Crock-Pot Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin + Balsamic Glaze
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.
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.
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!
This is the best recipe ever. We’ve made it for Christmas 3 times now and everyone loves it. Frees up the oven for other things.
About how long did it take? All day or just a few hours? Thank you! (I’d love to get this going while we’re at Christmas Eve service.)
This was AWESOME! I am not a great cook. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so good. Made me a bit proud.
Well my oven stopped working and was looking for crockpot recipes. I found this one and even though it is summer I made it any ways. My husband always does the tenderloin in the oven so he was surprised that it came out so good. This is definitely a keeper.
Thank you for posting this.
This is the best thing I have EVER made! Thank you sooooooo much. I am making it again for my birthday <3
Hi Lisa,
I’m so glad you liked it! XOXO
This looks so so good!! I am cooking for my whole fam for xmas and really want to try this. However, I’ll be honest I’m somewhat intimidated to do beef tenderloin. I just don’t want to overcook it. I have a couple questions really quick. So I saw your reply to another’s comment saying to make it ahead earlier in the day, then wrap it in foil for 15 min, and then put it on warm in slow cooker 30 min before serving. 1) Do I keep it on the counter in foil the whole day before putting it on warm, or do I put it in the fridge? 2) If I’m cooking a long 5-6 lb tenderloin do I just wrap it in the crockpot? Cause it’s definitely longer than my 5 qt crockpot. And 3) If it’s sitting out hours before serving it, should I take it out and put in foil earlier than you said in recipe cause it will continue to cook on counter? And 4) Can I slice an end piece off before I put it on warm to make sure the color looks right? I will be so paranoid if I can’t do that I think! I’m so sorry this is so long and I truly truly appreciate your help!! Thank you!
Hi Kacy,
I would plan to slow cook the tenderloin for approximately 3 hour for most crockpots, but it could take a little more or less time. One of my crockpots will cook it to 130 degrees in a little over 2 hours. You can either plan to put it in the crockpot about three hours before dinner, or you can make it early and rewarm it in the crock. But DO NOT let it sit out all day. It will need to be refrigerated if you make it early.
If you had the butcher cut you the thick end of the tenderloin as directed, it should fit in the crock. If you have a whole beef tenderloin you are trying to squeeze in, it may not fit. I would try to scrunch it in one straight piece, rather than wrap it around.
Finally, trust your thermometer. I wouldn’t cut into in to check the meat, because then all the lovely juices run out. Once you reach the proper temperature, cover with foil and let it rest so the juices redistribute. You’ll be glad you did! :)
Thank you so so much for the reply! That info helps a lot. Can’t wait to cook it next week!
This was amazing, I cooked this for our Gourmet Dinner Group – this month’s theme was “I Can’t Believe This Came Out of a Crockpot”, all the dishes were made in a Crockpot.
I followed the recipe as written, my tenderloin was 4.1 lbs. I wrapped it bacon and seared it the day before, took it out of the fridge to come to room temperature, and it took 4 hours (2 1/2 to get to 100F and 1 1/2 to get to 130).
It was beautifully medium rare all the way through, with great flavour, and so tender we could actually cut it with a fork.
Hi Susan,
YAY! Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your experience. I’m so glad you liked it! :)
Hello,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Disney’s Babble.com. We’d love to include one of your recipes (above) in a post on our site, and accompanying photos. The recipe/image can be found at the following link:
http://www.aspicyperspective.com/beef-tenderloin-recipe-balsamic-glaze
Would you be willing to give us permission to use your photos on our site and social pages? We will link back to your site for the recipes and give you proper photo credit.
Please let me know if you are interested.
Thanks,
Kimberly Zapata
Writer/Freelancer, Babble.com
Hi Kimberly,
Thanks for asking! Absolutely! :)
Hi Sommer, I got to say your Crock Pot Bacon recipe was great. My husband and daughter just couldn’t get enough of it!
HI Gladys, So glad you liked it!! :)
Pingback: Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Stuffing - A Spicy Perspective
Pingback: The Best Sautéed Mushrooms Recipe - A Spicy Perspective
Pingback: Green Risotto Recipe - A Spicy Perspective
Pingback: Texas Style Oven Brisket - A Spicy Perspective
Pingback: 15 Holiday Recipes You Can Make In A Crock Pot | xuZux.life
can this method be used with a cheaper cut of meat?
Pingback: Slow cooker recepies |
Pingback: Paleo Crock Pot Tenderloin - paleorecipesgood.net
Looks pretty amazing. Are there any other cuts of meat this would work for?
The pictures are amazing – but it looks like prime rib / standing rib roast.
Tenderloin has very little, if any fat around the outside. Because of the bacon, I bet it would work with either cut. Can’t wait to try it. Less expensive cuts of meat are usually cooked low and slow so they are not tough.