Pork Loin


 
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Tom Ferguson

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I picked up a 4 lb boneless pork loin yesterday. What is the preferable way to cook this? There seemed to be some fat on/in it, but certainly not like a butt. Is this a cut that can/should be smoked? Or is this cut better suited to the grill? I do have the rotisserie attachment for my Platinum, if that's the way to go.

Suggestions welcomed!
 
Hi Tom,

I did one a litle while ago and posted pics in this thread. The current version of the sauce I made is here.

Suggest cook it hot, fast, fat side up, remove from smoker at 160F.

It was quite good. I'll certainly do one again.

If you salt cure and slow smoke a loin it turns into Canadian bacon (back bacon). I haven't tried it yet though.

Rotisserie would be a good way to go too, I've done peppered loin on a countertop electric rotisserie and it was good eats.
 
I've done bone in pork loins in the slow smoker and they turned out just fine. I brined it for 2 days, because it's so lean and thick. The bones seem to add a little more flavor. I put a lemon pepper rub on it also. Grill, rotisserie, low temp smoke, hi temp smoke....... I don't think any of them is wrong. Pick one and go for it.
 
oh yeah,

I did a smaller chunk of loin like the Competition ribs once as well .... smoked with the ribs, foiled with juice just like the ribs, glazed sauce on just like the ribs. Same rub too. It was good. To do it again, I wouldn't leave it foiled in the juice as long. Knock say 30 - 45 minutes off.
 
I have had better results with cooking porkloin on the rotisserie than smoking and pork loin in the WSM Its not areally a candidate for low and slow cooking because it doesnt have the fat content.

I am considering curing one and making canadian bacon out of it with some buckobard bacon cure.

The biggest problem I find with pork loin is drying it out or overcooking so however you choose to proceed try for a done temp of 145-150 (i prefer the lower end of this as I dont mind a little pink in my pork). the higher end of medium for Pork is 160 with no pink. To me this is overdone.

My favorites are to season the roast with your favorite rub refridgerate for a few hours then rotisserie cook it. If you don't have one you can get great results off a kettle with indirect heat or the WSM with no water in the water pan. Maybe one chunk of pecan oak or cherry on the fire to add a nice smoke flavor.

I'm loooking to roast it around 350 degrees

Give it a nice 15-20 minute rest after tented under alumunum foil and slice.

I try and use rubs that arent too salty or cut back a little on the salt in a rub for pork as I feel it can take away from the taste.
 
thanks Tom R, I will try removing it around 150F next time.... my little manual meat therm says Pork: 170F on it I think and that's what I was going by, the loin roast did seem well done and a little dry removing at 165F
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I'll let you know what I decide to do and the results.

I think I'm leaning toward the rotisserie.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Shawn W:
my little manual meat therm says Pork: 170F on it I think and that's what I was going by, the loin roast did seem well done and a little dry removing at 165F <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

In the 'old' days pork was always cooked well done. It had loads of fat and there was the constant danger of trichina because of how pigs were fed. Though everything has changed alot since then many manuals (and, surprisingly, many cookbooks) still recommend the higher temp. Cooking it to a higher temp dries pork out now that its fat content is so much lower. Trichina has all but been eliminated by today's production methods and, besides, is killed at 137?. I pull like Tom Raveret--at 145?.
 
I have an event to cook for soon. I have a couple of questions:

How long would a 3-4 lb. boneless loin take?
What tempature? I'm not sure what "hot and fast" means.

I'll have about 3 hours to cook. Hope that will be long enough.
 
Hi Steve,

I strove for 325F, actually averaged about 275F and the 5 pound loin roast took about 4.5 hours if memory serves (sorry, I didn't log this cook) to get to 160F with 2 chickens below it on a 70F overcast day with little to no wind.

You should be able to do the 3-4 pounder by itself to 150F in 3 hours with nothing below it. Leave the water pan empty, even prop your access door up an inch or two, you could hit 350F and be done in like 2 hours.
 
Tom, try the honey-balsamic glaze in the rcipe section. It is a treat.
 
well this discussion today piqued my curiosity (and appetite) so I stopped at Sams tonight and picked up a 5lb pork loin (fora great price of $1.88/lb) and rotiserried cooked 1/2 if it on the kettle.

I used about 20-25 kingsford briquettes per side with one chunk of oak. One thinkg I noticed was that the outside edges cooked much faster than the inside. After an hour and 15 minutes the outside slices were pushing 155-160 while the inner slices were around 137. I took the roast off and tented it and the 20 minutes later had a very nice pork roast with very little pink (almost none) but quite moist.


I would have loved to have one of those baskets that clip to the side of the rotissserie so I wouldn't have to pierce the whole roast.

It was tsty nd withthe leftovers I took them to the slicer and make lunch meat.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
Tom, try the honey-balsamic glaze in the rcipe section. It is a treat. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Steve. I think I will try that.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tom Raveret:
I would have loved to have one of those baskets that clip to the side of the rotissserie so I wouldn't have to pierce the whole roast.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

ooo... Thanks for bringing that up. Perfect excuse to go to Home Depot for that Charbroil Basket.
 
i've done one or two in the smoker and they come out pretty good (of course i didn't write anything down either). i remember tying them up so they stay relatively cylindrical (they look better when they're done and probably cook a little more evenly). i also tried injecting it with a combo of apple cider and maple syrup (the real stuff; b grade) and putting a spicy rub on them for a hot and sweet flavor. that came out pretty tasty, especially this time of year. might have to do one this weekend...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
Tom, try the honey-balsamic glaze in the rcipe section. It is a treat. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Steve,
What recipe is that? I couldn't find it for some reason.
 
I have cooked a few loins in my day, and some of the best ive eaten was cooked in a turkey oven bag that I do every year around Xmas time. Moist and tender. The bag keeps the pork from drying out.
DP
 
I have cooked loin low and slow but I wraped the whole thing with a thick blanket of bacon. I liked bacon and the fat fron the bacon provided a constand baste.
 
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