin on the prepared roasting rack. Brush the top and sides with half of the honey-Dijon sauce.
- Place the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin in the hot oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees F (medium), about 40 minutes. Loosely cover the pork with foil after the first 15-20 minutes, to prevent the bacon from burning.
- Remove the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin from the oven. Allow to rest 15 minutes. Brush with the remaining portion of honey-Dijon sauce, slice and serve.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
More recipes to try
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 