Bacon & Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

The Fresh Market was having a sale on pork tenderloin this week, so I bought a pack of two when I stopped at my local store today.  I was going to make Rachel Ray's Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloins, but then I remembered that my mother-in-law had sent my husband a recipe for pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon.  I didn't have the recipe, but I thought about putting a combination of bacon, brown sugar, and black pepper on my pork tenderloin, so I started looking at recipes online that contained those ingredients.  

Four pieces of bacon per tenderloin was the perfect amount.

Oh my goodness, this pork was amazing!  I definitely have a new favorite pork tenderloin recipe!

Bacon & Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

2 pork tenderloins -- about 2/12 to 3 pounds total
8 pieces of bacon
1/4 C light brown sugar -- packed
1 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray.

Place your pork tenderloins on the baking sheet and season them with kosher salt and 3/4 tsp of black pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar with 3/4 tsp of black pepper.

Wrap each pork tenderloin in 4 pieces of bacon, then rub them with the brown sugar & pepper mixture.

Cook your pork tenderloin for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

I cooked my pork for an additional 12 minutes, until it reached an internal temperature of 150 degrees on my meat thermometer.  The USDA recommends that pork be cooked to at least 145 degrees, which is medium rare.  Allow the pork tenderloin to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves 6 to 8

Recipe Notes

Leftovers Update -- Yesterday, I made two pork tenderloins, but we only ate one for dinner.  I always make two, so we have leftovers.  Today, I reheated my pork for 5 minutes in an oven set to 350 degrees, then turned the oven to broil to crisp up the bacon.  It was just as delicious as it was yesterday!  

This picture is from the second time I made this recipe.  I love bacon so much, I might use 10 or 12 pieces next time!  :-)

This dish was inspired by a recipe on Yummily for Peppered Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin.  You can view it here.

Linked to: Gluten-Free Wednesdays