Non Traditional Pork Loin Smoke

Hey, traditional or not, a LOT of the fun of BBQ is to experiment. Stuart likes to do what you did with his Prime Ribs, a little extra something in the woodbox.

Let us know how it goes.

Everything came out great. The meat was juicy and had a great new/different flavor. I pulled the rosemary and tyme from the wood box after about 10 minutes. It just seemed like it was flaming up and it had a bitter smell. I didn't want to chance the whole loin with bitter overpowering smoke that could have been avoided. Other than that, not much else I would have done different except marinate another 12-18 hrs. Sorry no pics this time. Too busy splitting wood all day (80 degrees). Getting ready for that good ol midwest winter.

For whole pork loins, I like to brine them at least a day or more to give them some taste. I've even done some for 48 hours. It's just not a cut we like, but I still experiment.

Back in the old days, Smokin' had some great marinades for folks that bought whole pork loins,and liked to experiment.

We used to shoot them up,as well,with great success.

Brining is great for moisture,but often doesn't really give great flavor.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom:
Brining is great for moisture,but often doesn't really give great flavor.

How many years have we been talking Q?

That's the first time you said something I disagree with 100%.

It all depends on what flavors you put in the brine. Put some hot sauce in, or ginger or lots of other things and that flavor gets inside.

What you been smokin' tom? it wasn't bbq

I have another loin in the freezer. I think next time I will inject it like Tom said. I reheated some last night at work and to my surprise, it still held a lot of its moisture. Usually I have a problem with it drying out on the reheat. My 08 does a great job of producing moist/tender meat. I am very impressed. Now, I have some more experimenting to do....

Here's the one Tom was talking about:

quote:

For me, the problem with pork loin is that it's just that bland pork flavor that you need to do something to enhance it somewhat.

My two keys:

Don't overcook

Marinade & Baste (or brine)

I try to cook my meats to a particular internal temp. For pork loin, I look for 145 internal. I recommend you cook to something around that temp and decide if that's good for you. It of course will vary, based on your preferences as well as the size of your pork loin. Years ago, pork HAD to be cooked to at least 160, but with the more modern techniques, they say we don't have to worry about the tricanosis like we used to. You could even cook it to 155 or so, but that would tend to be dry.

Now, for the marinade I've like this oriental style because it is a strong flavor to enhance the weak pork flavor.

Smokin' Okies Pork Oriental Marinade

1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sesame oil (yes, this has to be sesame)
6 cloves of garlic, chopped fine (to your taste, more is even better)
1 tablespoon ginger (ground)

That's it.

Mix the marinade, place in a non-reactive pan and let marinade overnight. I heat the leftover marinade up (to kill off bacteria) and serve with the food as a sauce.

Options: I sometimes add apple juice to get more sauce

You can smoke it, I only smoke it for about an hour (keeping an eye on the internal temp) then finish it on the grill so I get a good crispy outside. Go for that internal 145. I like to smoke this over fruit wood of some sort.

Hope that helps. Comments are mandatory whenever I post a recipe.

Good q'in on 'ya

Smokin Okie

I'm not disagreeing,but that is why I prefaced the thought with "really great flavor"

The brines, I tend to use,give more noticable benefit to moistness and cushion in internal temps.

Not to say that I don't achieve some subtle flavor changes.

Smokin' does much,much more work with brining than I do,so he is more likely to achieve his desired flavor results.

My "coonass" background and inclinations,over most of my life,make me more prone to inject for bigger,stonger flavors.

I'm used to the concentrations I work with,and feel I can force flavors, where osmosis won't take them,without turning the tissue mushy.

I'm often late in my planning and feel I can speed the flavor process.

I even shoot up my brines,at times,although the process still takes pretty much the same amount of time.

Just a couple thoughts,while we all look to Smokin', as the brining authority in the bbq field.

Aw, man, you gave in too easy...

'sides,most "coonasses" can't even spell brining.

I have wanted to try one but everything i read seemed to speak against it.

Would this be something that you could slice longways and kind of open up and put your rub or what flavoring you like in and then tie up and smoke.

I may have to go get one and give it a try.

As I look back at the original post I see we are talking 2 different things i am thinking boneless loin.

Yep,the boneless ,center loin weighs about 3-3.5 lbs,and might be 10 inches long.

You can do what is called an inverted "T" cut down the length,and flatten it some.

Season,stuff,roll,and tie.

Makes a nice presentation.

quote:

Originally posted by shtrdave:
As I look back at the original post I see we are talking 2 different things i am thinking boneless loin.

I Don't think they're different. First post asked about a pork loin (but said roasts too)

A pork loin is a pork loin. Long, fat on the outside, lean on the inside and tastes like... pork.

Yep,the stuffed one probably needs brining more than the uncut one.

Smokin, was the recipie correct when you put 1/3 c of seasame oil??? That is quite a bit for such a strong ingredient. I like trying a little asian twist on my meat. When I do jerky, I use a similar marinade on my beef. But that is another topic....

Yup, that's what it is. We don't find it too strong, and a lot of it will depend on the size of the meat , quality of the oil (cheap stuff is nasty tasting) and the length of marinade. Adjust to your preference

One other thing I'd add- do *NOT* try to marinade a pork loin that's been prepumped with a salt solution by the meat company- unless you like a hammy tasting loin. Don't ask me how I know this...

Another twist is to take a 6# or so pork loin and brine (using one or more of Smokin's flavored brine recipes) for 9 to 15 hours - don't skimp on brine time - it needs to go that long. (I use shorter brine time if I have first cut it into 4"-6" long chunks - can use a smaller brining bowl that way). Then I cut into 2" think pieces and smoke at 225* for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until meat gets to 140* internal temp. Slice meat vertically into thin strips and enjoy with some hot mustard. Gets better after a day in refrigerator. Similar to the "BBQ pork" one gets at Chinese food restraurant, only better! Makes a great little snack or appetizer.