Pork on Pork? This Little Piggy Didn’t Go To The Market

Make the rub. Mix together the mustard, garlic and thyme in a small bowl. Set aside to let flavors blend while you prepare the pork.

Insert a thin-bladed knife into the pork tenderloin in several places and slide the garlic slivers into the slits. It should go in easily if you use the knife as a “shoe-horn.” Add a lot or a little garlic, depending on how much you love garlic. I add a lot.

Rub pork with the mustard rub and massage it into the meat. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Lay the six the strips of bacon side by side on a work surface. Slip a long piece of kitchen twine under each piece of bacon. Top each slice with the red onion slices. Set the tenderloin on top of the bacon, at one end. Roll up the meat and the bacon at the same time so that you have a bacon wrapped tenderloin.

Now for the hard part—tying it up. That’s why it’s best to have twine already under the bacon so you don’t have to struggle with it like I did. Tie the kitchen twine around the bacon slices, to hold everything in. After you tie everything in place top it with the whole thyme sprigs and tie one last time. Or you could try tucking it into the twine.

Wrap the tenderloin in Saran Wrap and refrigerate it for about a half hour. You can skip this step if you’re in a hurry.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat an oven-proof heavy pan over medium high heat on the stovetop and add olive oil. I used my cast iron skillet.

Sear meat on medium high heat, turning it over a few times. Brown it nicely on all sides—the bacon should be crispy. Then put the pan into the preheated 350 F oven. Bake until a meat thermometer reaches 170 F, about 20 minutes.

Remove the tenderloin from the oven and let it rest for at least 5-10 minutes. This will help keep the meat juicy.

Slice the tenderloin and remove the twine and thyme stems. And most importantly, enjoy.

You can also deglaze the pan with either white wine or chicken broth and make a nice au jus for the pork.