Gonna try to salvage my pork selection mistake of choosing a pork loin

captjoe06

captjoe06

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At the supermarket picking up some stuff for last night's dinner and figure I'd pick up some pork for smoking today at the dock so I could treat the boys to some pulled pork sandwiches.

Saw the small 2 lb pork loin and didn't think it all the way through on how lean a pork loin is and devoid of all that good fat for smoking.

So the plan has changed up and after reading a bunch on the forum on pork loin techniques the new plan of attack is to cook it on the kettle between between 325-350 indirect heat and pull it off when it reaches 140 internal.

I trimmed the thick part of the fat off the top and left about half of the fat on. Then made some criss-cross incisions on the top.
Next applied the Paul Prudhomme's Blackened redfish magic rub.

I'll fire up the kettle around 10AM as this shouldn't take long.

Anyone have any last minute advice? I'm open to any suggestions.

​
 
My one suggestion would be to not smoke it low n slow to a high temperature like you would do with a shoulder cut. Think of it like a beef roast. Don't cook it past 140 F.

I like doing reverse sears on loins. Slow smoke to internal temp of 130ish F, then toss it over a searing hot fire for a few minutes per side to get a nice sear on the outside. If internal still isn't up to 140 at that point, you can throw it back in the smoker till it is. Then rest it loosely tented under foil for 20-30 mins before slicing and serving. During the rest, it will continue to rise in temp and be a perfect 145ish (the new safe temp for pork).

The one mistake I see people making a lot with loins is thinking they need to cook them to 150-160 in order for it to be safe to eat. This will almost guarantee your meat will be dry and not very enjoyable to eat.

Others are going to suggest you brine it to make the meat more moist. I don't think this is a necessary step. Cooking technique is enough to make a pork loin wonderful. It also helps to be very picky when selecting your pork loin and choose one that appears to have the best visible marbling. You will see many that are just solid meat with almost no marbling at all, then you will see some that have some pretty nice flecks of fat running through them.
 
Your method is just fine and the reverse sear suggested is a great way to finish the loin.

Like El Ropo stated, some will suggest that you brine it..

That would be me... LOL . However I do not brine for moisture, but rather for added flavor. Brining overnight with with spices like Marjoram, Savory, Rosemary, Thyme, Juniper Berries, and fresh cracked Peppercorns in the brine will impart incredible flavors to the white meat.

I also like to use the loin to make a boneless Kassler Rippchen, (German Smoked Pork Chops). This brine calls for the use of a cure (pink salt) but the meat is never fully cured, just enough for food safety while adding a ton of flavors during cold smoking, before cutting them into chops for a hot grill..
 
Thanks for the suggestions. As it turned out, it wasn't my best day on the que, but the results were still very tasty and I'm happy to learn that the relatively inexpensive pork loin was just fine for a quick cook and made for some tasty sandwiches.

It was busy down the dock and I dumped a full chimney of coals on one side of the kettle, it got going and ended up needing to be have the vents choked down completely for a good twenty minutes to get the heat to settle down under 350.

Also we had a run of lobster boats land in sequence so I couldn't monitor the internal temps as i would have liked to. By the time I put the lobsters crated up and into the tanks the internal temp on the pork had gone to 160. I figured it was just a total disaster as the original plan was to pull it off around 130 internal.

As it turns out I let it rest for about a half hour and we sliced it up for some sandwiches. used some nice potato rolls and tried out Trader Joe's Carolina Gold BBQ sauce.

It was actually quite tasty and not dry at all.
So it wasn't my proudest moment at the kettle, but in the end the boys all enjoyed it.

wpid-wp-1444649839721.jpg
 
Sure looks tasty from here!

Glad the boys enjoyed it!
 
Nice outside color. Glad it turned out alright...
 
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