Last Updated on December 6, 2023 by Carne Diem
Protein:
Origin: Nose To Tail Cooking
Method: Grill or Smoker
Jump to RecipeOur smoked pork tenderloin is seasoned with your favorite barbeque rub, wrapped in a bacon weave, and then smoked over applewood until juicy and smoky.
Shortly after purchasing my Big Green Egg, the wife and I decided to take a road trip to the Big Green Egg festival in Atlanta, Georgia. This festival had professional pitmasters cooking their favorite recipes between fast paced trips around the Atlanta Speedway.
After sampling our way around the speedway, we discovered many new recipes to cook up upon our return home, however, none has had the longevity of this bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. Over the years we have "fancied it up" a bit with a bacon weave, but it still remains a family favorite for a quick family night dining on the patio.
Table of contents
Making the Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
To make this applewood smoked pork tenderloin on your smoker, you just need to do some minimal prep work, make a bacon weave, season the bacon wrapped pork, and get it on the smoker. A lot of the prep work can be done ahead of time and the smoked bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, typically takes under an hour to cook.
Selecting and Trimming the Pork Tenderloin
Pork tenderloin is a lean and thin cut of pork that runs along the backbone of the hog. It is very tender and typically can be found in 2 packs at most stores. When selecting any pork, try to select pork that is as fresh as possible.
Simply trim the tenderloin of any excess fat. As mentioned, this is a lean cut, so there should be minimal fat to trim, if any.
Seasoning the pork
Next, slather the pork loin with some mustard, to use as a binder for the barbeque rub. I plain yellow mustard works well, but one of our favorites is Hak's Smoked Maple Mustard.
Next, put a very generous dusting of your favorite rub on the pork. This time we are using Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub, but we change it up every time we make it so use your favorite or make your own.
Making the bacon weave
Next, you will need to make the bacon weave for the pork tenderloin. Because pork tenderloin cooks so quickly, we recommend using a thin cut bacon for the weave, as thick cut bacon is unlikely to crisp up before the pork is done cooking. You will typically need about 7-10 slices of bacon to make the weave.
We find it works best to prepare the bacon on a sheet of plastic wrap. This makes it easier to wrap the pork tenderloin later.
Wrap the pork tenderloin in the bacon
Next you are going to wrap that meat up tight in a heavenly bacon blanket. If you made a bacon weave set it ⅓ distance from the top.
Pull the Saran Wrap to bring the upper third of the bacon over the pork then bring the bottom up to cover the tenderloin.
Pull the Saran Wrap back from the bottom and top making sure the bacon weave stays in place. Dust with your barbeque seasoning of choice.
Cooking the pork tenderloin on your smoker
Now that your bacon wrapped pork tenderloin is prepared, it is time for the best part. It's grilling time! We typically smoke the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin at 250-275 degrees over applewood. This temp typically works well to crisp up the bacon at about the same time that the pork is finished cooking. Rotate the cooking grate 90 degrees every 20 minutes and cook until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees.
This is a lean cut of pork so take care not to overcook it. Each piece of meat is different and will take differing amounts of time to cook. Use a continuous meat thermometer or instant read thermometer to help monitor your cook. We have had great luck with Fireboard products. For more information on Instant Read Thermometers and in-meat thermometers such as Fireboard, please check out our Equipment/Tools of the trade page.
When the meat hits 140 degrees, as checked with a meat thermometer, pull the meat from the smoker to a cutting board, cover in foil, and rest for 5 minutes.
Slice up the applewood smoked tenderloin and serve it with your favorite salad and starch like Smoked Jalapeno Twice Baked Potatoes, Fried Mashed Potato Cakes with Herbes de Provence Butter, or Smoked Mac and Cheese.
Looking for more awesome pork recipes, then be sure to try some of our favorites:
- Tempura Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
- Barbeque Char Siu
- German Pork Chops
- Hawaiian Kalua Style Pork
- Blackstone Griddle Italian Pork Milanese
- Kansas City Tomahawk Style Pork Chops
- Smoked Pernil- Puerto Rican Roast Pork Shoulder
Frequently Asked Questions
Pork tenderloin is at its juiciest and most flavorful when cooked to 140 degrees with about a 5-minute rest. As a very lean cut of pork, higher temperatures are likely to make the pork dry.
If your bacon still needs more time to crisp up place the bacon wrapped pork tenderloin under a broiler for about a minute to finish crisping up the bacon.
Leftovers are best wrapped in foil and reheated in an oven until the internal temperature has reached 145 degrees. Any leftovers should be eaten within 3 days.
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📖 Recipe
Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 1 Pork Tenderloin
- 10 Slices Center Cut Bacon
- Mustard
- Favorite BBQ Rub for Pork
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the pork tenderloin.
- Rub the tenderloin with the mustard, then liberally apply rub to all sides of the tenderloin.
- Wrap the tenderloin in bacon. (See pics if you wish to do a bacon weave, which we like as it helps maintain the shape of the bacon and keep it on the tenderloin).
- Sprinkle with additional rub.
- Heat your smoker to 250 degrees and cook the tenderloin over indirect heat until the internal temp of the pork is about 140 degrees. This typically takes about an hour, but always go by the temp of the meat, not time.
- Remove the pork to a cutting board and let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
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