Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin (Crock Pot)
Crock-Pot Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze – A Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin Recipe cooked in a Slow Cooker? Say What?!? Yep, this Whole Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze in cooked to perfection low and slow.
Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin… In the Crock Pot?
What comes to mind when you think about your Crock Pot?
Weeknight dinners? Chili? Nostalgic memories of walking in the house on a cold winter day, to the wafting aroma of savory stew?
I bet you don’t think of an elegant bacon wrapped beef tenderloin recipe.
Although our first thoughts of Crock-Pot cooking lead to lovely meals, it’s a common misconception that Crock-Pots are strictly for soup and cheap cuts of meat.
Yes, you can make hearty soups in a Crock Pot. And yes, you can cook a roast until it falls apart in tender strands. But that’s not all a Crockpot can do.
Crock Pot Beef Tenderloin
I’d like to challenge you to rethink your Crock-Pot.
You can use a Crock-Pot for ANY dish that you want to cook very low and slow.
We don’t eat beef tenderloin all the time. As an expensive cut of beef, it’s definitely a special occasion meal. But I have cooked whole tenderloin in the oven (and on the grill) often enough to experiment with cooking temperature and time.
Although you can cook a beef tenderloin recipe on rather high heat for less time, I find you get a better overall texture if you cook in low and slow.
This Crock-Pot beef tenderloin was uniform in color and so tender you could pull it apart with your fingers, at MEDIUM- RARE!
Ingredients Needed
- Beef tenderloin
- Thick-cut pepper bacon (or applewood bacon)
- Onion – sliced thin
- Garlic – peeled
- Fresh rosemary
- Beef stock
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Sugar
- Flour
- Salt and black pepper
Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin Recipe Tips
After browning the bacon, I started the beef tenderloin recipe in the Crock-Pot with only a little bacon grease to ensure it roasted, not steamed.
Then I added the liquid ingredients later, so the bacon grease and balsamic vinegar could create a lovely rich balsamic glaze.
This bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin recipe with balsamic glaze would make a jaw-dropping dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas night!
While you’re busy entertaining relatives, wrapping presents, and baking Christmas cookies, your perfect whole tenderloin will be gingerly roasting on the countertop, freeing up the oven for cookies and other dishes.
Plus roasting low and slow, means you don’t have to hover. If you forget to check the temperature for a few minutes, your whole beef tenderloin won’t be ruined!
I highly suggest trying this.
How To Make Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker
- Salt and pepper the whole tenderloin thoroughly. Lay the bacon slices out on a clean work surface, touching each other, creating a rectangular sheet of bacon.
- Lay the whole tenderloin across the bacon and carefully wrap the bacon ends over the top. Secure the bacon strips by “sewing” toothpicks through the ends.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Place the whole tenderloin, toothpick-side-down, in the skillet. Sear the bacon on all sides, turning as needed—10 minutes.
- Place the beef tenderloin in a Crock-Pot and pour the pan drippings over the top. Place the sliced onion, garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs around it. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer in the thickest part of the whole tenderloin, then cover and turn the Crock-Pot on low. A crock-pot beef tenderloin will be perfectly medium-rare when the temperature reaches 130 degrees F—2-4 hrs, depending on weight and thickness.
- Once the temperature reaches 100 degrees on the instant-read thermometer, mix the flour and sugar together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and mustard into the sugar until there are no clumps. Then whisk in the beef stock. Pour the mixture around the tenderloin, cover, and continue cooking until 130 degrees F is reached.
- At 130 degrees F, remove the whole tenderloin and cover with aluminum foil for at least 10 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise to 135 degrees as it rests. If needed, allow the balsamic glaze to continue simmering with the bacon fat until thick.
- To serve, remove the toothpicks and slice the tenderloin into thin rounds. Top with rich balsamic sauce!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this fantastic fool-proof recipe with…
- Green Bean Almondine Recipe
- Green Bean Salad with Peppadew Peppers
- Buttermilk Drop Biscuits with Whipped Honey Butter
- Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts
- Pomme Puree (French Mashed Potatoes)
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- The Ultimate Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Texas Roadhouse Rolls (+ Cinnamon Butter)
Crock Pot Beef Tenderloin Recipe with Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds beef tenderloin 10 inches long (the thick end of a whole tenderloin)
- 12 strips thick pepper bacon
- 1 small onion sliced thin
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3/4 cup beef stock
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Have the butcher cut a whole tenderloin in half so that you can purchase the thick end (they will usually cut the rest into steaks) or buy a “butt beef tenderloin.”
- Salt and pepper the whole tenderloin thoroughly. Lay the bacon strips out on a clean work surface, touching each other, so they create a rectangular sheet of bacon.
- Lay the whole tenderloin across the bacon and carefully wrap the bacon ends over the top. Secure the bacon strips by “sewing” toothpicks through the ends.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Place the whole tenderloin, toothpick-side-down, in the skillet. Brown the bacon on all sides, turning as needed—10 minutes. *This can be done ahead and the seared tenderloin, can be refrigerated for a 1-2 days if needed.
- Place the beef tenderloin in a 5-6 quart Crock-Pot and pour the pan drippings over the top. Place the sliced onion, garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs around it. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer in the thickest part of the whole tenderloin, then cover and turn the Crock-Pot on low. A crock-pot beef tenderloin will be perfectly medium-rare when the temperature reaches 130 degrees F—2-4 hrs, depending on weight and thickness.
- Once the temperature reaches 100 degrees, mix the flour and sugar together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and mustard into the sugar until there are no clumps. Then whisk in the beef stock. Pour the mixture around the tenderloin, cover, and continue cooking until 130 degrees F is reached.
- At 130 degrees F, remove the whole tenderloin and cover with foil for at least 10 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise to 135 degrees as it rests. If needed, allow the balsamic glaze to continue simmering until thick.
- To serve, remove the toothpicks and slice the tenderloin into thin rounds. Top with rich balsamic glaze!
Hi! Our oven is in intensive care and the needed parts won’t be in by Christmas. I was looking for special Crock Pot recipes and I found this. I am searching for good accompanying sides to make also without an oven. Thank you for any suggestions!
My husband really enjoyed the beef. The sauce did have to be simmered for a while to thicken after taking the beef out. I made only about a 2 lb tenderloin and this was definitely more sauce than we needed, but it is delicious so I’ll be happy to use it with other meals.
Hello, I am wondering if anyone has made this in an instant pot/pressure cooker? Any thoughts or ideas on doing so? Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Hello:
I want to make for Christmas Dinner how long in the crock pot is want it well done?
Hi Linda,
In all honesty, if you plan to cook it well done, I would suggest making a beef roast, short ribs, or even a pork loin, rather than spending the money on a beef tenderloin. It’s meant to be served medium-rare, so you lose a lot in taste and texture if you cook it too long.
Meat needed to be at 140-145 for rare. Will use simple beef stock next time. Bacon was soggy.