Pecan-Crusted Pork Pinwheels Recipe | Grilling

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated August 09, 2018
20100311-pork-pinwheels-large.jpg
Joshua Bousel

This is an incredibly sad month, my cherished Bacon of the Month Club (best. wedding. present. ever.) has ended. Six months and six pounds of bacon have left me with some very fond eating memories, and with just six slices of Ozark Trails Hickory Smoked Peppered Bacon left, I was determined to make these last strips really count.

After whipping up a batch of South Carolina Mustard sauce, an earlier recipe in Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book grabbed my attention: pork tenderloin rolled with bacon, coated with mustard sauce and pecans. With just four ingredients, surely the bacon was destined to be a star.

Boy was it ever.

The peppered bacon really flavored the entire pinwheel, which had a nice mustard tang and pleasing nutty crunch. Hopefully my doc isn't reading this, because with a sick wife, it was up to me to eat 12 of these delectable pinwheels that supposedly serve six, and that's exactly what I did.

I can truly say that those last fatty, peppery pieces of cured pork belly went out in grand, grilled style.

Pecan-Crusted Pork Pinwheels

Adapted from Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book by Chris Lilly

Recipe Details

Pecan-Crusted Pork Pinwheels Recipe | Grilling

Prep 30 mins
Cook 15 mins
Total 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • 6 bacon strips, preferably peppered bacon
  • South Carolina mustard sauce
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes prior to use

Directions

  1. Cut the tenderloin lengthwise into 6 long strips approximately 1/4 inch thick. Lay the slices on a cutting board; they should be the same size and shape as the bacon strips. Place a strip of bacon on top of each piece of tenderloin. Starting at one end, roll the tenderloin into a pinwheel medallion. Secure with skewers.

  2. Set aside 1 cup of the Carolina Mustard Sauce and apply remaining sauce to the outside of the pinwheels. Stir together the pecans, salt, and pepper, and coat the tenderloin pinwheels with the pecan mixture. Cut each of the pinwheels through the center to make two thin pinwheel medallions.

  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over the charcoal grate. Place the medallions on the grill and cook for 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until the edges of the bacon start to crisp. Serve with the reserved sauce drizzled over each pinwheel.

More Serious Eats Recipes