Big smoke, looking for advice

[ymmiT]

Our monthly cookout at work is the responsibility of my department this month. Upper management wants burgers, myself and a coworker want something smoked. We are thinking pork loins as they would just need an early morning start instead of butts overnight and transport to work. We would need to feed about 50 people, sides would also be served.

How many pounds of meat would we need?

I've never done pork loin and am unsure of cooking times. How long should I expect per pound at say 250* or 300*?

We expect to get the big pork loins from Sam's club most likely, so long as management approves. Should we cut them in half to fit in the UDS better or leave them as is? And the cutting in half would effect the cook time correct?

Any advice/tips is appreciated and thanks in advance.

[ymmiT]

We got approval, now we're committed.

Anybody got a rub you like on pork loin and would share? I was thinking of finally trying an SM rub. Which of those would be recommended?

[techster73]

A good friend of mine has a formula thats worked for him for years catering pig roasts. Its, 1 pound per person and 1hr per 10 pounds at 350 F . Keep in mind this is for a whole pig over a propane roaster. He has never missed with this, It works great everytime.

[IamMadMan]

Originally Posted by ymmiT

Our monthly cookout at work is the responsibility of my department this month. Upper management wants burgers, myself and a coworker want something smoked. We are thinking pork loins as they would just need an early morning start instead of butts overnight and transport to work. We would need to feed about 50 people, sides would also be served.

How many pounds of meat would we need?

I've never done pork loin and am unsure of cooking times. How long should I expect per pound at say 250* or 300*?

We expect to get the big pork loins from Sam's club most likely, so long as management approves. Should we cut them in half to fit in the UDS better or leave them as is? And the cutting in half would effect the cook time correct?

Any advice/tips is appreciated and thanks in advance.

If you have not had a lot of experience smoking or cooking on a grill, you should chose the butts because they are forgiving of many cooking errors.

Not telling you not to do loins, but overcooked by a little and they become tough and dry.

Pork butts timed for an overnight cook can be wrapped and put into a cooler/cambro and will hold 4 hours if wrapped in newspapers and towels.

If you go too long the butts will still be hot and you can put the wrapped butt on grill for a short time just to raise the temperature or to give a show of food.

Hope all goes well for your monthly cookout. Keep us posted.

[IamMadMan]

Originally Posted by ymmiT

We got approval, now we're committed.

Anybody got a rub you like on pork loin and would share? I was thinking of finally trying an SM rub. Which of those would be recommended?

Simply Marvelous is a good rub, if you do the loin the spicy apple or even cherry would be a nice compliment to the pork. Other than that any rub will add flavor.

Keep us posted.

[thirdeye]

Originally Posted by ymmiT

Our monthly cookout at work is the responsibility of my department this month. Upper management wants burgers, myself and a coworker want something smoked. We are thinking pork loins as they would just need an early morning start instead of butts overnight and transport to work. We would need to feed about 50 people, sides would also be served.

How many pounds of meat would we need?

I've never done pork loin and am unsure of cooking times. How long should I expect per pound at say 250* or 300*?

We expect to get the big pork loins from Sam's club most likely, so long as management approves. Should we cut them in half to fit in the UDS better or leave them as is? And the cutting in half would effect the cook time correct?

Any advice/tips is appreciated and thanks in advance.

The yield on loins is pretty good. You might loose 30% of the raw weight from trimming and cooking. If you are making sandwiches, 5 or 6 ounces each is pretty good especially if you have sides. Cooking is straight forward and the minute the length of the roast exceeds the diameter they all cook about the same. (in other words, a 6" roast cooks in about the same time as a 12" roast) Bear in mind when you put a bunch of cold meat on your cooker it will take more time to recover than if you put just one roast on) Cook time will be less than 3 hours, but you can adjust that by changing the pit temp. If you start with a lower pit time you can add some good smoke flavor, then ramp up the cooker to finish. Just watch your thermometer.

You need to do a test cook first to test all your variables and flavor. Weigh the raw meat, then weigh the cooked roasts. I would recommend injecting the loins with a brine the day before cooking, this is insurance for overcooking. Your 300° pit temp sounds about right, and you only need to take the internal up to 145°-150° and rest before slicing.

Seasonings are up to you, a regular BBQ rub will be fine provided it's not loaded with sugar that might burn. Something with seasonings and herbs like rosemary are good too. And have some sauce on the side for folks that like it.

[ymmiT]

Originally Posted by IamMadMan

If you have not had a lot of experience smoking or cooking on a grill, you should chose the butts because they are forgiving of many cooking errors.

Not telling you not to do loins, but overcooked by a little and they become tough and dry.

Pork butts timed for an overnight cook can be wrapped and put into a cooler/cambro and will hold 4 hours if wrapped in newspapers and towels.

If you go too long the butts will still be hot and you can put the wrapped butt on grill for a short time just to raise the temperature or to give a show of food.

Hope all goes well for your monthly cookout. Keep us posted.

I've been smoking/grilling for years. The only thing new to me is my UDS. Only 6 cooks on it so far and I will be using it for this cook.

I also suggested pork butts to my coworker for the same reasons you did. This was all his idea. He is stuck on loins though.

So my plan is to first practice on a smaller loin this weekend for just my family, then get the full loins at Sam's club. Cut them in half and brine for a day. My assumptions here are that cutting them in half will make them fit on the UDS better, lessen the brine and cook times required, correct?

Smoking at 300* with a brined loin, how long should I expect per pound to get to 145* IT?

Loins won't lose as much weight when cooking due to how lean they are, correct? How much raw meat do I need per person if my assumption here is true?

I want to make sure we have enough to go around and it's all fully cooked and in time for lunch, not dinner.

[GreenDrake]

I recommend SM pecan and cherry mixed. The cherry adds that cherry pop of sweetness and the pecan adds a kick. Perfect blend on a pork loin. Steph knows his rubs, that stuff is excellent.

[thirdeye]

Originally Posted by ymmiT

I've been smoking/grilling for years. The only thing new to me is my UDS. Only 6 cooks on it so far and I will be using it for this cook.

I also suggested pork butts to my coworker for the same reasons you did. This was all his idea. He is stuck on loins though.

So my plan is to first practice on a smaller loin this weekend for just my family, then get the full loins at Sam's club. Cut them in half and brine for a day. My assumptions here are that cutting them in half will make them fit on the UDS better, lessen the brine and cook times required, correct?

Smoking at 300* with a brined loin, how long should I expect per pound to get to 145* IT?

Loins won't lose as much weight when cooking due to how lean they are, correct? How much raw meat do I need per person if my assumption here is true?

I want to make sure we have enough to go around and it's all fully cooked and in time for lunch, not dinner.

Cutting the loins in half will allow them to fit better on the cooker, but really won't shorten the brine time or cook time (the rib end is slightly thicker than the sirloin end, but you can group like-halves together when you cook them). Both cook time and brine time is based on thickness of meat not weight (and in this case not length either). Loins are pretty uniform.

Your test cook will allow you to fine tune your cook time and dial in the portions. I would go by temperature rather than trying to cook by time, 15 minutes too long (or if the cooker rises or falls) will have an impact... trust a good thermometer. Your best value will be in buying a whole loin, why not make some chops from the ends and cook a large center cut roast for testing? Like I mentioned, weigh it before and after and you will be spot on once you decide on how large the portions will be.

[IamMadMan]

Originally Posted by ymmiT

I've been smoking/grilling for years. The only thing new to me is my UDS. Only 6 cooks on it so far and I will be using it for this cook.

I also suggested pork butts to my coworker for the same reasons you did. This was all his idea. He is stuck on loins though.

So my plan is to first practice on a smaller loin this weekend for just my family, then get the full loins at Sam's club. Cut them in half and brine for a day. My assumptions here are that cutting them in half will make them fit on the UDS better, lessen the brine and cook times required, correct?

Smoking at 300* with a brined loin, how long should I expect per pound to get to 145* IT?

Loins won't lose as much weight when cooking due to how lean they are, correct? How much raw meat do I need per person if my assumption here is true?

I want to make sure we have enough to go around and it's all fully cooked and in time for lunch, not dinner.

Great.....

Correct and Good reasoning and thinking..

It is always to have extra for snack time or to take in a doggie bag than to be short on the meat.

A practice run is always a good thing... Let us know how it goes..

Your practice time will give you an approximate cooking time, but you will need to add extra time as a full load of meat will take longer for the UDS to bring the meat to temperature.

I think "ThirdEye" has given you the best advice to follow...

.

[landarc]

Injecting the brine as Thideye says is a good idea. Marinating is another option. I like brining loins as I think the overall flavor of a loin of any type is enhanced (terrible choice of words) by the brining.

I like Simply Marvelous Spicy Apple on pork chops and loins, great flavor. I will add black pepper for my taste, I like a little more than the SM has.

[landarc]

By the way, an option, is to cook the loins early and take them to about 15 degrees shy of done, then let them sit in a cambro until service, a hot reheat in the oven or cooker and you are serving them properly done.

[ymmiT]

Well my practice run went well. I had a 4 lb loin, brined for about 36 hrs and seasoned with SM spicy apple which was good but a bit spicier than expected. Cooked at 300* over lump with hickory. Took about 2 hrs to hit 145* IT. Let it rest for 30 min before slicing and it was very good, juicy and tender.

My only change will be going a bit lighter on the rub and only because I know there are going to be people that don't like as much heat as I do.

Here's the practice pron with more pron later in the week.