Sous Vide: Bacon Wrapped Pork Tournedos–2020

Serves 3+
Level of difficulty: 3

Preparing the tenderloin

Remove the tenderloin from the packaging and stage onto a clean work surface.

Many people ignore the plainly visible sheet of silver-skin that runs about half the length of the muscle.

This connective tissue is not particularly tough. However, it can tend to shrink and curl during the process of cooking, altering the shape of the muscle and catching in the teeth. It is easy to remove.

Hold the tenderloin at the left end (assuming you are right handed). Insert a boning knife under the skin just to the right of your hand.

Drag the knife along to the right, removing the silver skin in two strips. The option of cutting the tenderloin in half lengthwise makes it easy to stage into the sous vide pouch.

Procedure:

Preheat the sous vide bath to
135 F/57 C.

Stage the pork tenderloin into heat rated vacuum bags and process for 5 hours. This combination of temperature and time will pasteurize the protein.

After processing, shock the sealed pouches in iced tap water to 70 F/21 C before refrigerating. This is a very important safety procedure. The air in refrigerators/freezers is not capable of cooling the pouches fast enough to meet food safety guidelines. After shocking, refrigerate at 40 F/4 C until you are ready to move on to the next step.

Preparation

Submerge the sealed pouch for 5-10 minutes in a preheated sous vide bath or hot tap water (110+ F/44+ C). This will fully melt the gel. Cut open the bag, drain the juices and set aside. Click HERE  to learn how to clarify the juices for use in any recipe that calls for stock or water.

Remove the tenderloin from the pouch and pat dry with a paper towel.

Cut into 6 uniform “tournedos.”

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C.

Spread the bacon out on a cookie sheet.

Bake until rendered (but not crisped)–approximately 20 minutes. Allow the bacon to cool at room temperature to make it easier to handle. Increase the heat in the oven to 400 F/200 C.

Place a piece of sweet pepper in the center of the strip of bacon.

Place a slice of tenderloin on top of the pepper.

Place another piece of pepper on top of the tournedo.

Fold each end of the bacon over the tournedo and use a toothpick or skewer to secure–make sure the skewer pierces the peppers so they don’t fall out.

Lay the assembly on its side and repeat the procedure for up to six pieces.

Roast the tournedos (or fry in a skillet) until the bacon achieves the desired appearance and the internal temperature is at least 125 F/52 C.  

While the tournedos are in the oven, sear the potatoes and toss the vegetables in a skillet with melted butter, salt and pepper.

Arrange the potatoes and vegetables on the plate, arrange the tournedos on top and drizzle the plate with the balsamic syrup.

Norm King