It’s time to hit the Tenderloin Trail. Fourteen establishments and 14 delectable pieces of pork — all yours for the sampling — and a T-shirt at the end to boot.

In Iowa, that’s a trip to heaven.

The Iowa Tenderloin Trail is the brainchild of the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA). Nearly one year in the making, the trail takes travelers to some of the best tenderloins in the state. A Tenderloin Trail “passport” tracks their progress.

“We were inspired by other food trails and wanted something that would be a tribute to the state,” says Kelsey Sutter, who handles marketing programs for IPPA. “Some places do wine or ice cream. Iowa is the leading pork producing state in the nation. When you...