ChadVKealey
TVWBB Pro
The past few weekends have been crazy and I'm going through grilling withdraw. This weekend is more of the same, but I'm planning ahead to get my fix in on Sunday. I've got a nicely trimmed 2.75 lb. pork loin (not tenderloin - this was cut down from a whole boneless loin) and some applewood smoked bacon thawing in the fridge. Here's the game plan:
1. Brine the loin in apple juice, kosher salt, brown sugar, and maybe mustard powder. Probably do this late afternoon Saturday and take it out of the brine first thing Sunday morning.
2. Make a weave of the bacon, then wrap it around the loin and tie at several points.
3. Fire up the performer with a couple baskets of Stubbs and some small bits of apple wood for smoke.
4. Spit up the loin and rotisserie it until it hits ~140 and hope that the bacon is crisp by then.
Now, what I'm not sure of if the ideal cooking temp. The only time I usually do a large chunk of loin like this is for New Years Day, and I aim for a cooker temp of about 275, which translates to about 1.5 hours to get to 140. I'm a bit concerned that after that length of time, the bacon will burn. I could go to a higher temp and shorter time, but that could also lead to burning. Ideally, I want the inside to get to the target temp without overcooking the bacon, then I can crank up the heat to crisp it if necessary. I've just never cooked anything actually wrapped in bacon, so I don't want to screw it up.
1. Brine the loin in apple juice, kosher salt, brown sugar, and maybe mustard powder. Probably do this late afternoon Saturday and take it out of the brine first thing Sunday morning.
2. Make a weave of the bacon, then wrap it around the loin and tie at several points.
3. Fire up the performer with a couple baskets of Stubbs and some small bits of apple wood for smoke.
4. Spit up the loin and rotisserie it until it hits ~140 and hope that the bacon is crisp by then.
Now, what I'm not sure of if the ideal cooking temp. The only time I usually do a large chunk of loin like this is for New Years Day, and I aim for a cooker temp of about 275, which translates to about 1.5 hours to get to 140. I'm a bit concerned that after that length of time, the bacon will burn. I could go to a higher temp and shorter time, but that could also lead to burning. Ideally, I want the inside to get to the target temp without overcooking the bacon, then I can crank up the heat to crisp it if necessary. I've just never cooked anything actually wrapped in bacon, so I don't want to screw it up.
