Pork Loin Roast

[Pat McCreight]

I'm going to pick up a bone-in center cut pork loin roast, or something similar, to smoke this weekend. I plan on brining it in a simple brine, applying a light rub of black pepper and garlic, and them smoking at 275. I plan to pull at 145 and put in a 500* oven for 5-8 minutes to brown, per Chris A's recommendation in the cooking topics section.

Does that sound about right? I may need to cook it early, so do you think I can wrap and rest in a cooler for a couple hours like I do with other large cuts?

Would you brown the roast in a pan before smoking it, rather than in the oven afterwards? Then take it to 150 on the smoker?

 

[Paul K]

Pat,

Personally I would brown it 1st, then smoke. That way you can monitor the internal temp accurately. Pork loin is so lean, that any over cooking will start to dry it out. Your brining step is an excellent choice. Wrapping and resting in a cooler will continue the cooking process for a while. You might consider pulling sooner; possibly around 130. A little pink in today's pork loin is not a bad thing. The guests that eat it may think otherwise, but from a safety standpoint anything about 140 will be safe.

Paul

 

[Pat McCreight]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul K:
A little pink in today's pork loin is not a bad thing. The guests that eat it may think otherwise, but from a safety standpoint anything about 140 will be safe.

Paul </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks - I was hoping that brining it would allow me to take it a little higher, so as to not have to explain that it's safe to eat. My wife wants me to make this for Christmas, so this week is the practice run. Do you think taking it to 140, letting it rest for 15 minutes, and then wrapping for 1.5 hours will dry it out?

 

[Pat Smith]

Maybe if you wrap it with a little liquid in the foil? Some apple juice perhaps?

I have not idea, scientifically speaking, if this would help reduce the moisture loss from the loin but it would seem that it wouldn't hurt.

I'm doing the same thing on Tuesday - cooking a pork loin here, wrapping and taking it to my office about 10 miles away, then slicing it thin to serve on little slider buns. I'm thinking of doing some kind of maple syrup sauce to drizzle on the loin, or maybe some spicy mayo.

Let us know how yours turns out.

Pat

 

[Brian Trommater]

Pork Loin has become my healthly bbq. I know people say only to cook to 145 but I have been making pull and sliced pork from it. I have been using enhanced pork loin. Smoke until about 160 and then wrap in foil to around 195. Let rest and then either pull or slice. Its great fresh but when reheating have to just verly warm or it gets tough.

 

[Pat McCreight]

The pork turned out very well, but I would do a couple of things differently in the future.

I purchased what appeared to be the rib portion of the center cut - it was just under 6 pounds and cost about $10. Here are a couple of pics:

I brined it and rubbed with a no-salt bbq rub of mine, and smoked it at 275* for 2 1/4 hours, when the temp reached 145*. I pulled it off, wrapped, and rested for 25 minutes or so. Served with a spicy vinegar sauce on the side.

The roast was extremely juicy and tender, but I would probably pull it a tad sooner, at 135 or 140 next time. I'll also use a rub that contains some salt, as the no-salt wasn't quite enough. Lastly, I skipped browning it. I didn't have a pan large enough to brown, and I didn't feel like firing up my grill. It just didn't have the char I wanted.

Overall, I'd call it a success as everyone loved it. I just think there is room for improvement. I of course forgot to take pictures of the final product.

 

[Paul K]

Pat,

Good work. There's no way to add moisture to meat that has lost it due to cooking. So, adding a liquid to a meat while it rests won't really accomplish anything; that's where your brine comes in. For the sear, I'd recommend a quick time over very coals on your grill. The extra effort will pay off if this is for a special holiday meal.

Paul