Sometimes you will have the entire extended family together for Thanksgiving and will feel the need to cook a whole turkey…or maybe even two! However, for some holidays, you might find that you are only cooking for two or three people and cooking a whole bird is simply overkill.
Here is a spectacular recipe for bacon wrapped turkey tenderloins that is easy, inexpensive, delicious and perfect for when you are only cooking for a few people. Enjoy!
Bacon.
Let’s not over think this, ok?
Turkey Tenderloin is absolutely delicious. So why try to do too much? Why not just rely on the fatty tasty deliciousness of bacon for an assist?
Let bacon do the heavy lifting on this one.
A Big Tip for the Bacon….use the cheapest bacon that you can find! You want a thin cut bacon with plenty of fat for this recipe. Thin bacon wraps around the tenderloin incredibly easy and the fat really bastes the meat. The thin bacon will also crisp up much nicer than a thick cut variety.
Smoke.
And that’s really it. Bacon and Smoke. Read the recipe for the rest of the details, but those two words encapsulate the fantasticness of this dish. So if you’re looking to cook a different kind of turkey this Thanksgiving, now you’ve got this idea. By the way, you could also try making this delicious smoked boneless turkey breast as well!
This recipe uses a brine but please check the package the tenderloin came in first. These days most tenderloins have already been brined/pumped with salt, stock and phosphates.
If the turkey tenderloins you have bought have already been brined then skip the brine in this recipe.
How to Cook
We cooked these tenderloins on a Weber Performer charcoal grill using indirect heat.
While this recipe for a bacon wrapped turkey tenderloin is amazing on a smoker it will also turn out just fine if you cook it in the oven. If you wanted to replicate this recipe as much as possible by using as oven then brush each tenderloin with a teaspoon of liquid smoke before wrapping in bacon.
If you want to cook these on a Traeger, Pit Boss or Z Grills pellet grill then set the control panel to 225F and use apple wood pellets for the fire and smoke. There is no need to use the Smoke Setting on your grill for this recipe.
Recipe Alteration Option: There is a lot of salt in this recipe from the combination of the brine and the bacon. If you want to mellow out the salt flavor then brushing the crisped bacon with a sweet barbecue sauce would bring an incredible flavor addition to the meal.
Smoked Bacon Wrapped Turkey Tenderloin
Ingredients
- Turkey Tenderloin - usually come 2 in a pack
- 1/2 lb Bacon
- Salt & Pepper
- For Brine
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 cup italian dressing
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Brine tenderloins several hours up to overnight.
- Remove from brine and rinse.
- Wrap in bacon.
- Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.
- Set up your grill for indirect cooking or use your smoker.
- Smoke indirect with fruit wood at 225 for about 2 hours or when internal temp hits 165.
I’ve done this method twice now in my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker and have been crowned KING OF SMOKED TURKEY BREAST in my family! I prepared 4 for Thanksgiving and 12 for two Christmas meals and they were spectacular. My wife claims it to be the best turkey she’s ever eaten and my sister, who doesn’t care for turkey at all, is wanting me to do more soon!
YEP, having this for dinner tonight!
This immediately jumped to the top of my To-Do List
As well it should have Andrew. As long as you use a thermometer you really can’t mess it up. It’s outstanding.
Mmmmmm….bacon…..nuff said!! looks absolutely delicious!!!