Smoky Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions
Smoky Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions feature thick pieces of pork tenderloin wrapped in smoky bacon with a slightly sweet smoky seasoning.
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Is it just me, or does wrapping something in bacon make it seem fancier? If not fancier, it definitely makes it tastier. Adding bacon to something adds a smoky, salty flavor, and the extra fat from the bacon adds moisture and flavor.
And while Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions seem fancy and delicious enough to serve at a dinner party (spoiler alert: they are), they are also quick and easy enough to make on a busy weeknight.
How to Make Smoky Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions
Making anything wrapped in bacon can be difficult because it often means that the bacon can end up either under- or over-cooked. Over the years I’ve found that the solution to this is to partially pre-cook the bacon before using it to wrap your menu item. This works well with my bacon wrapped scallops, and it also works here with bacon wrapped pork medallions.
Start by laying the strips of bacon into a large oven-safe skillet that has been heated to medium-high heat. Cook the bacon for 2-3 minutes, then flip, and cook for 2 more minutes. At this point, the bacon should be starting to render its fat, but still be completely flexible. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
Meanwhile, start mixing up the seasoning mixture. Stir together the olive oil, smoked paprika, brown sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Measure out 1 Tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet and stir it in as well (if you don’t have enough, top it off with additional olive oil). Leave any remaining fat in the skillet.
Brush or rub 1/2 to 2/3 of the spice mixture all over the pork tenderloin. Wrap the partially cooked bacon strips around the pork tenderloin, leaving about 1/2″ (about 1 1/4cm) to 1″ (about 2 1/2cm) between each strip (see photo in recipe). Secure the bacon with toothpicks.
Use a sharp knife to cut the pork between the bacon strips so that the tenderloin becomes 4 thick medallions. Brush the remaining seasoning mixture on the cut edges of the pork.
Heat the skillet (with the remaining bacon fat in it) over medium-high heat again. Place the medallions, cut side down, in the skillet, and cook until well-browned on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the medallions and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook at 400°F until the center of the largest medallion measures 145-155°F in the center, about 8-10 minutes. Note that if the pieces of pork differ significantly in size or thickness, you might want to remove the smaller pieces earlier to prevent them from overcooking.
Transfer the pork medallions to a plate and tent with aluminum foil to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Smoky Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions Ingredients
- Bacon – Use regular pork bacon here. I recommend using regular-cut, not thick-cut bacon for wrapping. Either regular or reduced-sodium bacon will work.
- Brown sugar – Or you could substitute maple syrup for more of a maple bacon flavor.
- Olive oil
- Smoked paprika – Using smoked paprika enhances the smoky flavor of the bacon, but if you don’t have any, you can use regular sweet or hot paprika instead.
- Kosher salt – Or use MSG-salt to enhance the savory flavors in these pork medallions.
- Garlic
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Pork tenderloin – the average pork tenderloin is around 1 pound, but it’s ok if yours is a little bigger or smaller than that. If it’s a lot bigger, I would recommend cutting it into 5 pieces instead of 4, and adding an extra strip of bacon to wrap the 5th piece.
Want more bacon-wrapped recipes?
Smoky Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one bacon-wrapped pork medallion if you cut a 1-pound pork tenderloin into 4 pieces. If your pork tenderloin is significantly larger or smaller than 1 pound, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free as written.
To make a complete meal, serve your pork medallions with a green salad or cooked vegetable dish and/or a cooked grain, potatoes, or bread.
Smoky Bacon-Wrapped Pork Medallions
Ingredients
Instructions
- Move oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Lay out the strips of bacon in the skillet. Cook the bacon for 2-3 minutes, then flip. Cook for an additional 2 minutes on the second side, until the bacon is partially cooked and the fat has started to render. Remove the bacon from the skillet and turn off the heat.
- Measure out 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan, and add it to a small bowl (if your bacon is very lean and you don't have enough, add olive oil to make up the difference). Leave the rest of the fat in the pan.
- Add 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, the minced garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to the bowl with the bacon fat. Stir to combine.
- Pat the pork tenderloin dry and remove any silver skin that is present. Rub 1/2 to 2/3 of the smoked paprika mixture all over the pork tenderloin.
- Lay out the 4 strips of partially cooked bacon horizontally on a large cutting board. Place the seasoned pork tenderloin vertically over the strips of bacon. Wrap the strips around the tenderloin, ensuring that the strips are evenly spaced. Secure the strips of bacon with toothpicks.
- Using a large, sharp knife, cut the pork tenderloin between the bacon slices, to make 4 thick medallions. Rub the remaining paprika mixture over the cut edges of the pork medallions.
- Return the skillet (containing the remaining bacon fat) to medium-high heat. Place the pork medallions, cut sides down, in the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the bottom is well browned. Flip the pork medallions over, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until browned on the second side.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the center of the thickest piece of pork measures 145-155°F, about 8-10 minutes. Note that if some pieces are significantly smaller/thinner than others, you may want to remove them before the larger pieces are done to prevent them from overcooking.
- Transfer the medallions to a plate and tent lightly with foil for 5 minutes to rest before serving. Remove toothpicks, and serve with potatoes or grains, and/or cooked vegetables or a green salad to make a complete meal.
Nutrition
Notes
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