When it comes to show-stopping backyard barbecue recipes, nothing makes jaws drop quite like a grilled bacon wrapped pork loin. The secret? A beautifully woven bacon blanket, also known as a bacon weave. Not only does it look incredible when sliced, but it also keeps the pork juicy and flavorful by basting it with smoky bacon fat as it cooks. If you’re looking for a way to wow your guests at your next dinner party, mastering the bacon weave is your ticket.
Love pork as much as I do? Check out my Smoked and Braided Pork Loin recipe. The French Dip Pork Loin is another delicious dish packed with flavor.
Why wrap a pork loin in bacon?
Aside from the obvious and simple fact that everything tastes better with bacon, the weave is more than just a pretty pattern—it locks in flavor and moisture.
Pork loin is a very lean cut of meat. It’s common for people to overcook this gentle protein resulting in dry, tough and flavorless pork.
As the bacon wrapped pork cooks on the grill over indirect heat, the loin bastes in the rendered fat from the bacon. This keeps the meat tender, juicy and adds flavor.
Aesthetic is another reason to wrap pork in bacon. Especially if you attempt to make a bacon weave or lattice. Once grilled, the dish looks like an artistic masterpiece on the dinner table with a bacon blanket wrapping the pork loin
Ingredients needed for a Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
- Pork loin: a foot long cut is the ideal length that a bacon weave will cover.
- Bacon: I used thin slices of bacon to build the weave.
- Seasoning: an all purpose seasoning for the pork and a sweet BBQ seasoning for the bacon.
- BBQ sauce: the sauce is an optional step. I used a store bought sauce to glaze over the outside of the bacon wrapped pork loin to give it shine and more flavor.
How to make a bacon weave
The bacon weave is what makes this grilled pork loin dish a show stopper. The tightly woven bacon wrapped around the pork log looks like a meaty blanket. Crispy and flavorful, it provides moisture through fat while it cooks over the grill.
The steps to the perfect bacon weave are simple but take time. This is the perfect step to do the night before. Make the weave, place it in the fridge to firm up and wrap over the seasoned pork loin just before you place it on the grill or in the oven.
I highly recommend using thin cut bacon to make a weave. Thick cut bacon may not render down all the way in certain parts of the weave making it chewy, rubbery and unpleasant to eat or slice.
Recipe Tip
Make your bacon weave the night before, place it in the fridge to firm up, and it’ll be ready to wrap around your pork loin with ease.
- STEP 1: To start, roll out a large sheet of plastic wrap on your work station. Parchment paper will also work. This will help mold the completed weave onto the pork loin without falling apart.
- STEP 2: Place 7 strips of bacon next to each other horizontally.
- STEP 3: Starting from the left side, flip over every other strip (strip 1,3,5,7) about 3 inches back. Make sure to skip a strip.
- STEP 4: Lay down a new strip of bacon vertically and fold the ends back covering the vertical piece. This creates the over under weave effect.
- STEP 5: Now, from the right, pull over the opposite strips (strip 2,4,6) used on the left side. This time, fold them all the way over. Place a new strip vertically, and fold everything back.
- STEP 6: Repeat step 4, flipping over strips 1,3,5,7 and placing a strip vertically.
- STEP 7+: Continue alternating until your weave looks like a tightly woven bacon blanket..
Once done, your bacon weave is ready to wrap around the pork loin.
Time to wrap the pork loin.
Before wrapping, trim any silver skin from the pork. Most pork loins in the meat department or butcher will be nicely cleaned up and ready to cook. However, some may have a little bit of silver skin attached. THIS IS NOT FAT! Once cooked or grilled, silver skin does not render down like fat making it tough and unpleasant to chew.
The best way to differentiate silver skin from fat is that it’s shiny, translucent to opaque, and may have a metallic sheen to it, hence the name silver skin. Trim off any pieces you find.
Next, season the pork loin with Dad’s All Purpose seasoning. It has the perfect balance of savory spices that are perfect on pork.
Place the seasoned pork loin on the bacon weave. Wrap it around the meat log. If the weave is too big, slice off the remaining piece. Remove the plastic wrap if used.
For the bacon, I like to season the outside with Dad’s Sweet BBQ rub. It brings sweetness to the dish balancing all the savory notes and caramelizes the bacon almost creating a candied bacon like effect.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
How to grill a bacon wrapped pork loin
To make sure the pork loin is cooked to the right temperature and the bacon does not burn, this grilled bacon wrapped pork loin needs to cook over indirect heat.
Preheat the grill 350 degrees and set for indirect heat. This set up will depend on the type of grill you are using.
- Gas grill: Turn the burners on one half of the grill. For indirect heat, place food on the opposite end.
- Charcoal grill: position the heated charcoal to one half of the round bowl. For indirect heat, place the food on the opposite end.
- Komodo style grill: use a plate setter that will deflect direct heat from the food on the grates.
Place the bacon wrapped pork loin on a wire rack and grill until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees.
This is the perfect temperature to start glazing the meat. I used a store bought sauce, but you can also make you own homemade BBQ sauce in advance. If you are looking for a tried and true recipe, try my sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. It’s just that, sweet, tangy with a little hint of heat. It’s perfect as a sauce, for glazing, dipping or as a condiment on a burger.
Continue grilling the bacon wrapped pork loin until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This extra time on the grill will allow the sauce to caramelize over the crispy bacon and get the pork cooked enough to ensure the perfectly tender and juicy meat.
Rest the pork
One of the crucial steps in any grilling or cooking is resting meat. DO NOT SKIP THE RESTING PHASE! This process slows down the cooking process, getting the meat to the ideal temperature. But more importantly, it helps redistribute the juices making for the perfectly juicy and tender slice each time.
Slice the Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin, serve with some roasted potatoes and veggies and enjoy!
Final Thoughts: Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin is the Ultimate BBQ Showstopper!
A grilled bacon wrapped pork loin is the ultimate balance of smoky, savory, and sweet flavors. The bacon weave locks in juices while adding irresistible crispiness, and the BBQ glaze takes it over the top. Whether you’re hosting a backyard cookout, holiday dinner, or just want to impress the family, this recipe guarantees “wow” factor with every bite.
Once you master the bacon weave, you’ll find endless uses for it—from pork loin to meatloaf, turkey breast, and more.
👉 Fire up the grill, grab some bacon, and give this recipe a try—you’ll never look at pork the same way again!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I make this in the oven or stove top? All my recipes can be replicated in the oven, stove top or gas grill. You do not need a big green egg or weber grill to replicate any of my recipes.
How do I cook a pork loin so it doesn’t dry out? The key to cooking or grilling the perfectly tender and juicy pork loin is making sure you remove it at 140 degrees Fahrenheit and then resting it for 5-10 minutes. During this process the temperature will continue to rise slowly and the juices will redistribute throughout the meat.
Does pork loin get more tender the longer it cooks? NO, the opposite happens. Pork loin is a lean cut of meat. The longer the cook at a medium heat the more overcooked and tough it will be. Internal temperature is KEY. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperatures. Ideally the pork loin should read 140 degrees Fahrenheit before removing if from the grill or oven.
If you tried this Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
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Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
How to make to grill a juicy bacon wrapped pork loin. Step-by-step guide, tips, and BBQ glaze for the ultimate showstopper.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword bacon wrapped pork loin, grilled pork, pork recipe, bacon weave, bacon lattice, dinner recipe, entertaining, dinner party recipes, grillin with dad recipes, grilling with dad recipes.
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour
Servings 6 People
Calories 240kcal
- 2 lbs Pork loin (12 inches)
- 1 pkg Bacon (thin slices)
- 3 tbsp All purpose seasoning
- 2 tbsp Sweet BBQ seasoning
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
Bacon Weave Instructions:
To start, roll out a large sheet of plastic wrap on your work station.
Place 7 strips of bacon next to each other horizontally.
Starting from the left side, flip over every other strip (strip 1,3,5,7) about 3 inches back.
Lay down a new strip of bacon vertically and fold the ends back covering the vertical piece.
Now, from the right, pull over the opposite strips (strip 2,4,6) used on the left side. This time, fold them all the way over. Place a new strip vertically, and fold everything back.
Repeat step 4, flipping over strips 1,3,5,7 and placing a strip vertically.
Continue alternating until your weave looks like a tightly woven bacon.
How to grill a bacon wrapped pork loin:
Start by trimming any silver skin off the pork loin and season with the all purpose rub.
Place the seasoned pork loin on the bacon weave. Wrap it around the meat log. If the weave is too big, slice off the remaining pieces.
Preheat the grill 350 degrees and set for indirect heat. Place the bacon wrapped pork loin on a wire rack and grill until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees.
Keep the pork loin on the grill and brush on your BBQ sauce over the bacon.
Continue grilling the bacon wrapped pork loin until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove it from the grill and let it rest 5-10 minutes.
Slice, serve and enjoy!
Make sure to remove the silver skin from the pork loin. This is not fat and will not render down during the cooking process leaving unpleasant tough and chewy bites.
If the weave is too hard, take strips of bacon and wrap each on individually around the pork loin.
Pre-plan the recipe and make the bacon weave the night before. Allow it to firm up in the fridge making it easier to wrap the next day.
Use plastic wrap or parchment paper as your working base when making a bacon weave.
Make sure to use thin cut bacon for weave. Thicker cuts will not render through resulting in undercooked soft bacon bits.
Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 354IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 6mg
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