This beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon is a straightforward recipe that will impress your guests. Because what could be better than an excellent cut of beef. Beef that is wrapped in bacon.
Tenderloin is very lean, so you want to protect it from drying out. The bacon helps with that. The fat from the bacon insulates and keeps the direct heat away from the tenderloin to have time to cook slowly without overheating. The bacon also provides some extra flavour.
During a tasting session with Tabasco, we got these balsamic raisins. We had to make them ourselves and share them with you. This is such an excellent combination that makes you wonder why you have never eaten it before.
If you don’t want to prepare a whole tenderloin, you can, of course, start with a smaller piece. It tastes just as good.
If you buy a whole tenderloin, chances are that there is still some silverskin covering the meat. You have to cut this away by inserting a flexible knife under the membrane and then cutting it away. Be careful not to cut too much meat. That would be a shame.
As you can see, a whole tenderloin is somewhat tapered. Fold the thin part back to get the same thickness from back to front. This ensures that you will cook it more evenly without the thin part being ready sooner.
Place some pieces of butcher’s twine parallel to each other with the bacon slices on top so that the bacon overlaps slightly. The entire width of all the bacon must be enough to cover the whole tenderloin. If you can’t find these long strips of bacon, take two shorter slices and overlap them.
Now wrap the bacon around the tenderloin. Make sure you fold the thin part of the tenderloin back slightly. Then tie the bacon around the meat. Not too tight. The meat contracts a bit during cooking, so it thickens a bit. It will get a weird shape if you knot the wire too tight.
Now sprinkle the entire wrapped tenderloin with the dry rub and let it sit for a while while you check whether the barbecue is at the right temperature. You want this somewhere around 150°C (302F). Not much hotter, otherwise the sugar in the dry rub will burn.
If you want to be sure that you remove the tenderloin from the grates in time, place a digital core thermometer. You want the tenderloin perfectly medium-rare at a temperature of 55°C (131F). You do this by removing the meat from the barbecue at 52-53°C (126-127F). The meat will continue to cook a little while resting, and then IT will come out just right.
While the tenderloin is cooking, you can make the balsamic raisins by gently simmering the raisins together with the balsamic vinegar. If the balsamic thickens slightly, add a few shots of Tabasco. We opt for the Chipotle variant here. It is not as spicy as the original, but it provides a light smoke flavour next to the heat.
If you pull the tenderloin off the grates in time, this is your reward. Perfectly medium-rare meat. After resting for about 10 minutes, cut the tenderloin into thick slices precisely in the middle of each piece of butcher’s twine. Don’t worry that you haven’t let the meat rest long enough. If there is moisture released on the cutting board, you can dab it with a piece of bread.
Serve the tenderloin with a generous scoop of the raisins and perhaps a nice grilled potato. If you make this tenderloin, let us know in the comments below. Or better! Take a photo and post it on Instagram. Tag @bbq.heroes so we can see what you made.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo of beef tenderloin
- 11 long slices of bacon
For the dry rub
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- ½ tsp coarse salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the raisins
- 500 grams of raisins
- 50 ml balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco
Instructions
- Prepare a 2-zone barbecue with a boiler temperature of approximately 150°C
- Pat the tenderloin dry and remove the membranes if necessary
- Cut about 10-12 pieces of butchers twine with a length of about 50 cm. Lay them out at a distance of the width of the bacon and place a piece of bacon on each piece of string.
- Place the tenderloin on top and wrap the bacon around the meat
- Now tie the bacon with the butcher’s twine and grease the whole thing with olive oil
- Mix the ingredients for the dry rub and sprinkle it over the bacon
- Now place the wrapped tenderloin on the barbecue. Insert a thermometer into the meat and close the lid
- The meat can be grilled to a core temperature of 52°C (126F). Meanwhile, you can make the balsamic raisins.
- Take a pan and throw in the raisins. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and stir well over medium heat until the balsamic vinegar gets syrupy. Then stir in the Tabasco.
- When the tenderloin is at the desired temperature, let it rest for 10 minutes. Then cut the tenderloin in the middle of the butcher’s twine and serve with the balsamic raisins.
