Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Bacon
This Pork Tenderloin is stuffed with an irresistible sage and apple stuffing, then wrapped in bacon and roasted until crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside!
Servings: 4
Cost: £3 / $4
Equipment
- Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Large Baking Tray
- Meat Thermometer
- Cling Film
- Rolling Pin or Mallet
- Food Processor (for breadcrumbs)
- Toothpicks (optional)
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 1 Red/Sweet Apple, peeled & finely diced
- 1 small White Onion, finely diced
- 1 small rib of Celery, finely diced
- 1 large clove of Garlic, finely diced
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1-2 tbsp Chicken Stock (can just sub water if you don't have stock)
- 1 tbsp finely diced Fresh Sage
- 1 tsp finely diced Fresh Thyme
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 cup Fresh Breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup finely diced Pecans
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin
- 1x 1.2-1.3lb/550-600g Pork Tenderloin (see notes)
- 12-14 slices of Streaky Bacon, or enough to cover the tenderloin
- Veggies for roasting, i.e potatoes, butternut squash, onion, carrots (optional)
- Gravy, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat melt 2 tbsp butter, then add in onion and celery. Fry until soft and just about starting to take on colour, then add in apple, garlic, sage and thyme. Continue frying until the apple begins to soften, then stir in 2 tsp dijon mustard.
- Add in breadcrumbs, pecans and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then stir in 1-2 tbsp stock or water, just until it begins to stick together ever-so-slightly. A little tacky if you will. Place pan to one side.
- Grab your pork tenderloin and lay it on a chopping board. Slice lengthways through the centre around halfway down, then open up the tenderloin so it's even thickness. Flip it over then lay a sheet of cling film over and pound until around 1/2" thick. You want it fairly thin, but not so thin it starts breaking apart. Remove cling film.
- Lay over strips of bacon from one end right to the other, overlapping very slightly as needed. Place fresh cling film back on top, the press down and secure around the edges of the chopping board. Carefully flip it over so the clingfilm is on the work surface and the pork is on top (see video for guidance). Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the stuffing in a row towards the bottom of the tenderloin (side closest to you). Tightly roll just the tenderloin, then bring back to the start of the bacon and tightly wrap the rolled tenderloin in bacon. Secure with toothpicks if the seam looks loose.
- Place seam-side-down in a baking tray and roast at 220C/425F for around 35mins, or until the centre of the meat hits 63C/145F. If the meat cooks before the bacon crisps up, whack on the grill and broil until it crisps. Timings will vary slightly depending on the thickness of the tenderloin so I recommend using a thermometer.
- Rest for 3-5mins, then slice up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
a) Pork Tenderloin - Try and find the most symmetrical looking tenderloin you can. You essentially want a nice rectangle after you've butterflied and pounded it. Not only will this make it easier to wrap, but it'll also cook more evenly. Some tenderloins are fattier than others, so trim the fat at the start if needed.
b) How do I know when the tenderloin is cooked? - A couple of years ago the USDA lowered the safe internal temp of pork from 165F/73C to 145F/63C, so it can come out looking tinged pink. I highly recommend using a thermometer, but in all cases you want the thickest part of the meat to be piping hot.
c) Serving - To film this I roasted the tenderloin with potatoes, butternut squash and onion. Usually I'll serve this as a centre piece for a Roast Dinner if we don't want turkey/chicken/beef. In which case I add all the trimmings alongside it. It does work nice for a regular dinner though with some Gravy, Potatoes and Green Beans.
d) Stuffing - You'll want to dice the onion, celery and apple pretty finely, just so the stuffing isn't too lumpy, which makes it hard to roll. The liquid is just to bring it together slightly. You want it a little tacky, not wet, so don't go overboard! 2 tbsp max.
e) Pre Ahead - Just make it up until the point of baking (keep it wrapped in cling film) then rest in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temp then bake as stated.
f) Calories - based on 1.3lb/600g tenderloin, 12 slices of bacon and no sides. Whole recipe divided by 4:
Nutrition
Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.03g | Protein: 39.24g | Fat: 32.14g | Saturated Fat: 3.957g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.317g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.18g | Trans Fat: 0.033g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 989mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 7.5g | Vitamin A: 213IU | Vitamin C: 2.2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2.51mg