What’s better than bacon? Bacon wrapped around pork tenderloin. These juicy pork medallions are wrapped in bacon, seasoned simply, and cooked your way—sear and bake in the oven, or grill for extra flavor. Perfect for date night or anytime you want something better than basic.
This easy recipe delivers restaurant-quality results with everyday ingredients in about 30 minutes.
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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."
❤️Why I Love This Recipe
- A great change of pace from steak—still special, but different
- Bacon-wrapped pork just hits the spot—juicy, smoky, and satisfying
- Make a few medallions now and freeze the rest for later
- Pork tenderloin is the right size for small-batch cooking
- Works on the grill or in the oven with a sear-and-bake method
🐖 Ingredients
- Pork tenderloin: Do not use pork loin—they’re very different cuts.
- Bacon: Regular cut, not thick-cut, so it cooks evenly.
- Seasoning of your choice: But the rub below is highly recommended: brown sugar, kosher salt, chili powder, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
🔪 How to Bacon Wrap a Pork Tenderloin for Medallions
This method makes the job easy—no wrapping individual pieces.
1. Trim the pork tenderloin. Remove the silverskin and any loose fat.
2. Lay out 4 strips of bacon side by side with small gaps (about 8 inches across). Place the trimmed tenderloin across the bacon, lining up the thick end with the first strip.
3. Cut off the skinny tail end and place it next to the thin end of the tenderloin to even out the thickness.
4. Roll the bacon around the pork, then slice between each strip to make medallions.
5. Flatten each medallion slightly so it’s even and fits inside the bacon wrap. Pin with toothpicks to hold it in place.
🥣 Seasoning
Just seasoning salt and black pepper are enough to make these medallions shine—but any way you season pork chops or tenderloin will work.
A dry rub adds even more flavor. I’ve included my go-to pork rub in the recipe card, but you can use any favorite. Try my Southwest Chipotle Seasoning or my Memphis Dry Rub.
👨🍳 How to Cook Bacon Wrapped Pork Medalions
🔥 Grilling Instructions
- Preheat grill to 450° surface temperature.
- Place medallions over direct heat and grill each flat side for 4–5 minutes.
- Use tongs to stand the medallions on their bacon edges. Grill the edges until browned.
- Return to flat sides and grill until the internal temperature reaches 145°–150°F.
- Rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
🔥 Oven Method (Sear and Bake)
- Sear all sides—including the bacon—in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with a small amount of oil.
- Transfer the skillet to a 400° oven.
- Bake until internal temperature reaches 145°–150°.
- Let rest 5–10 minutes before serving.
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👍 Pro Tips—Cooking
Grill type: Gas or charcoal—either works. Just control the surface temperature to stay between 450° and 500°F (medium to medium-high on most gas grills).
👉 Need help? See A Beginner’s Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
Sear and bake method: Any oven-safe skillet will work, but cast iron is best. It holds heat evenly and gives you a great sear.
📅 Make-Ahead Tips
You can prep these medallions ahead for an easy meal later.
- Refrigerate: Assemble and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Wrap tightly and freeze unseasoned for up to 3 months.
- Seasoning: Best to freeze unseasoned and add seasoning after thawing. Add rub or seasoning up to 24 hours ahead.
- Thawing: If frozen, thaw completely in the refrigerator before cooking.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
If grilling: Serve with Grilled Baby Potatoes and Grilled Mixed Vegetables for a full outdoor meal.
For an oven-baked dinner: Try Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Parmesan and Parmesan Baked Potato Halves—simple but elegant.
🔗 Related Recipes
Want a simpler version? Try my Grilled Pork Tenderloin Medallions.
Or explore more pork tenderloin favorites:
❓FAQs
Not if you're using regular bacon—it will cook through just fine.
But if you’re using thick-cut bacon, it’s best to precook it partway until it just starts to brown (but isn’t crispy). Drain, let it cool, then wrap the tenderloin as directed.
Nope—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.
📖The Recipe Card
Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions (Grill or Oven Method)
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin
- 4 strips bacon
- seasoning of your choice - seasoning salt and pepper, dry rub, or your favorite pork seasoning
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making the Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions
- Trim pork tenderloin of any loose fat, membranes, and silverskin.
- 1) On a cutting board, lay out four strips of bacon side by side with a little gap between (about 8 inches).2) Lay the trimmed tenderloin on the bacon, trim off the skinny tail end of the tenderloin, and lay beside that end of the tenderloin to make a thicker part.3) Roll the bacon over the tenderloin, then cut between bacon.4) Flatten each medallion so it’s about the same thickness as the bacon. Pin the bacon with a toothpick—use two if needed for the tail-end piece.
Seasoning and Preheating
- Season all sides with the seasoning of your choice. Dry rub is recommended but just seasoning salt and pepper is good.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F for the sear and bake method.For grilling, clean and oil the grates. Preheat the grill to a surface temperature of about 450°F (medium-high on most gas grills).
Grilling
- Place medallions over direct heat. Grill each flat side for 4–5 minutes.Use tongs to stand them on their bacon edges and grill until browned.Return to flat sides and cook until internal temperature reaches 145°–150°F.
Sear and Bake
- Sear all sides—including the bacon—in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with a small amount of oil.Transfer the skillet to a 400° oven. Bake until internal temperature reaches 145°–150°.
Rest
- Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Check the post above for a visual example of how to cut and wrap the medallions.
- Spice to your taste. Just seasoning salt and pepper is great—often with garlic. I usually go with seasoning salt and pepper, or use a pork rub.
- FOR TWO TIP: easy to freeze for 3-4 months. Freeze after assembly. Season after thawing.
Optional Dry Rub
You will only need a few teaspoons of this if you use this as your seasoning. Seal the remainder of the rub and save for later. MIX TOGETHER:- 8 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Your 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.