Cooking time estimates?

JDV

Is lookin for wood to cook with.
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I was going to do a ~ 2.5 lb section of a pork loin (bit thicker than a coke can and about 7 inches, I'd guess) tomorrow and was planning on brining a few hours, and cutting it to lay flat before stuffing it, and rolling it back up and putting it on the smoker. Any ideas how long this might take as I'm trying to judge when to put it on.
I figure I'd like it cooked to somewhere around 145 degrees. Maybe a couple hours smoking at ~225?

Also I've got a small 1.25 to 1.5 lb frenched rack of lamb planned for tonight. Is 130ish a good temp for smoked lamb?

I've done these in a hot oven, but i've never smoked either of these cuts before, and am just trying to get a rough idea of cooking time for both, so if you've got any suggestions or time estimates, let me know!

Thanks!
 
I would figure 2.5-3 hours on the loin. Pulling at 145 is a good temp. I usually pull at 140 and let it rest to get to 145. What are you stuffing the loin with that will have some effect on how long it will take. If you have a cooler ready and wrap it in foil this will hold fairly well, but don't let is sit too long or it will dry out.

I think most people here that do racks of lamb, do them over high heat, just because there is very little fat in the meat of the rack. Depending on how you like your lamb, if you pull at 130 and let it rest you will have carry over heat that will continue to cook the rack and push it to 135. I think that is medium for lamb. If you want it rarer you will have to pull earlier.

Both of these cuts are very lean and will cook fast once they get up to 100. That is when you need to watch them.

The question I forgot to ask is what are you cooking on?
 
Cherry would be good for the pork. If you do smoke the lamb, I think that the pecan would give a good flavor. I received some pecan in a trade with BrisketBob in El Paso. I used while grilling steaks and it gave the steaks a nice mellow nutty flavor. Different than oak or hickory.

I would actually cook the lamb on the fire box end. That way you will get some smoke on it and the heat will be higher to seal in the juices faster. This is JMO.

Here is the hard part. You may have to do this 3-4 times before you get what you want.

Like here.
 
Cool, thanks for the ideas. It is a small rack as well, so I didn't know if smoking was a good option or not, but I've been wanting to give a go at smoking some lamb for a while.
I've done small lamb chops over the firebox but never a rack. Main thing was that I wanted to get a little smoke flavor into it at least.

Maybe I'll try a quick sear over the fire and a bit of time in the smoke indirectly, similar to a pan sear and oven roast ...
 
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