Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin (Crock Pot)
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Nov 17, 2025 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
- Buttermilk Drop Biscuits with Whipped Honey Butter
- Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts
- Pomme Puree (French Mashed 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 Sommer…I need to know if I can also cook a center-cut Chateaubriand 3-4 lbs (will be stuffed with Dried Fig, Toasted Pecans and Stilton Butter) in my crockpot. My oven has quit on me (won’t keep a constant temperature) and I don’t want to rush into purchasing a new stove, especially this time of the year (no spare time). Here is the recipe for what I’m fixing for Christmas Eve Dinner…let me know if you think I can still cook in the crockpot and any time/temperature adjustments that might be necessary. Thanks, and Merry Christmas! http://www.valleyfig.com/recipes/view/roast-beef-tenderloin-dried-fig-and-nut-stuffing-and-stilton-butter
Hi Rita, because the stuffing doesn’t have anything raw in it that needs to be cooked through, I think you could do it. Make sure the tip of the meat thermometer is in meat, not stuffing and cook until it reaches the same temp as this tenderloin. Good Luck!
Have made this twice now, and it really is amazing! Two suggestions:
– after you remove the meat, dump the contents of the crock pot in a pan and continue to reduce the sauce – it just intensifies the flavors.
– once reduced, strain the sauce directly in to a gravy separator, as the sauce can be a bit oily from the bacon drippings. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then pour the good stuff in to a gravy boat.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I couldn’t resist. This is in my crock-pot as I type this. Like a few other comments mentioned, the wrapping and searing process was a bit tricky but, otherwise everything was super easy! I’m hoping it turns out well!
Could you use a pork tenderloin for this instead of beef?
I just finished making this–the glaze is a-maz-ing. It was so juicy and tender. It was a little tricky wrapping the bacon and searing it, but with practice it will get easier. Thank you for this!!
This looks amazing! Question.. due to a pork allergy I must omit and use turkey bacon. Has anyone had success with that? I will add a little EVOO to the pan? Also… the recipe calls for adding the liquid later on in the cooking process.. will there be enough moisture in the slow cooker?
This looks insanely good. I can’t believe that was cooked in a slow cooker! This is going on my list of recipes to try for sure.
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.
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
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!!
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.
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?
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.