Traeger Smoked Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
This Smoked & Stuffed Pork Tenderloin recipe and others by Nicole Johnson can be found at Or Whatever You Do. There are tons of great Pellet Grill Recipes, and Blackstone Recipes to tryout!
Our bacon-wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin has a bacon weave and is filled with spinach, smoked cheddar cheese, and provolone. Once it is stuffed, we wrap the bacon around the whole pork tenderloin and toss it on the Traeger.
This Stuffed Pork Tenderloin is one idea you can add to your list of go-to recipes. This recipe is easier than it looks and quick to prepare, but not run-of-the-mill.
Pork Tenderloin is also an economical meat to serve. You can find them on sale quite often so stock up and throw a few in your freezer for a quick delicious meal option!
What is Pork Tenderloin?
The pork tenderloin is a tender, lean cut of pork equivalent to the beef tenderloin. The lack of connective tissue and the delicious fat marbling allows this cut to remain tender while cooking fairly quickly. No need to slow roast this cut to break down and dissolve the collagen that so many other cuts require.
Don’t confuse this Pork Tenderloin with the pork loin, however, these are two different cuts of meat. The pork loin is a much longer and thicker in diameter than the pork tenderloin which is usually around 10-12 inches long. The pork loin is what center-cut pork chops tend to originate.
How long do I cook this pork tenderloin?
First – you are asking the wrong question. When it comes to cooking meat, you MUST cook to temp and not to time. If you try and cook according to a time chart, you’re going to have a lot more fails than you would if you invest in a good thermometer and pay attention to it.
It is very, VERY important to use a good meat thermometer when cooking this cut of pork. Being that it is a very lean cut of meat, as with other lean cuts can be easily overcooked and dry when cooked to even a couple of degrees too high.
To prevent a dry tenderloin, cook this meat to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and then remove it from the heat source and allow it to rest. This will ensure a juicy, tender and flavorful tenderloin.
How do I stuff Pork Tenderloin?
The first thing you will want to do is remove the silver skin from the Tenderloin. You can easily do this using a sharp knife and by sliding the knife under the skin to release it from the meat. The silver skin does not break down during cooking and will remain chewy if it isn’t removed.
Next, you will butterfly (cut almost all of the way through the meat, opening it up like butterfly wings) the tenderloin, or cut a slit in it in the center being careful not to cut all the way through. You can then cover with plastic wrap and gently pound with a tenderizer to ensure your meat is about ½ an inch thick. This technique allows for even thickness all the way through for even cooking all the way through.
Now is when you will place the meat flat on a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper, add your fillings evenly distributed all the way to the ends, then roll it up, wrap with bacon, and secure with toothpicks or tie with kitchen string in several places to keep intact while cooking. I used spinach and cheeses to stuff in mine, you can use whatever kinds of cheeses or vegetables you like.
What should I use to cook stuffed pork tenderloin?
I used my Traeger Wood-Pellet Grill to cook this Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, but you can just as easily cook it in the oven or on another type of grill. Personally, I love the wood-fired flavor that cooking with real wood gives the meat, but when you have a tender piece of meat stuffed and wrapped in bacon you really can’t go wrong.
How to make a bacon weave
A bacon weave looks impressive but is really easy to make. All you need to do is lay out some bacon and weave it together, much like you do a lattice pie crust.
