Crock-Pot Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze
A Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin Recipe cooked in a Crock-Pot? Say What?!? Yep, this Whole Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze in cooked to perfection low and slow.
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 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 Crock-Pot can do.
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 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!
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 counter-top, 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.
Did you notice my fun retro Crock-Pot?
Crock-Pot has come up with a fantastic gift and family keepsake, just in time of the holidays.
You can hop over to Crock-Pot.com and “Create A Crock” for yourself, or as a personalized Christmas gift. They offer sports team logos for your favorite super-fan, or pick a fun pattern and add family photos to the front and back.
My 9 year old daughter helped me design the Crock-Pot in the photos above.
The design process itself was a memory-making experience she will never forget, and produced a meaningful (ever-so-slightly used) gift for grandma.
Create a Crock is a win-win this holiday season!
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: up to 4 hours
Crock-Pot Beef Tenderloin Recipe with Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients:
1 - 3-4 lb. 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 Tb. dijon mustard
2 Tb. sugar
1 Tb. four
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
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 the 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 a 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!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Crock-Pot. All opinions are my own.
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Yum! It makes me wish that I was snowed in today & could have this cooking away for a warm delicious dinner.
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Now this looks like some meaty perfection! Eric would go bonkers over this!
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I am totally trying this.
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LOVE everything about this Sommer!
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This looks fantastic. I know what I’m serving for Christmas dinner!
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I would never think to make a rare beef tenderloin in a crockpot – great post Sommer!
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Sounds fabulous! Beautiful photos, too, Sommer! xo
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I would inhale that for breakfast. Just sayin.
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How wonderful to put this in the crockpot! So tender.
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You had me at the balsamic glaze, yum!
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Anything wrapped in bacon has my heart!
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Oh my goodness – this sounds AMAZING. I absolutely love using our crockpot for such a variety of things – in fact most anything we make either ON or IN the oven I immediately start brainstorming how I can use a crockpot to cook it. This beef recipe AND apple crumble in the crockpot are now going to be my newest must haves!
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You just completed my Christmas menu for me! I have been looking for an easy meat dish and couldn’t find anything until now. Thank you!
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Sommer — December 10th, 2012 @ 7:01 pm
Yay!! Your welcome. Let me know how it turns out.
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This looks amazing! I love using my crockpot for holiday cooking. It allows me to spend time getting ready so when guests arrive I’m not still running around in my pajamas. Question: What temperature should the meat thermometer read for a medium to medium-well center? Your recipe is perfect for me but my in-laws won’t touch anything slightly red and it’s my turn to host them for Christmas.
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Sommer — December 10th, 2012 @ 7:00 pm
Hi Darrah, Medium is 140-145 degrees F and medium-well is 150-155 degrees F. You might be able to accomplish both if you select a tenderloin that is really thick on one end.
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Joanie — December 12th, 2012 @ 6:24 am
Hi Sommer,
I wanted to know if you can cook two tenderloins at the same time?
Sommer — December 12th, 2012 @ 5:05 pm
Hmmm, I don’t think two would have fit in my Crock-Pot, but if yours is bigger you might be able to get two in…
Oh my, does this look gorgeous!!! Your photos look beautiful! You make me want to pull out my crockpot and make beef tenderloin.
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This is incredible, Sommer. It looks perfectly cooked!
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I have to admit, yes, beef tenderloin in a crock pot sounds crazy, ha ha. But it does look like it turned out very well. I once did a South American thing where you wrap a beef tenderloin in a heavily salted bar towel and then throw it directly on coals. Very cool way to do it.
I noticed the crock pot immediately. Did not know you could make your own, great idea. Love that platter too, do you recall the brand name or where you got it?
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Sommer — December 10th, 2012 @ 4:58 pm
Hey Chris, I got that pewter platter at Habitat for Humanity Home Store for 75 cents! You never know what you might find there…
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Yes please!! I love anything wrapped in bacon but I love this even more since you made it in the slow cooker.
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delish! i just made a tip roast but the bacon took yours to the next level!
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You made that gorgeous, bacon-wrapped beauty in a crockpot? GENIUS. A) I love your crockpot–so fun and cute!, and B) I now know what I’m serving Christmas dinner. Glorious!
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Who knew?! Custom designed CrockPots. Certainly ain’t our mamas crockpots! Such a darling idea and I love your design. Beautiful recipe too Sommer!
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Wow, that is a beautiful tenderloin! Just got my new crockpot too. Love the cool design.
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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare you even kidding right now? GIVE THIS TO MEEEEE.
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This looks so wonderful! I love that glaze! And that you can cook it in the crockpot!
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There’s so much goodness to this recipe that words escape me. Love the bacon, love the beef, love the crock pot, LOVE that you don’t overcook meat! Sheeesh, lady, this looks YUH-mmy!
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What a fantastic sounding recipe!
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This is SOOOO PRETTY! Cooked to perfection.
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You’re totally right – you definitely don’t think of elegant dinners in a crockpot but boy was I wrong! I have to make this for Christmas dinner – and the best part about it is that I don’t have to slave away in the kitchen!
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This looks amazing!
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I just finished dinner and I’m still totally drooling over this!
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I’ve never ever thought of this before! It’s genius! Love that it is still medium rare. The pink is gorgeous
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Just wondering if turkey bacon can be used as a substitute? I’m not a big pork eater and I would love to make this!!
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Sommer — December 12th, 2012 @ 5:06 pm
I bet turkey bacon would work fine, although you may need to add a little oil to the bottom of the Crock-Pot, because you won’t have the bacon grease.
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You always make me so hungry! This looks fabulous!
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It is amazing what you can do in a crock pot. I need to try this as soon as possible!
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Will be following the comments for feedback from anyone who tries this. The pictures certainly look gorgeous but want to know of it really works this well for others. Thanks for sharing a very interesting technique!
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Perhaps this is a silly question to the frequent cook, but could you do the same with a prime rib? Also, which do you think would be better? Just wondering if the prime rib AND bacon would make it too greasy, since prime is a fattier cut.
Thanks so much for sharing. I had planned on doing prime rib for the first time ever, and would have NEVER thought to put it in the crock pot. Given the size of my turkey and only having a single oven, this is a life saver!
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Sommer — December 21st, 2012 @ 10:25 pm
Hi Tena, I actually prefer beef tenderloin to prime rib, but I’m sure you could prepare it the same way and it would be wonderful. Happy Holidays!
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How long in the crockpot for a 5pound tenderloin? 2-4 hours makes it hard to figure out what time we can eat
Any advice?
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Sommer — December 24th, 2012 @ 8:20 am
Hi Erin, I know that’s tricky, but the cooking time really does all depend on the type of slow cooker you have and the thickness of the tenderloin. So it’s really hard for my to be exact on this recipe, other than the interior temperature. To be safe, I would cook it earlier in the day, take it out of the slow cooker and cover with foil, then warm it in the slow cooker about 30 minutes before serving. That way, you reach the right temperature–but don’t over cook.
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I made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was amazing!!! I highly recommend this! However, when shopping for the beef tenderloin, watch your prices. One store tried to sell me one at $24.99 per pound but in another case they had it for $10 per pound.
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I also made this for Christmas Eve. Prepared it the day before and then put it in the crockpot the morning of. We liked ours about medium. I had a 4lb loin and I put it in at 9 and it was perfect at 12:30!!! A meat thermometer is a must. So good and tender. When I went to pick up the loin from the butcher he asked how I was preparing it….don’t ever mention beef tenderloin and crockpot in the same sentence. I think I made him cry, BUT I’m calling him today to let him know that it was excellent!!! Thank you for sharing!!
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I made this for NY Eve and it was perfect I was able to have both medium and medium-well pieces at the same time I bought a 6 lb tenderloin and cooked it 4 hrs then put some pieces after cutting back in the crock for about 1/2 hour for those who like their meat medium-well Will definetly be making this again
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This was tondie for deoicious. My mother had made it and I stopped by her house a few days later. My dad mentioned that there were some delicious leftovers in the fridge so I took some of this home. YUMMY! I asked her for the recipe and found it on her Pinteest board. Of course it has one of my favorite things in it, balsamic! Give this recipe a try it will rock your world.
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