Hi all. Need some advice on a porkloin project. I haven't smoked a porkloin in the Bradley and have seen some big variation in cooking times on posts read on this site. Some say large loins are finishing in 4 hours (to ITs between 140 and 60); others up to seven hours (to an IT of 150). I'll probably have a larger loin and want to make sure I start early enough to allow for a bit of FTC grace. Because of the variation in time, I'll probably start cooking at about 7 am or so on Sunday, with the DBS set to 200, 2 hours of apple/maple/pecan smoke. Any guidance on cooking times are appreciated.
Plan on using Tsquared's recipe (from the tried and true recipe site--Thanks TS ;D!), which already is making me hungry:
Smoked Pork Loin w/Rosemary Plum Marinade
From tsquared (Tom)
Ingredients:
2-3 Tbsp. of Rosemary, chopped fresh leaves
Apple or orange juice
3 lb. pork tenderloin
Plum-Cassis Marinade
6 fresh plums, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Cremé de Cassis liqueur** see below
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup dry Madeira wine*** see below
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg.
Directions:
Boil plums and cassis then reduce heat and simmer for 20 min.
Cool.
Combine plum mixture with vinegar, wine, garlic, mustard, sugar and nutmeg and puree.
Cooking method:
Combine marinade and rosemary and marinate pork overnight or for 8 hours.
Remove pork from smoker. [Consiglieri note: I think he meant fridge and probably about an hour before meeting the BS]
Boil marinade to baste with.
Use apple juice in the water pan of your smoker, smoke pork with apple or cherry or pecan until internal temp reaches 140°F.
Prepare to receive the accolades of your guests. This recipe is the one that convinced me that a smoker should be used for more than just salmon.
**An extract of European black currants blended with spirits. A true creme; thick and sirupy.
*** There are two different types of dry Madeira wines:
1.) Sercial (same origin as Riesling) wine is dry and quite light.
2.) Verdelho is a medium-dry wine with a very fresh and fruity bouquet
Source: Marinades by Jim Tarantino.
Can't help with the time but you have a good recipe there IMHO. Got to go with the internal temp you want. Good luck with it. I am sure it will turn out wonderful. If it is not ready when you want, I am sure the guests will think it was worth the wait once they sink their teeth into it.
I'd not go any higher than 145 or even 140 as loins can dry out easily. Thanks for reminding me of that recipe, Consiglieri--I haven't used it for awhile. Let us know how it goes.
T2
If you are smoking/cooking a whole loin, you may want to think about separating the large end from the smaller end. They are different muscle groups and I've found they cook at a different rate. For loin I like mine at 145°F. Unless you have that "enhanced" pork, as T2 states it will tend to get dry after those temps.
Only advice I have is to prepare for the worst (7 hours) and hope for the best (4 hours). I haven't looked at the recipe, but if you're brining it or rubbing it and leaving overnight, personally, I'd only take it to 145-155 (wherever you're comfortable, the brine/rub will help with the critters).
Also, on the loins I've done, I haven't done the FTC, and have been happy with the results...to each his own, I guess.
Thanks, all. I think I can handle the time challenges by starting early. I think the harder part may be finding plums this time of year. Targeting IT of 140-145.
Hi,
I've been meaning to try a pork loin and this recipe looks delicious. Hope you post some pics with the end result when you get a chance.
Tom
hey Consiglieri, I did a 3 pound pork loin last weekend, 4hours was all it needed, turned out great...
no ftc time I just let it rest for about 20 min. prior to carving... good luck sabre
Sabre: what was your cabinet temp? Cooking time appears in accord with the 1-1.5 hours per lb rule of thumb I heard.
Hope to post pics of a nice finished project. As always, thanks for the insight to all.
Project update: Actually found some plums, but they were the jumbo kind. Anticipated making a double batch but wound up with a triple batch of marinade to accommodate them. One other adjustment: couldn't find creme de cassis, so ... I hate to admit this... I used blackberry brandy instead. Reminds me of high school. :P Anyway, prepped the marinade and it smells great, different liquour and all. Rosemary and garlic really tempers the sweetness of the fruit and liquour. I think this liquid will complement a loin very well and will update as things progress.
Will visit Costco tomorrow to pick up a loin. The ones I saw there last time were about the size of a baby elephant's trunk and I'll probably only use 2/3. If the recipe turns out as good as I expect, I'll have have plenty of blackberrybrandy to make the next batch of marinade.
This machine sure makes for some fun experiments. Good luck on the mother's day projects
temps are as always around 215f... I dont use any of those fancy pids.. so its a bit hi or low but no big deal sabre
The elephant trunk is going to be 6 lbs +- if packaged the same as I see. Note HabS comments above watching your IT more than the clock IMO.
Thanks, WCK. Will be monitoring IT more than anything else, but was hoping to put together a game plan smoke wise. Will start in the morning and if it gets done, will FTC in the prewarmed cooler and wait for meal time. Probably will fidget with buttons, frown, scratch my head and open a beer. Hey you kids, go wash some dishes. Can't you see I'm busy? Oh yeah, and start those vegetables and a make a salad. And when you get a chance, can you bring me some paper towels, some vinegar (got to make them think I'm working), and a beer? Your mom is going to be so proud.
Wife's also helping to raise funds for a community project. Think I'll be harvesting the Mojito Tree to help out with the cause. I hope those ladies need five gallons of mint spears.
Here's the trunk on Wed, before barding and marinating:
(http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s293/consiglieri655/mothers%20day%20pork%20loin/100_3420.jpg)
Here's the trunck truncated and in the stuff:
(http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s293/consiglieri655/mothers%20day%20pork%20loin/100_3421.jpg)
That is one of the better pork loins I've seen in a while. One other suggestion, when I do pork loin I tie the roast at 2" to 3" intervals with butchers string. This gives it a good shape for presentation, but also helps the whole roast cook more evenly.
Looks like a Mothers Day plan. Complete with the appropriate level of sacrafice and effort on your end to direct the project to a successful completion ;D Great fun, Hope it all turns out better than you hope :)
Okay-- Mr. Loin met Mr. PreHeated Bradley at 10:19 am. Here's the before shot, meat out of the bags:
(http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s293/consiglieri655/mothers%20day%20pork%20loin/100_3424.jpg)
So far, so good. Exept the wind kicked up so getting some wide temp variations. Original plan was to set the machine for 220 and see how that progressed, but with the wind knocking down the temp, I cranked up the heat to 250 about an hour ago. Now the cabinet is hanging around 225 degrees. Meat is smelling good. Applied smoke for 2hours 20 minutes (3 pucks each of apple and cherry, plus one pecan because I had one hanging around). IT at 2:45 PDT is 133, and targetting 140ish. Looks like it'll be about 4:00 before I hit the target temp. About 4 hours cooking time so far.
Coming back for the after pics. ;D No way I can drive that far north in time ;)
T2 wasn't kidding: this recipe rocks (even as modified). Probably started off with a 10 # trunk, and trimmed off .75# of fat. 4 slices left. I would make this recipe again in a heartbeat.
Once the meat hit 140, I finished off on a high temp grill to get it a bit of crust. But Mr. Bradley came through again. Meat came out of the box at about 4:15, plus about 10 minutes on the grill. About 6 hours total, plus 1.5 hours FTC.
Here are pix of the finished product:
(http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s293/consiglieri655/mothers%20day%20pork%20loin/100_3438.jpg)
(http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s293/consiglieri655/mothers%20day%20pork%20loin/100_3465.jpg)
Did you save some for the rest of us? :)
This looks like a must make for the wife and I! Off to find a pork loin!!
:) HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! ;D
I'm sure your wife was glad you did the cooking, on that day.
Fantastic!
Wonderful looking meal!!! :P :D
Thanks, guys. This recipe has been added to the binder.
what are those spots on the cutting board...
shark drool or pig juice...
you gotta run the count...
owrstrich
Probably a little of both.
Well done Consiglieri! I have friends who still ask me to make that for them--I'll just forward your pics if I don't have time!
T2
Wow. Looks absolutely fantastic. Congrats on your success.
How did it turn out? I"ve been thinking of doing a tenderloin. I noticed you are using a wood carving board with raw meat. The health experts warn against that, easy way to get cross food contamination and food poisoning. The wood holds the bateria.
Thanks, K: I thoroughly clean the cutting board after prepping meat and have not had any episodes. I suppose I should add a sanitizing step too just to be on the safe side. Options are pretty limited when working with larger cuts of meat.
I like this recipe quite a bit and would repeat it. About 4 slices of left overs on a pretty big loin; guests liked it too.
Not that I would be concerned with the bugs from wood with good care and feeding, but in response to your size limitation, take a look at the epicurean cutting boards. Nice big size (27x17) although that size will set you back about $130.00. Here is a blurb from the Amazon.com site on the qualities (bug free).
Product Description
Epicurean Chef Series Cutting Surfaces are constructed of 1/2" Richlite, an environmentally-friendly, natural wood fiber from certified U.S. sustainability managed forests. Approved by the NSF (National Sanitary Foundation), durable Richlite resists and prohibits bacterial growth. Epicurean Cutting Surfaces are maintenance free, require no bleaching or oiling and can be cleaned in the dishwasher. With a heat resistance of up to 350 degrees, these surfaces can double as a trivet and take on a hot pot without showing a blemish. Made in the USA. Dimensions: 27" x 17" x 1/2
http://www.amazon.com/Epicurean-Cutting-Surfaces-Chef-Grooved/dp/B000FDLBKK/ref=sr_1_24/002-1300324-5141643?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1179383897&sr=1-24 (http://www.amazon.com/Epicurean-Cutting-Surfaces-Chef-Grooved/dp/B000FDLBKK/ref=sr_1_24/002-1300324-5141643?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1179383897&sr=1-24)