Pork Loins


 
Rusty James

Rusty James

TVWBB Emerald Member
Hi all,

I see a lot of pork butts & ribs mentioned here, but do any of you smoke whole pork lions much?

The first time I tried smoking a loin roast (on a kettle grill), it cooked OK but the smoke flavor could have been better. Now that I have a WSM, I plan on smoking what I have left in the freezer. I thought about making BBQ out of it, but this being such a lean cut of pork, I thought a slow smoke with a good rub would be in order, and then I would serve it as a whole roast.

Thought about injecting the meat with juice from a freshly pulverized pineapple before smoking.

Suggestions?
 
Last edited:
The loin is pretty lean, you don't want to take it to pulled pork temps of a butt.
What I do is put a basic salt/pepper rub on it, then score the thinned fat cap and smear minced garlic into it. Smoke it till 140 deg, it won't take a long time,
basically roasting, with smoke,the meat will still be juicy with a tinge of pink.
 
Thanks.

I tried making BBQ out of the loin smoked on the kettle, but it just didn't turn out right. The meat was somewhat dry, and the texture and flavor was nowhere near that of pulled pork.

Still, I look forward to smoking a loin on the WSM, and I will keep your temp suggestion in mind.

We also have some Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning. Might give that a try too.
 
Rusty, there's a ton of different things you can do with a pork loin. Best advice I can give would be to only smoke/cook it to 140 IT. Carryover will take it up to 145 which is the "safe" temp for pork. You can inject the loin to introduce some different flavors, or you can soak them in a brine. If you are feeling really froggy, you can cut a slit and make a pocket to stuff various ingredients into the loin, or go the next step and butterfly/roll cut the loin and really stuff the loin.
 
What happens if cook the loin above 140 degrees? I assume it would be prone to drying out, but would 140-145 degrees be high enough to tenderize the cut?

I'll have to keep that butterfly/roll thing in mind, Dave, although it looks daunting if you're not a butcher.
 
Rusty James said:
What happens if cook the loin above 140 degrees? I assume it would be prone to drying out, but would 140-145 degrees be high enough to tenderize the cut?

I'll have to keep that butterfly/roll thing in mind, Dave, although it looks daunting if you're not a butcher.
Click to expand...


I don't think loins have the connective tissue to render out like a butt does. Cooking them to too high a temp just dries them out.

As for the butterfly/roll cutting, it's intimidating, but it's a lot easier to do than you'd think. Here's a video that gives a great walk through on doing it.

 
Rusty.

I've done a lot of pork loins, & can only concur with the advice above. Don't let it get above 140F IT. Personally I go for 135F IT. The carry-over when foiled will bring up the temp a wee bit, & it will have a nice light pink hue in the centre. Marinading pork loin overnight is a must for me. Good luck mate.
 
The roast was kind of small, so I smoked it in the 18" kettle instead. I decided on this rub...

• 1/4 cup Paprika
• 1/8 cup Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
• 1-2 tablespoons Onion Powder
• 1 tablespoon or more Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 cup Coarse Salt
• 1/4 cup Brown or White Sugar


My wife had already oiled the meat, so the rub was a bit thick in places.

I smoked the loin roast to 150 degrees (cooked faster than I anticipated) with chunks of oak and apple wood, indirectly, over a pan of water. The meat had a nice white color, but wasn't dried out. Other than the areas with thick rub, the roast tasted very well.

I'll be cooking hot & fast chicken (6 halves) tomorrow for a birthday party. Hope all goes well.

Thanks for the advice and the links!
 
Last edited:
I will be buying a whole pork loin roast, with bones, for $1.24/lb. How should this be cook and to what temp. I cooked a sirloin end roast to 160 degrees and it came out ok, I smoke roasted this for 2.5 hrs @ 300 degrees.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top