Full GAPS Bacon-Wrapped Steak Bites

Bacon-wrapped steak bites give you tender beef, garlicky marinade, and browned bacon in one small appetizer. The beef spends three hours in the refrigerator before you wrap it, so plan for the marinade before thinking about the short oven time.

This Full GAPS version starts with ten ounces of beef tenderloin, coconut aminos, raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, and homemade salt-only bacon. There is no sweet glaze. The savory coating comes from the marinade and the bacon fat that renders around the beef.

With six children, homeschooling, and second-shift work, I find the waiting time easier to plan when it is spelled out. Mix the marinade while you have a few minutes, keep the covered beef in the fridge, and leave the cutting and wrapping for when you can finish the tray.

Serve these hot as an appetizer or with a cooked vegetable for a family meal. The little toothpicks make them easy to transfer, but take them out when serving anyone who needs help with them.

Ingredients

• 10 ounces beef tenderloin, grass-fed preferred
• ½ cup pure, additive-free coconut aminos
• 3 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 large slices homemade salt-only bacon
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

The ten bacon slices make about thirty wrappers when cut into thirds. The number of finished bites depends on the shape and thickness of your tenderloin pieces. Start with the measured ten ounces of beef and wrap the pieces you cut from it.

Recommended Equipment

• A shallow glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel marinating dish with a cover
• A small bowl or measuring cup and a whisk
• A knife and cutting board
• A rimmed stainless-steel baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment
• Toothpicks for securing the bacon
• Tongs or a spatula for the halfway turn
• A food thermometer and a clean serving platter

A rimmed tray catches the bacon fat and meat juices. Arrange the bites in one layer with a little space between them. Crowding leaves less room to turn the pieces and makes it harder for the exposed bacon edges to brown.

How To Make Bacon-Wrapped Steak Bites

1. Marinate the beef. Put the tenderloin in the shallow dish. Whisk the coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, and minced garlic together. Pour over the beef, cover, and refrigerate for three hours.
2. Prepare the tray. Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed stainless-steel baking sheet with unbleached parchment.
3. Cut the beef and bacon. Lift the tenderloin out of the marinade and cut it into 1½-inch pieces. Discard the used marinade. Cut each bacon slice crosswise into three pieces.
4. Wrap. Put one piece of bacon around each piece of steak, secure the overlap with a toothpick, and set it on the tray. Repeat with the beef and bacon. Finish with freshly ground black pepper.
5. Bake and turn. Bake for about eighteen minutes, turning every bite halfway through. The bacon should be cooked through, with browned edges and rendered fat. Check the meat with a thermometer rather than relying on its color alone.
6. Rest and serve. Cook the beef to at least 145°F and let it rest for three minutes before serving. If the bacon or beef needs longer, continue cooking and check again. Transfer to a clean platter and serve hot.

Coconut Aminos And Apple Cider Vinegar

Coconut aminos brings a savory, lightly sweet flavor to the marinade without soy sauce. Use the full half cup. Alongside the vinegar and minced garlic, it surrounds the tenderloin during the three-hour wait rather than becoming a sauce poured over the finished tray.

Choose a bottle with a simple ingredient list and no added sweeteners, starches, or flavorings. Dr. Natasha’s official GAPS FAQ addresses coconut aminos as an acceptable option based on its ingredients. Soy sauce and tamari are not the choices used in this Full GAPS recipe.

The three tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar add acidity. Measure it into the marinade instead of adding an extra splash after the beef is wrapped. Mince the two garlic cloves finely so the pieces spread through the liquid rather than staying in a few large chunks.

Once the beef has marinated, lift it out and discard that liquid. There is no reduction or basting step. The wrapping and baking happen with the marinated beef, bacon, and pepper.

Use Homemade Salt-Only Bacon

The home-cured bacon uses pork belly and plain salt, followed by refrigeration, rinsing, and slicing. It is prepared bacon that still needs cooking, not crisp cooked bacon that you are trying to bend around the steak.

Allow for that component’s ten-day preparation if you are starting from fresh pork belly. Make the bacon first, then use ten large finished slices here. The curing time is separate from the steak’s three-hour marinade.

The word “uncured” on a commercial package does not tell you everything about the product. For this GAPS preparation, use the salt-only method without added sugar, nitrate or nitrite curing blends, or smoke flavor. The homemade recipe explains what to do instead of leaving you to guess from a front label.

A strip needs to overlap enough for the toothpick to hold it. Put the pick through the bacon overlap and into the beef so the wrap stays in place when you turn the bite. You do not need to make the finished pieces look perfectly identical.

Why Beef Tenderloin Works Here

Tenderloin is a tender cut suited to a short oven bake. Start with the measured ten ounces and cut it after marinating. Keeping pieces similar in thickness helps them cook at a similar pace, even when the shapes are not exact matches.

The 1½-inch measurement describes pieces, not a demand for perfectly cubed meat. Let the shape of your tenderloin guide the cuts, while keeping the pieces close in size. One much thicker piece can take longer than the smaller bites around it.

The cut also matters when planning substitutions. A tougher cut brings different connective tissue and cooking needs. Keep tenderloin for this version; another steak cut would need its own cooking assessment rather than an automatic eighteen-minute promise.

Marinating Ahead

The method here uses the three-hour refrigerated marinade. Put the covered dish on a refrigerator shelf where it will stay cold and separate from ready-to-eat foods. Have the tray and toothpicks ready before taking it out to cut and wrap.

If freezing helps with your plans, assemble the marinated bites and freeze them unbaked. Keep them separated while they freeze so they do not become one solid clump, then store them covered in a freezer-safe container.

For baking from frozen, allow roughly seven extra minutes, about twenty-five minutes altogether, and turn them during cooking. Treat that as a starting estimate. Check that the bacon is cooked through and the beef has reached its temperature endpoint before resting and serving.

Wrapping And Baking

The bacon begins soft and pale around the beef. During baking, its fat becomes glossy and renders into the tray. The exposed edges darken and brown. Those changes help you judge the wrap, while the thermometer checks the meat inside it.

At the halfway point, grip a bite gently with tongs or lift it with a spatula and turn it over. Try not to pull on the toothpick. It secures the overlap; it does not need to carry the whole bite while the bacon is still soft.

The meat can look browned before its center is ready. Use the USDA whole-cut beef endpoint of 145°F with a three-minute rest. The eighteen-minute bake is the recipe’s estimate, and the bacon must also be cooked through. Thickness and your oven can change when those endpoints are reached.

Where These Fit On GAPS

These are Full GAPS appetizers after the ingredients have been introduced. The homemade salt-only bacon is different from sweetened or commercially preserved bacon with additives. The marinade uses coconut aminos and raw apple cider vinegar rather than soy sauce.

The recipe has no dairy, eggs, nuts, or added honey. Its marinade includes coconut aminos and garlic. For No-Plant GAPS, follow that approach’s plain meat and salt preparations instead of this plant-containing marinade.

For early Intro, choose the boiled meats and soups described for your stage. Save these roasted, bacon-wrapped bites for Full GAPS.

Timing, Serving, And Storage

Allow three hours for the refrigerated marinade, then time to cut, wrap, and bake. Baking takes about eighteen minutes from chilled assembly, followed by the three-minute rest. There is no fixed hands-on preparation time for every cook, so those parts are kept separate.

Serve on a clean platter after the rest. For a family meal, add cooked vegetables on the side. For an appetizer spread, bring out a small tray at a time so the bites are still hot when people take them.

Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly in a shallow covered container and use them within three to four days. Reheat to 165°F. Follow these USDA leftover-handling guidelines, and reheat only the portions you plan to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Soy Sauce Or Tamari?

No. Use half a cup of pure coconut aminos. Soy sauce and tamari contain soy and are not used in this Full GAPS recipe.

Do I Cook The Bacon Before Wrapping?

No. Use prepared, uncooked homemade salt-only bacon so the slices can wrap around the beef. The oven cooks the bacon as its fat renders around the steak.

Does It Make Exactly Thirty Bites?

The ten bacon slices supply about thirty wrappers when cut into thirds. The final bite count depends on the steak’s shape and how you cut it. Keep the ten-ounce beef measure rather than adding meat to force a particular count.

Can I Freeze Them Before Baking?

Yes. Assemble after marinating and freeze unbaked. Allow roughly seven extra minutes when cooking from frozen, then check the same cooking endpoints.

Can I Double The Recipe?

Use twenty ounces of tenderloin, one cup of coconut aminos, six tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, four garlic cloves, and twenty large bacon slices. Keep the three-hour refrigerated marinade. Use enough tray space for one layer and check each batch as it cooks.

Related Recipes

Keep the salt-only bacon method handy when planning the ingredient preparation. For a whole-roast use of tenderloin, see Roast Beef Tenderloin With Coconut Aminos. It has its own roasting time and serving method.

The upcoming Dinner Cookbook will collect family meals and preparation notes for planning the rest of the table. Find current resources and upcoming releases in the WFLI shop. Have the bacon finished before you choose the day for the steak marinade.