Prepare Your Pork Tenderloin
I used one pork tenderloin for this recipe, which will feed four. If feeding more, stack two pork tenderloins on top of one another and continue with the rest of the process. You may want to insert two small skewers through the meat once wrapped to help hold the two pieces together. Of course, you'll need 1-pound of bacon, some spinach and a couple handfuls of smoking chips. I use half hickory and half maple, but all hickory or apple are good wood choices.
Begin by applying a meat rub of choice to the pork tenderloin. I use my herb rub, which you can find here. Place in the refrigerator.
Commence to Weaving
Lay out all the "horizontal, we'll call it, pieces first. You can butt them up tight or leave a space. I left a space because I wanted the green of the spinach to show through.
Next, pull back every other strip of bacon and lay down the "vertical" strip. Once half finished, move to the other side and repeat. I never said a bit of practice may be involved. One tip is to put the bacon in the freezer just to the point of stiffness. Room temperature bacon is harder to coax.
Completing the Weave
Double check your weave. Stand back a bit as you admire your creation. Look to see that every piece conforms to the "under/over" rule. Trust me, I screw up about one out of every three!
Tighten and straighten the bacon for appearance. Getting hungry already, aren't you?
Time for Some Greenery
Lay down your spinach, or other greens. Collard Greens also work well with this recipe. One of these days I'd like to try it with cabbage. I laid down two layers.
Nothing difficult here. Just try to keep the leaves flat. Folded over or crumpled leaves tend to create an unsightly lump in the rolled up pork tenderloin.
Let's Roll!
Place your pork tenderloin on one end of the weave. Getting the roll started is a bit tricky. I've thought that a strip of foil at the starting point might aid in getting the roll started, but always forget.
Just gently start the roll, keeping the bacon in place. Once started, the rest goes fairly smooth. When done, a little cosmetic adjustments are usually required.
There you have it. Done! Put the pork tenderloin back in the refrigerator while you prepare your grill.
Put Some Heat to That Meat
Set up your grill for the indirect method of cooking. A medium heat is what you're looking for. Start with a clean and well oiled grill grate.
Put a drip pan in the middle of your grill and line the hot coals around it. I have several metal mixing bowls just for this purpose. The various sizes help me control how much heat is generated. A disposable pie pan will also work. Pour about a cup or two of water into the pan. With this recipe, I also threw in the remaining apple juice, as well as the apple peels.
Once your grill has reached the medium temperature range, sprinkle a handful of wood chips on your coals. (Don't mess with soaking them. We don't want that much smoke flavor). Place your pork tenderloin on the grill and close the lid. You're probably good for about 20 minutes, although keep an eye on the fire. You don't want it to get to hot or flare up.
Now is a good time to get the wild rice, or what have you and the apple cream sauce underway.
After 20 minutes, check your pork tenderloin with a meat thermometer. Insert in the middle of the meat at the thickest part. I doubt that you're there yet, but we want the meat to reach a temperature of 155-degrees F. Sprinkle on another handful of wood chips and close the lid. At this point, based on your temperature reading, it shouldn't be much longer. Check again every 5 minutes. Once the desired temperature of 155-degrees F is reached, pull it. It's done. Let the pork tenderloin rest for 5-10 minutes. It will continue to cook for a while.
Slice in 1 to 2 inch slices and serve. Spoon on the Grilled Apple Cream Sauce. Regular pork gravy made with the drippings, also works well.
