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Toss this jalapeño popper stuffed tenderloin on the grill for your next BBQ. Does it get any better than a bacon wrap?
Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Tenderloin
Tenderloin is one of my favorite pork cuts. The reason for that is that it cooks pretty quickly and can be flavored or stuffed in so many ways. In other words, it’s different each way you make it so you never get bored! This jalapeño popper stuffed tenderloin is just one of those ways.
Lucky for me, tenderloins have been on sale quite a bit in my area. I definitely take advantage of that. And nothing complements a pork loin like a zippy jalapeño popper stuffing. It’s wrapped in bacon too so what’s not to love about this?
Grill Smoker Or Oven
That choice is pretty much up to you–and the weather, of course.
Since I love my outdoor grills so much, my method of choice for this (and any tenderloin) is indirect grilling. To do this, you cook the meat on the unlit side of a gas grill. On a charcoal grill, you bank the coals to one side and cook the meat on the side with no coals underneath. One thing about charcoal grills and indirect cooking is the BBQ must have a lid. A Weber kettle is perfect.
If you have a smoker, that’s a perfect way to do this tenderloin. I’d recommend apple wood chips as it goes so well with pork.
The oven is probably the quickest way to do this. It should cook in about 45 minutes at 400F/200C.
Prepping The Tenderloin
First you must remove all membrane and silver skin. If left on, it will shrink and change the shape of the meat.
Next, in order to fill it, you have to butterfly the tenderloin. I also try to pound down the thick parts so it all cooks evenly.
I won’t lie here–you’re going to need about 2 pounds of bacon to wrap 2 pieces. The bacon should overlap so there are no bare spots. It’s also best to cook this seam side up so you don’t lose any delicious filling. I didn’t need toothpicks or skewers to keep the bacon in place, but have some handy just in case.
The Recipe
Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins
- 24 oz bacon approximately
Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 jalapeños cored, seeded and
- 2 tbs onion finely minced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbs chili powder
Instructions
- Remove membrane and any fat off the tenderloins.
- Butterfly the tenderloins (there are great YouTube videos on butterflying); set aside.
- Mix all the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Divide the filling equally down the center of each butterflied tenderloin.
- Fold the ends of the tenderloin over the filling and wrap tightly with the bacon slices. FYI you may use more or less bacon than I did depending on how large the tenderloins are—mine were pretty big.
- This can be cooked 3 ways—oven, indirect grill heat or in a smoker.
- For oven: cook in a 400F/200C oven for 45-60 minutes
- For indirect grill heat: place the tenderloins on the UNLIT side of a gas grill. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature is 160F/80C
- For the smoker: applewood chips are nice for pork. Smoke at 200F/100C for 3-5 hours. Internal temperature should be the same as for indirect method
Sue Smith says
You have two different oven temperatures. One says 300 in the choice of cooking method and in the recipe it says 400
Judith Hannemann says
Thank you!!! I’m a terrible proof reader and moreso since I’ve been sick. For the record it’s 400F/200C.