Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This is the first smoker recipe so we hope you like it.

 For those of you who haven't seen a lot of meat smokers it's such a cool thing. 

The idea of smoking meat is low and slow. The smoker is hot but only about 250 degrees.

 It is run by dry heat which is wood only that circulates through the smoker and cooks while infusing the meat with the flavor of the wood you are using. Trent used cherry wood on this recipe but you can also use apple, mesquite, apricot, what ever goes well with the meat.

You can do this same recipe in your oven. Cook it at 300 degrees for about 4 hours or until the meat temperature reaches about 180 degrees. Be sure to check it often so it doesn't over cook and get dry. 

Trent competes with this guy, stacks he calls it (it has 3 smoke stacks) He built the smoker and trailer from the ground up. It's pretty cool. 

The first thing you need to do is light the fire in the fire box and get it hot.

For the meat we use a pork loin. We buy a large one and cut it into thirds and use one for dinner and freeze the other 2 for dinners later in the month.

There are a lot of pictures coming up because I want you to see how he cuts the pork. You want it to lay flat so when he cuts it it almost seems as if he is unrolling it.

Make your first slice on the side toward the bottom.

 As you slice keep opening it up further and further

You'll start to to notice it seems to unroll.

You can also just cut it through the center just not all the way through so it lays flat and pound it out with a meat mallet.

The filling is very basic but oh so good.

A box of stove top stuffing, told you it's basic. It's a perfect base it has the perfect texture and all the spices you need. Cook your stuffing according to the box directions. When it is done cooking spread it out evenly on the pork loin.

We put chopped bacon, onions and mushrooms on top of that. You can use any filling you like though. Spinach would be great or even carrots and celery.

 Roll it right back up and smile because you made it through the hard part.

 Now for the wrapping. Bacon, Bacon and more bacon. He likes to do a basket weave because it keeps the bacon in place along the pork. 

Take 4 strips of bacon and lay over it.

pull up the first and third piece of bacon and lay another piece of bacon horizontally across. Lay the pieces back over the top.

Continue that all the way around. Remember we are only doing this along the top you don't need to wrap it around the bottom. You don't want it come unrolled.

Now we take that beautiful meat and put it in the smoker.

From here it is all about temperatures. When the pork hits about 150 degrees we foil it and put it back in the smoker until the temperature hits about 180 degrees.

                                     

By foiling it it keeps all the juice in instead of losing all the flavor in the smoker. 

Do you see the juice in the bottom of the plate? That is wonderful

When you are ready to eat cut a nice slice and all that work will be worth it!

That is our first smoker recipe (which can be done in the oven too)

Hope you like it!