Kudos to BigMikey – saw his post and got motivated to do my own first bacon weave. The local supermarket actually has a good smoked bacon they sell in the butcher's case at $2.99/lb., so I got 2 lbs. of that along with a 3.5lb. pork loin. Decided I was going to butterfly the pork, stuff it, and wrap it in the bacon blanket. For the stuffing I wanted something both sweet and savory, so decided on an apple/celery/onion/garlic mix which I sautéed in butter , then added bread crumbs. But that wasn't enough. Some of the bacon I got turned out to be less than perfect for weaving, so I cut it up, fried it up, then chopped it up more finely
(http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/9038/choppedbacon.jpg)
and then added to the stuffing.
(http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1019/stuffing.jpg)
Pork wrapped with pork stuffed with pork. Mmmmmmmm.
By the numbers –
Make the weave:
(http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/208/weave.jpg)
Then, the pork loin – the starting point:
(http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/5582/loin.jpg)
Butterflied:
(http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/1983/butterflyv.jpg)
Lined with spinach:
(http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/4782/spinach.jpg)
Then, smoked Provolone cheese:
(http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/6909/cheeseoo.jpg)
Topped with the stuffing proper:
(http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/4629/stuffingloin.jpg)
Rolled and wrapped:
(http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6966/wrapped.jpg)
All under the watchful supervision of Abby and Buddy:
(http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7608/helpfuldogs.jpg)
So butterflied, seasoned, stuffed, wrapped and ready to go. But too late tonight. Wrapped it all up tightly in foil and back into the fridge for Saturday or Sunday. Stay tuned . . .
wow that sure does look good , let us know how it turns out .
That looks fantastic. Missing one pic ;D. Will be watching for it. :)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Really looks good, and a great picture presentation...will be watching for the money shot...
Don't drop it--the canine vacumn cleaners will have it before you can bend over!
T2
That is gonna be one good loin ;)
I would pull it a little early to finish the bacon in the oven broiler :)
Thanks for the advice Muebe. What IT would you recommend pulling it from the smoker?
I would pull it at 145F. The broiler or high degree oven(400) will finish the bacon in about 10 to 15 minutes. That should carry it to about 160F. The bacon weave and stuffing will keep everything moist ;)
Be careful if you are finishing in the broiler! That bacon grease can catch fire :o
Fishrman that looks fantastic. Have a loin Im going to do pretty soon and I think I'll try your stuffing it sounds really good. Did you split that loin in half or several times
Viper, I rolled it as I sliced keeping it about 3/4" thick.
Got to say you did a very nice job! Good hand at butchering and a very great sounding recipe.
OK, Easter is here and the main course is Bacon Weave Wrap Pork Loin stuffed with Apples (and other stuff)
Took it out of the fridge at 7am and let it rest for an hour on the counter. Meanwhile, preheated the BDS to 225F and loaded in 3 hours of hickory. At 8am into the smoker it went. Didn't take long before the sweet smell of hickory was accented with warm bacon! Had the Guru probe in the center and watched the temp climb. By 11am it was showing 130F which sounded a little high, so took my kitchen digital probe and stuck it in. Hmm, showed 117F, quite a difference. Took out my Maverick and decided to go for the best 2 out of 3 and it showed 123F. Went with the maverick and let it keep on going for another 50 minutes until it showed 142F, at which point I followed Muebe's advice and pulled it out of the smoker and popped it into a preheated 400F oven on a rack over a drip pan. Within minutes you could hear the sizzle of the bacon and smell it crisping up. Mmmmmm! It only took about 10 minutes to get the IT up to 145F and have the bacon look nicely browned. Pulled it at that point and let it rest for 5 minutes before I pulled out the probe as I didn't want to lose too much juice. Argh - 5 minutes was not enough and juice started geyering out! So immediately reinserted the probe, set a timer for 10 minutes and walked away!
After 10 minutes pulled the probe with only an oozing, transferred the loin to the cutting board and this is what I saw before and after slicing:
(http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9557/weavedone.jpg)
(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/7530/weaveclose.jpg)
(http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/4150/weavesliced.jpg)
Wow, as good as this looks the taste and tenderness was even better. If you haven't done a weaved loin yet, put it on your to do list and you won't be sorry!
As great as this was, I know it can be better. Changes next time:
1) Butterfly the meat a bit thinner so there is more space for stuffing. Stuffing good.
2) Double or triple the stuffing. Leave out the celery (didn't really come through) and replace with more apples. Consider adding a little cinnamon and chipotle powder to them when cooking up. Also double up on the bread crumbs. They absorb so much flavor, more would be better - and there is plenty of juice, so no worries about it being dry!
3) Before putting the weave on, cold smoke the butterflied loin for about an hour. All the smoky flavor was put into the bacon, and it would have been good to have it permeate all the way through. Alternatively, and I think I like this better, simple spread out the stuffing in a thin layer and smoke it instead of the pork. Something to consider.
OK, thanks everyone for coming along with me on this ride. It was sure a good one!!
Wow now that is looking good. I seen the changes your making and all sound well based but maybe I can give you some thing to think about. In stead of cold smoking before the bacon wrap. How about cold smoking just the loin after cutting it flat. So the smoke can soak in both sides of the meat then roll and make. Maybe add a little smoke to the bacon when you start smoking the whole thing. Just some thing Im thinking about.
Viper, we are in violent agreement - that's what I meant when I said "Before putting the weave on, cold smoke the butterflied loin for about an hour." although I can see now it is not that clearly stated. And more good news - I've got lots and lots left over! Think I'll send my kids some pics of it so that they can see what they are missing ;).
Sorry About that I thought you said with bacon off. My fault. But i bet it was good as it was.
Great job and great pic's. On reheat the leftovers( if any ) I put a little chicken broth in the bottom of a small cast iron dutch oven and cover. Just another thought for you.
Wow looks fantastic!!! I will also be adding more stuffing to my next one.
Looks outstanding! Really nice. I agree with you about the cold smoking before the weave goe on. Bacon weaves are awesome but they do block the smoke from getting right in the meat the weave is wrapped around. Great job
Wow! Great job!
Nice color on the Bacon ;)
Looks like a beauty.
That's a beautiful loin with bacon wrap. Nice finish on the bacon as well! 10!!!!!! all the way
Very nice. Gonna have to try one soon :)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice plate of grub fishrman.... Looks most Excellent!!!
Have a guest coming for dinner - get to meet my daughter's boyfriend for the first time this weekend - so a great excuse to do this one again with the mods I want to try out!
Quote from: fishrman on April 08, 2012, 12:56:10 PM
OK, Easter is here and the main course is Bacon Weave Wrap Pork Loin stuffed with Apples (and other stuff)
Took it out of the fridge at 7am and let it rest for an hour on the counter. Meanwhile, preheated the BDS to 225F and loaded in 3 hours of hickory. At 8am into the smoker it went. Didn't take long before the sweet smell of hickory was accented with warm bacon! Had the Guru probe in the center and watched the temp climb. By 11am it was showing 130F which sounded a little high, so took my kitchen digital probe and stuck it in. Hmm, showed 117F, quite a difference. Took out my Maverick and decided to go for the best 2 out of 3 and it showed 123F. Went with the maverick and let it keep on going for another 50 minutes until it showed 142F, at which point I followed Muebe's advice and pulled it out of the smoker and popped it into a preheated 400F oven on a rack over a drip pan. Within minutes you could hear the sizzle of the bacon and smell it crisping up. Mmmmmm! It only took about 10 minutes to get the IT up to 145F and have the bacon look nicely browned. Pulled it at that point and let it rest for 5 minutes before I pulled out the probe as I didn't want to lose too much juice. Argh - 5 minutes was not enough and juice started geyering out! So immediately reinserted the probe, set a timer for 10 minutes and walked away!
After 10 minutes pulled the probe with only an oozing, transferred the loin to the cutting board and this is what I saw before and after slicing:
(http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9557/weavedone.jpg)
(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/7530/weaveclose.jpg)
(http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/4150/weavesliced.jpg)
Wow, as good as this looks the taste and tenderness was even better. If you haven't done a weaved loin yet, put it on your to do list and you won't be sorry!
As great as this was, I know it can be better. Changes next time:
1) Butterfly the meat a bit thinner so there is more space for stuffing. Stuffing good.
2) Double or triple the stuffing. Leave out the celery (didn't really come through) and replace with more apples. Consider adding a little cinnamon and chipotle powder to them when cooking up. Also double up on the bread crumbs. They absorb so much flavor, more would be better - and there is plenty of juice, so no worries about it being dry!
3) Before putting the weave on, cold smoke the butterflied loin for about an hour. All the smoky flavor was put into the bacon, and it would have been good to have it permeate all the way through. Alternatively, and I think I like this better, simple spread out the stuffing in a thin layer and smoke it instead of the pork. Something to consider.
OK, thanks everyone for coming along with me on this ride. It was sure a good one!!
i so want to try this
As good as all the recipes look on this site, this one has to be the best looking ive seen, and my mouth is watering just looking at it
man i cant wait to get my bradley
mat
how long is each rasher, ive not seen rashers that long here in the uk
Quote from: amigo smoker on April 20, 2012, 03:21:17 PM
how long is each rasher, ive not seen rashers that long here in the uk
Probably 12 inches/30 cm. I can buy them from my butcher here in that length, but if I couldn't, I'd just buy the pork belly, smoke my own, and use it. If you can't find them that long, suggest you cut your pork loin in half and make two weaves, wrap both, and smoke side by side. In fact, today I was shopping for pork loin and my normal source only had small ones, so I was faced with the choice of buying two smaller loins and wrapping each or looking elsewhere and getting the larger loin. I chose the latter and got a 9 lb. loin that I'll trim to a 5-7 lb. size.
thanks for the advice mate
im going to try the butchers tomorrow and see if they can help me out
so looking forward to making this for the family
mat
Amigo, you will not be disappointed. In fact, you will be looking for people to invite over to share this with - because they will think you are an absolute awesome chef! Now, start thinking about side dishes . . .
Where are you located in the UK? I used to travel there 3-6x per year in my previous job and want to now visit at a tourist. On business, I never really got the time to explore, but loved being there.
yeah i will have to have a good think
at moment dont have a clue hahaha
Quote from: amigo smoker on April 20, 2012, 04:18:54 PM
yeah i will have to have a good think
at moment dont have a clue hahaha
I'm thinking about grilled veg (asparagus, red bell pepper, mushrooms) and a sweet corn risotto with a salad as a fresh crunchy side. The risotto recipe is really easy, and everyone I've served it to before tells me this should be in a restaurant - so for me a guaranteed winner.
Oh yah , missed this one, Nice Job fishrman !!