Applewood Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

An elegant bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. (Soby’s New South Cuisine)

What could be better than pork wrapped in salty pork? This succulent tenderloin makes a show stopping Christmas dish. Finish with a spicy butter sauce to pump up the heat.

Cook Time:30 min

Prep Time:4 hours

Total Time:4 hours45 min

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

3 pork tenderloins

21‐27 Slices Applewood Smoked Bacon

? lb Butter

2 Tbs Water

1/3 cup Heavy Cream

2 Tbs Habanero Hot Sauce

1 1/2 tsp Salt

Preparation:

Rinse the pork under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove all visible fat and silver skin with a sharp boning knife.

Tear a piece of 18-inch wide plastic wrap 24 inches long. Lay the plastic wrap on the counter so the short side is facing you. Starting about 3 inches from the left side, lay the bacon slices vertically side by side slightly overlapping until you have created a “mat” equal to the length of the pork tenderloin (approx. 7 to 9 slices).

Lay the tenderloin horizontally on the bacon about 1 inch from the bottom edge so the tenderloin lies across all the strips of bacon. Using the plastic wrap, tightly wrap the bacon around the tenderloin until it overlaps and no bacon sticks out. Be careful not to wrap the plastic into the roll.

Continue to roll up the plastic until it is completely wrapped around the tenderloin. With both hands, grab the ends of the plastic wrap and twist them by rolling the log away from you on the table until the entire roll becomes tight.

Fold the twisted ends under the package and wrap the entire package in another piece of plastic wrap to hold the ends in place. Repeat the process for the other tenderloin. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray. Carefully remove the plastic wrap and place the tenderloin seam side down in the pan.

Roast for approximately 30 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat reads 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the meat from the oven. Loosely cover the meat with foil and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place 4 tablespoons butter, the water, and the heavy cream into a saucepan. Place the remaining butter into another saucepan. Bring the first pan just to a boil. Gently warm the second pan on medium-low until the butter is melted. Remove both pans from the heat. Pour the contents of the first pan into a blender and blend on high. While blending, drizzle in the melted butter, hot sauce, and salt. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat until ready to serve.

Slice each tenderloin into six equal pieces. Arrange three pieces on each plate and finish with Butter Sauce.