Bacon Wrapped Elk Tenderloin

On Family Day long weekend, we enjoyed a quiet weekend full of brunch, mimosas, playtime with Arden, and quality day-time naps. We aren’t big gift givers, and we simply enjoy quality time and fun experiences created at home. To celebrate Valentine’s Day and Family Day, we did some really great meals on our Traeger barbecue. And by “we” I mean my incredible husband, Brodi, because I am definitely not the expert when it comes to cooking quality meat dishes! See the recipe for the mouth-watering elk tenderloin he did for our Family Day supper below.

Tenderloin Ingredients:

• Full Elk Tenderloin (you can also use beef or pork if elk doesn’t strike your fancy!)
• Traeger Big Game Rub
• 1 pkg bacon
• Maui (meat) coffee rub 
• Butcher’s string

Balsamic Port Reduction Ingredients:

• 2 cups of port wine
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp butter
• ¼ tsp of salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper

Tenderloin Instructions:

1. Preheat Traeger or BBQ to 450F. 
2. Trim the fat and sinew off tenderloin and pat dry with paper towel.
3. Season tenderloin generously with Traeger Big Game Rub.
4. Make a bacon weave on parchment paper and lay your tenderloin in it. (There are lots of tutorials on YouTube for how to make bacon weaves). 
5. Place tenderloin on bacon weave and fold bacon over tenderloin.
6. Wrap with butcher’s string, spaced approximately every two inches to secure bacon weave to tenderloin. (We folded the thin ends of the tenderloin in to ensure even thickness for cooking, but this is optional). 
7. Season bacon weave and tenderloin with coffee rub. 
8. Place on Traeger or BBQ at 450F. Cook until internal temperature is 130F-135F for rare to medium rare. To achieve this, we use a digital temperature probe for accuracy.

Balsamic Port Reduction Instructions:

1. Simmer port in sauce pan until there is about 3/4 cup left.
2. Pour in balsamic vinegar.
3. Simmer until mixture thickens to a light sauce consistency.
4. Add in salt, pepper and butter and stir until melted in.
5. Drizzle reduction onto tenderloin.

Enjoy!

XO, Rayel