Even when work gets very busy for me, I find I still want to make homemade food rather than rely on take-out or pre-made meals. Recently, I found a delicious recipe for a Maple Bacon Pork Tenderloin that is an excellent option to make on a day that you have time and then freeze for later.

Pork is an ideal meat to eat during the winter when you want richer, warm foods to counteract the cold weather. In fact, pork has traditionally been a winter meat. In the Middle Ages, the Labours of the Months illustrated rural activities that commonly took place during the months of the year. The specific activities might vary depending on where the images were created, but the imagery for November often included herding swine or slaughtering a pig. The meat from the animal would then be turned into sausages, bacon, and other preserved meats to last through the long winters in Northern Europe.

Slaughtering a Boar in November, c. 1318-1325. British Library, Add MS 36684, f. 11v (source)

This particular recipe I found on The Recipe Critic, but I switched up a few things. Because I generally cook for smaller numbers of people, a pork tenderloin is much better for portion sizing. I also cooked my pork in the oven, and then added some stock and onions. However, the flavour was delicious—the mustard and maple, along with the bacon created an unbeatable combination. We had no leftovers from our meal, and, in fact, a few days later, I prepped two more pork tenderloins for the freezer to eat when my workplace enters its busy season later this spring.

Maple Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Serves 3ish

1 pork tenderloin
7 slices bacon
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons grainy mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup chicken stock
1 onion, quartered

1. In a large bowl or Ziploc bag, combine maple syrup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and salt and pepper. Wrap the bacon around the pork layering it evenly, and then place pork in marinade. Marinade overnight in the refrigerator, or freeze pork tenderloin for up to 3 months.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. In a medium roasting pan, place quartered onion on the bottom. Pour stock on top of onions. Remove tenderloin from marinade, and place tenderloin on top of the onions (which will act like a cooking rack). Pour marinade over pork.
4. Cover, and cook in oven for about 70 minutes. Remove lid, and cook pork for another 20-30 minutes, until top is slightly crispy and marinade-sauce has reduced.
5. Remove tenderloin from pan, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Slice into 1.5 inch slices, and serve with marinade-sauce as a drizzle.

Alternatively, this can be cooked in the Crockpot (see the original recipe website for instructions).