I was originally going to make barbecue chicken the other day when our friends came over. But then I remembered I had a ton of pork tenderloins and a package of bacon in my freezer that I needed to use. What does that mean? Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, obviously.

I learned this recipe in a cooking class my mom signed us up for in Charleston, S.C. If you are down there, you should definitely check it out. I made these for our Super Bowl party with a bourbon-bacon sauce, but I don’t think they necessarily need sauce (although I kinda overcooked it this time, sorry Matt and Hilary!).

You know who didn’t care whether it was overcooked? M&H’s dog, Lily. She was acting like the dog in the Beggin’ Strips commercial (bacon-bacon-bacon-bacon-bacon-BACON!) as soon as the bacon came out of the fridge. Adorable. Even more adorable because of the lavender polka dot bandage on her paw (Don’t worry, she had to have something removed, so the bandage is just covering up the stitches. She’s fine!)

I used a baking sheet, but there will be a TON of bacon grease/fat, so make sure you use one with a lip around the edges or you will get grease all over your oven. You could also use a roasting pan, if you want.

Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin
2 pork tenderloins (two usually come in a package)
10 slices of bacon
Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 350*. Rub the mustard all over the pork tenderloins. Place 5 slices of bacon in a line on a baking sheet. Put the pork tenderloin in the middle of the bacon (if there is a thinner tail-like portion at the bottom, fold that over). Starting at the top and alternating sides, wrap the ends of the bacon up around the pork. When the pork is all wrapped up, put it in the oven. Cook until a meat thermometer reads at least 145, then take the pork out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*I cooked mine at 350 for about an hour and didn’t use a meat thermometer. The bacon was not super crispy. You may want to put it at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time, or at least make sure the pork is closer to the top of the oven than the bottom. But it’s good either way.

Bourbon-bacon sauce
6 slices bacon, large diced
1/2 medium red onion, large diced
1 cup bourbon*
1 cup beef stock

Place bacon in a medium (cold) saute pan and cook on medium heat until crispy. Add onion to the pan and cook until translucent.

Remove pan from heat and add bourbon (carefully). Scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan and return to heat. Add stock (and some pan drippings from the pork tenderloin, if you’d like) and cook until sauce reduces a bit and thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pork tenderloin.

*My husband would like me to tell you that bourbon comes only from Kentucky. It is OK if you use whiskey (like Jack Daniels) in this recipe, but please be aware that it is not actually bourbon. That is all.