Half Pork Loin

I bought a half pork loin at the grocery store last night. They were having a really good sale on them. After I got them home I realized I have never cooked a pork loin on the smoker. Can you cook them just like a pork butt? Any tips or recipes would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

Darin you could brine/flavor brine for a couple of hours .... I'd 'hot' smoke it 275º - 350º .... loins don't benefit from low and slow like a pork butt

Last couple I did were brined (with a bunch of Greek seasoning) then rotied on the gasser in front of the infrared and they were awesome ... mmm crispy outside fat ....

On the WSM do it hot, empty water pan like a chicken cook.

you can do it low and slow but it will likely dry out ... for low and slow I'd suggest brining is practically mandatory

I was reading on one of the other forums that one of their members does loins around 240 - 250 until 165 internal, then foils and take them to 190. I figured this would be too dry, but they say that after a rest in the foil, it's nice and tender. Any thoughts? I'm doing a stuffed loin this weekend as described here (scroll down for pics). I need to decide whether to do it at high or low temp.
Edit: I see that this stuffed loin was also suggested to you by a Mr. Tailwagger, Darin.

Since loin does not contain much in the way of internal fat or connective tissue I don't see the advantage in cooking to an internal of much more than 150. And because of the lack of fat/tissue I don't see the advantage in a low/slow approach.

I would not recommend a low/slow for anything stuffed. There is no advantage to it cook- or flavor-wise, the stuffing must hit 140 within 2 hours (you start the clock when the stuffing is made, not when the loin is stuffed), and the internal temp of the stuffing must hit 160 before pulling the loin.

Thanks Kevin, I was leaning toward a high temp cook anyway. I don't know if you looked at the link I posted but the stuffing actually consists of prosciutto, provolone, spinach, etc... nothing raw. I figure that if I just make sure the meat's cooked properly, the stuffing will take care of itself. I guess you'd still have to consider the raw juices from the meat that will mix with the stuffing though.
Edit: I just saw your take on this stuffing at BBQ 4 U. Here's a question, my wife hates spinach so what can I use for a substitute? She likes brocolli rabe, how do y'all think that would work?

Kirk--

Once you pull the stuffing ingredients out of the fridge the clock starts ticking. You could stuff the loin quickly and return it to the fridge removing it when you're ready to cook it which would essentially start the clock then but, regardless of the ingredients in the stuffing the 140 within 2 hours rule applies.

Were you to mix the stuffing ingredients for a salad instead the rule would still apply. In this case, once you assembled the salad the clock would start if you had no mechanism to keep it cold (<40). After 2 hours on the table the remaining salad should be pitched. Were you only to cut the loin for stuffing but not stuff it the rule would apply still. This is because bacteria might be introduced to the center of the meat. It should not be allowed to be between 40 and 140 for more than 2 hours.

None of this is to say that problems will occur, just that they could given those circumstances and since they are easy to avoid, should be.

I am surprised your wife likes broccoli rabe but not spinach. Many people find rabe too bitter. I love rabe. If she dislikes the oxalic/metallic taste of spinach you might try bleeding it first (as noted, many people who don't like cooked spinach like it when prepped this way). Mixing it into sauteed garlic and, perhaps, using a less bland cheese than provolone--crumbled feta or crumbled goat, alone or mixed into some cream cheese first, say--throws the focus off the spinach and can work really well.

But rabe would work too. To make it more suitable as a stuffing ingredient blanch it first then saute it: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil, add the rabe and blanch 2-3 min. Lift the rabe out of the pot and immediately plunge it into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. Drain in a colander. (At this point you can stick the rabe in the fridge and continue the prep later.)

Chop the rabe. If you are browning ingredients for the stuffing--mushrooms, e.g.--do that first in a large pan then add the rabe and cook, stirring occasionally, till just tender and a bit dry, 3-4 minutes. Garlic works well with rabe; minced garlic added to the pan for the last minute or two would be welcome.

Another alternative to spinach would be chard, blanched for 1 min then shocked, drained and sauteed or wilted and sauteed directly.

You could also use a fresh herb mix instead. Mostly fresh parsley minced and mixed with a little minced fresh sage, thyme, and marjoram would work well with prosciutto and provolone (or fontina!). Sweating minced garlic over low heat in an evoo-unsalted butter mix till the garlic is soft, sweet, but not brown, and folding it into the herb mix would make a nice spread to apply to the meat before adding the prosciutto and cheese. To prep the herbs: Rinse a sprig of sage, one of marjoram, and one or two of thyme. Pat dry with paper towels, strip the leaves off the stems, mince. Because parley leaves contain lots of water and components that cause it to spoil once chopped if allowed to stay too moist treat it a little differently: Rinse a parley bunch well in cold water, shake it well, then strip off the leaves and mince them. Stack two or three paper towels on the counter, pile the minced parsley on the towels, wrap the towels well around the parsley and squeeze the hell out of it allowing the excess moisture to be absorbed by the towels. Dump the parsley on the cutting board, fluff it up, then mix in your other minced herbs.

The herb mix (btw and imo) would be good with the spinach or the rabe but even if using it alone or with either of the other vegs I'd consider reserving 1/3 of the mix and blending it with minced fresh garlic and evoo, salt, and pepper, into a paste to spread on the outside of the loin. The remaining 2/3 I'd mix with sweated garlic to spread on the inside of the loin before adding the other ingredients.

Important: If using any sauteed (i.e., hot or warm) ingredients the loin should be cut, stuffed, tied, and stuck in the cooker immediately for food safety reasons. If you'd rather get the stuffing prep out of the way ahead of time, leave the loin alone in the fridge, saute and mix whatever you're using, then chill it in the fridge (using a metal cake or roasting pan and spreading the ingredients out will chill everything faster--leave it uncovered in the fridge till cool then cover with plastic). Cut the loin, stuff and tie it just before cooking--but cook at a high enough temp so that you hit 140 in <2 hours.

Thanks again Kevin. I think the reason the wife hates spinach is mostly a texture thing. It's the wilted leaves she dislikes, that's why I thought the rabe might be better. I'm not sure what you mean by "bleeding" the spinach.

Ah, a texture thing.

"Bleeding" refers to the spinach prep process I described in the other thread. If it's a texture thing then chard might not work either but rabe would. Another thing that would work with prosciutto and provolone is apple or apricot. Dried apples (or apricots) reconstituted by covering with boiling water till soft, then squeezed out well and chopped finely would work alone or with the fresh herb mix noted upthread. You could also cut the loin first then brine it in an apple juice-based flavor brine if you wish.

Again, I appreciate the advice, but I missed the part where the process of bleeding the spinach was explained. In the meantime I had a thought on the mechanics of the undesirable texture issue. I figure that if I were to eat a big slimy leaf, it certainly wouldn't be appealing. However, if I were to take the aformentioned leaf, cut it into small pieces and mix it with other things that I do enjoy, then the issue of texture might be removed. If I take whole leaf spinach and use it to stuff a piece of meat that will be sliced say 3/8 inch thick, I could wind up with a section of this leaf in my mouth that's at least as long as the leaf's width, leaving me with little strips of slimy leaf. If I were to prechop (or to make it even easier, use pre-chopped...) and mix it with other ingredients, I could pretty much take the texture issue out of the equation while retaining the desired flavor. The long and the short of it is that I'll be using rabe this time 'round because I bought some tonight, and I'll try using some thawed store bought frozen spinach next time and see how it goes wife wise.
BTW, while proofreading this post, it occurred to me how a mechanical engineering degree and a total lack of recent sleep can lead to long-windedness and over-analysis of a recreational topic that most people in their right minds wouldn't waste their time on. They'd probably say,"Look, just throw some steaks on the grill and forget about it, OK? Oh, and grab me another beer while your there..."

There are two 'problems' with spinach that is cooked: One is the metallic/oxalic taste that can develop if spinach is cooked too long, the other is the slimy texture thing. This also happens when spinach is cooked too long and why--imo--the best cooked side-dish spinach is not cooked very long at all, just wilted in the pan with a few drops of water (and butter and garlic!). Spinach leaves contain a lot of water and several components that when combined with heat and time cause the noted problems. Removing much of the water first (the process I call 'bleeding') is helpful when spinach is to be included in stuffings, fillings, or to be otherwise cooked for a longer period. The other board's server is apparently down. I'll copy and paste the procedure below when it's available, for you or anyone else that's interested.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">...while proofreading this post, it occurred to me how a mechanical engineering degree and a total lack of recent sleep can lead to long-windedness and over-analysis of a recreational topic that most people in their right minds wouldn't waste their time on. They'd probably say,"Look, just throw some steaks on the grill... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Possibly. And many for whom even the grill would be a stretch, a drive-thru or box from the freezer being yet more convenient. Yeah, yeah. I am frequently long-winded and analytical. Good food and its preparation is integral to my enjoyment of living. And for those out there who are similar and especially for those who are new to good food and cooking I will continue to be so. Guilty as charged!

Okay, for those reading this the quote below comes from a thread elsewhere about stuffing a pork loin. This was my suggestion. Mature spinach (thick or woody stems removed) is better, imo, for best flavor and texture rather than so-called 'baby spinach though that will work. If using frozen the bagged is easier to work with than the boxed but, either way, let it thaw in a colander, salting periodically as it thaws. When completely thawed rinse briefly in cold water and squeeze really well as noted below.

"Here's a suggestion: Saute the sliced mushrooms in an evoo/butter mix in a single layer in a large saute pan till the mushrooms give up their juices and the juices evaporate allowing them to brown nicely. At that point flip them, brown the other sides, then add the garlic sauteeing just till the garlic is very fragrant, about 2 min more.

Meanwhile, wash your spinach and remove any thick or woody stems. Put the spinach in a large colander and drain well. Sprinkle the spinach generously with salt, toss, sprinkle with more salt, toss again. Working with your hands in the mass of spinach in the colander, tear the spinach in handfuls working the salt into the spinach as you go (just rip in handfuls--the salt works in easily). As you tear the spinach will reduce in bulk substantially. When all is torn squeeze the hell out of the spinach. This will squeeze out all the excess water and with it much of the somewhat metalic bitterness of the oxalic acid spinach contains (but not the rest of the flavor).

[I'm trying to describe this succinctly. The process is quicker than it sounds. I do an overflowing extra-large colander of spinach in less time than it takes to brown mushrooms.]

Break up the now-compacted spinach a bit, rinse well under cold running water to remove the excess salt (taste a little here and there; quit when the salt is to taste); squeeze the hell out of it again very well, put it on your cutting board and run your knife over it once or twice fluffing it up a bit as you go. (The spinach should be fairly dry at this point. If not, toss it in with your mushrooms to dry a mit more, or squeeze very well again.)

I bleed spinach every time I use it in stuffiing or filling mixes--spanakotyropita, crab-spinach stuffed mushrooms, manicotti, etc. Bleeding spinach gets rid of much more of the water contained in the leaves than sauteeing it does (so your stuffing/filling doesn't end up watery when it cooks later), removes the oxalic acid taste (many people who don't like cooked spinach like it after this process), and you don't need to add water-absorbing breadcrumbs to the stuffing to absorb the water the spinach gives up when it cooks. Further, bleeding it first then making your mix means the stuffing cooks just once rather than twice (which would be the case if you sauteed it first to get rid of its water content) resulting in a cleaner spinach flavor. Give it a shot sometime."

Long-winded, I know.

Kevin, you are really a piece of work!

Have you ever written a cookbook? If so. I'll buy a couple right now.

Virgil

Just to be sure no one misunderstands my post about long winded responses, I was referring to my own. We've spent some late nights (and early mornings) at the hospital with my father in law recently. He's not doing well and we're all really tired. I was pretty punchy when I posted that last night which is probably why I missed the explaination of bleeding spinach after reading it twice. Thanks again, I'm off the fire up the WSM. Oh, and sorry for hijacking your thead Darin. Let us know how your loin turns out.

Virgil--

No, I wish. I have enough material for 2 or three at least! On the road too much.

Kirk--

And I was referring to my long-winded posts (since you'd brought it up). I'm kind of 'known' for them, as it were. Sorry to hear of the illness; I hope your father-in-law does better very soon. I know what that is like.

Yes--Darin--here's hoping your pork was perfection.

Kevin, can the spinach be purged a day ahead and refrigerated?

Yes, Rita, you can.

Well this topic has got me thinking do I cook my pork loin in the WSM or rotisserie? which one for better results? the loin is from Costco and is allready marinade in garlic & onion.



Mike

Sorry to go back to the spinach...one last time. I just wanted to thank Kevin. Bleeding the spinach really did work to get the oxalic acid out. This was probably the best creamed spinach I'd ever made, even though it was made with a roux this time. Thanks for the good tutorial.

Mike, I'm also interested in how best to cook a pork loin - probably best on the gril, but I'd like to hear if it can be done successfully on the WSM without drying it out. Brining is a given.

Rita

A rotis is perfect for a loin. By all means use one if you have one. I set my loin in with all vents open and let it go 10-15 min before closing off lower vents to bring the temp down to the 300 range. (Obviously, this is for kettle rotis. If you have a gas rotis you can start on high then reduce the temp.)

Rita, you can do it on the WSM successfully as well as the grill. I still prefer a high heat approach for loins but I know there are some that prefer low/slow. I don't find loins need a slow approach so I don't do that.

I pull loins at 150. Imo, 160 is tops.

I'm glad you liked the spinach treatment.

I had been doing pork loins on the roti inddirect on my gasser w/wood for flavor - then I did on on the WSM - no more Gasser, thats for sure.

I got a Roti for my kettle - gotta try a loin in it.