Grilled bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin medallions are tender, smoky, and surprisingly easy to make. My simple wrapping method keeps the bacon in place and makes evenly sized medallions without wrestling with individual strips.
Skip the bacon for a faster version of grilled pork medallions. Either way, they make a quick dinner for two that's easy to scale up for family or guests.
🤔 Quick Answer — How long to grill pork tenderloin medallions?
Use a 450°F medium-high grill and cook to 145°F internal temperature.
- Bacon-wrapped medallions: Grill for 10–12 minutes on the flat sides, then 3–5 minutes on the edges to cook the bacon.
- Plain pork tenderloin medallions: Grill for 10–12 minutes, flipping once.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 📝 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- 🐖 Ingredients
- 🔪 How to Wrap Bacon Around Pork Tenderloin and Make Medallions
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Grill Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Medallions
- ⏱️ How Long to Grill Pork Tenderloin Medallions
- 🥣 Seasoning
- 👍 Pro Tips – Cooking
- 📅 Make-Ahead Tips
- 🔥 Oven Method (Sear and Bake)
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- ❓ FAQs
- 🔗 More Pork Tenderloin Recipes
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Clancy:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Better than any restaurant bacon wrapped pork I’ve ever eaten. I followed you steps exactly as written and the rub truly elevated the tenderloin taste."
📝 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- What: Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin medallions grilled for a quick dinner. Skip the bacon for faster prep and cooking.
- Why: Tender, individually portioned pieces of pork with an easy bacon-wrapping method and simple preparation.
- How: Wrap the pork tenderloin with bacon, cut and flatten into medallions, season, then grill over medium-high heat to 145°F. Skip the wrapping step for plain medallions.
🐖 Ingredients
- Pork tenderloin — The right cut for pork medallions. It is long, lean, and tender. Do not substitute pork loin—it is a completely different cut.
- Bacon — Use regular-cut bacon for the bacon-wrapped medallions. Thick-cut bacon takes too long to cook. Skip the bacon for plain grilled pork medallions.
- Seasoning — Salt and pepper are enough, or use your favorite seasoning. I recommend my dry rub with brown sugar, kosher salt, chili powder, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
🔪 How to Wrap Bacon Around Pork Tenderloin and Make Medallions
This method makes the job easy – no fighting with individual pieces of bacon.
1. Trim the tenderloin – remove the silverskin and loose fat so it wraps cleanly.
2. Lay out the bacon – arrange 4 slices side by side with small gaps, wide enough to cover the tenderloin after removing the thin tail.
3. Even out the thickness – cut off the skinny tail end and place it alongside the thin end of the tenderloin to even out the medallions.
4. Roll and slice – roll the bacon around the tenderloin, then cut between each strip to create medallions. Move the bacon – not the tenderloin.
5. Flatten and secure – press each medallion slightly so it sits flush inside the bacon. Pin with a toothpick to hold it in place.
Skipping the bacon? Cut the tenderloin into 1½-inch medallions and gently flatten to about 1 inch thick, pinning the thin end pieces with a toothpick.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Grill Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Medallions
- Prepare the medallions — Use the bacon-wrapping method above, then slice and gently flatten the medallions. If skipping bacon, prepare the plain medallions as directed above.
- Season — Season both sides with your preferred seasoning.
- Grill the flat sides — Grill over medium-high heat at about 450°F for 5–6 minutes per side.
- Finish the bacon — Stand bacon-wrapped medallions on their edges and grill 3–5 minutes, turning as needed to cook the bacon. Skip this step for plain medallions.
- Check doneness and rest — Cook the pork to 145°F, then rest for 5 minutes before serving.
⏱️ How Long to Grill Pork Tenderloin Medallions
At a 450°F medium-high grill, cook pork tenderloin medallions to an internal temperature of 145°F, followed by a short rest, as recommended by the USDA. Cooking time depends mainly on whether you use the bacon wrap.
- Bacon-wrapped: Grill the flat sides for 10–12 minutes total, then cook on the edges for 3–5 minutes to finish the bacon.
- Without bacon: Grill for 10–12 minutes total, flipping once.
You can cook to a higher internal temperature if you prefer your pork more done, but it will become less tender as the temperature rises.
Always cook to temperature, not just time. Start checking early with an instant-read thermometer.
🥣 Seasoning
Simple salt and pepper work well, or use your favorite pork seasoning. I prefer my dry rub with brown sugar, kosher salt, chili powder, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Season shortly before cooking. If using bacon, remember it adds salt, so season the pork lightly.
Save this recipe!
Enter your email address and we'll send the link straight to your inbox!
👍 Pro Tips – Cooking
- Grill temperature: Gas or charcoal both work. Keep the grill surface temperature around 450°–500°F.
- Bacon thickness: Use regular-cut bacon. Thick-cut bacon takes longer to cook and may stay chewy.
- Cook the bacon edges: Use tongs to stand the medallions on their edges, turning as needed to cook the bacon.
👉 Need help? See A Beginner’s Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
📅 Make-Ahead Tips
- Prepare the bacon-wrapped medallions up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate, or freeze unseasoned for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen medallions completely in the refrigerator before cooking.
- Season shortly before grilling, especially when using a salted rub.
🔥 Oven Method (Sear and Bake)
- Sear all sides in a hot oven-safe skillet with a little oil—3–4 minutes on the flat sides and, if using bacon, 1–2 minutes on the bacon edges.
- Transfer the skillet to a 400°F oven and bake until the pork reaches 145°F.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
✅ Pro Tip: Any oven-safe skillet will work, but cast iron is best. It holds heat evenly and gives you a great sear.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- Pair with Grilled Baby Potatoes or Grilled Mixed Vegetables for a complete outdoor meal.
- Something saucy: A drizzle of BBQ sauce, chipotle aioli, or garlic butter works well with these medallions.
❓ FAQs
Not if you’re using thin or regular-cut bacon – it will cook through just fine. If you’re using thick-cut bacon, precook it partway until it just starts to brown (but isn’t crispy). Drain, let it cool, then wrap the tenderloin as directed.
No – and it’s an important difference. This recipe uses pork tenderloin, sometimes called pork filet. It’s long, narrow, and very tender. Pork loin is much larger, firmer, and usually sliced into chops. The texture, flavor, and cook times are completely different, so don’t swap them.
🔗 More Pork Tenderloin Recipes
📖The Recipe Card
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Medallions
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin
- 4 strips bacon – thin or regular cut; optional
- seasoning of your choice - seasoning salt and pepper, dry rub, or your favorite pork seasoning
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making the Pork Medallions
- Trim pork tenderloin of loose fat, membranes, and silverskin.
- For bacon-wrapped medallions: Lay out 4 bacon slices side by side with small gaps. Trim off the skinny tail and place it alongside the thin end of the tenderloin to even the thickness. Roll the bacon around the tenderloin, then cut between each strip to create medallions. Flatten slightly and secure with toothpicks.Without bacon: Cut the tenderloin into 1½-inch medallions, gently flatten to about 1 inch thick, and pin the thin-end pieces with a toothpick.
Seasoning and Preheating
- Season all sides (your choice is fine; dry rub recommended).
- Clean/oil grates; preheat to a 450°F surface temp (medium-high).
Grilling
- 1) Grill the medallions over direct heat for 5–6 minutes per flat side.2) If bacon-wrapped: Stand the medallions on their edges and grill for another 3–5 minutes, turning as needed to cook the bacon.3) Cook to an internal temperature of 145°F.
Rest
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
Bacon: Use thin or regular-cut bacon. Thick-cut bacon may stay chewy unless partially precooked. Temperature: Cook to 145°F. Always check with a meat thermometer. Make-ahead: Assemble bacon-wrapped medallions and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze unseasoned up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and season shortly before cooking.Alternative Sear-and-Oven Method
Sear all sides in a hot oven-safe skillet with a little oil—3–4 minutes on the flat sides and, if using bacon, 1–2 minutes on the bacon edges. Transfer to a 400°F oven and bake until the pork reaches 145°F. Rest for 5 minutes.Optional Dry Rub (makes extra; save the rest)
You will only need a few teaspoons of this if you use it as your seasoning. Seal the remainder of the rub and save for later. 8 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powderYour Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published June 8, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Clancy says
Better than any restaurant bacon wrapped pork I’ve ever eaten. I followed you steps exactly as written and the rub truly elevated the tenderloin taste. I very much appreciated your instructional photos on how to wrap the bacon around the pork. I had a different vision of how to wrap, that is until I got to your photos. Certainly wasn’t how I planned to wrap, but yours was much easier. Thank you. Next up is your shredded pork tenderloin recipe. Haven’t had a fail yet with your recipes.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Clancy,
Welcome to the blog and thanks for the comment. I do find the rub was that special extra touch–all my wife's idea.
Thank for the comment and hope you enjoy the rest if the blog.
Dan
PS—I just noticed all the other comment have disappeared. There was a tech issue during the rewrite and about 50 comments were lost. My apologies to those commenters.