September 25, 2016
The presentation was great, meat moist and tender but it did not have the full smokiness expected with the good smoke from the AMAZNTS.
This loin turned out good as it was not dry or tough which are Mary’s common complaints about loin. Followed SmokinAl’s methodology as pasted below and it worked well.
6:30 AM – Cut 10# full loin in half. This cook only uses one half. Sliced through the fat cap 1/4″-1/2″ and rubbed into the cuts a little Zatarian’s Creole Mustard. Rubbed into the cuts Stubb’s Hot Pork Rub and then all over the roast. Sprinkled a little ground Chipotle on but not evenly. Wrapped in plastic wrap and into wine refer.
11:15 – MES is preheated set at 230 and overrunning. Opened and insert pan with loin in one can of chicken broth on the third rack from the top. About 11:25 inserted Amazn tray with two rows full of Trafelger Hickory pellets that had been heated in the microwave twice for 2 minutes each. Surprised how much moister was in the microwave from the pellets. It lite easily and burned with yellow flame easily for ~8 min. Blew the flames out and put it into the MES. Quickly TBSmoke and stayed steady. First time that has happened and nuking was the key. Have Thermowork’s ChefAlarm air probe on same grate as the tray, between it and the door. Temp stayed 5-10 degrees below box at about 225.
Ambient temp is in the high 80s with 89% humidity and thunderstorms blowing by as the first real cool front of the fall is moving south towards us from the Waco-Dallas area.
12 Noon – MES Temp is 233 and grate temp is 230. It has stabilized. Reset MES to 220 to more match SmokinAl’s plan that will make cook take longer and provide more time in the smoke. Still have TBSmoke that is great as by now I would have had to re-lite the tray.
1:30 PM – inserted Thermowork’s ChefAlarm meat probe and IT is 130. Added two strips of bacon along top to add moisture/fat.
2:15 –
Returned from Home Depot and IT per probe is 149. Opened door and turned it off. Smoke is really bellowing. Slide pan with meat onto sheet pan and took inside. Did not wrap as do not want it to get hotter. Basted with stock/drippings. In 15-20 minutes with Instant read it is ~145 near the ends and 138-140 in the interior. No pink in the center. Bacon strips have cooked but fat is not completely rendered.
3:30 – Sliced some for tonight’s dinner and left in broth.
Amazn Tray burned only one row for the 3-1/2 hour cook.
Next Time – The presentation was great, meat moist and tender but it did not have the full smokiness expected with the good smoke I had. Surely due to sitting in the pan of 1/2″ deep broth. as 25% of the surface was under water and the high-side pan reduced the smoke movement. It also was not as flavorful or spicy as expected likely due to a dilution by the broth. Odd that with the rub on all sides the salt and spice did not show up in the broth. Next time add black pepper to the Stubb’s and maybe some cayenne. Rubbing with yellow mustard then the rub would help. Cook on a rack just above the broth in a shallow pan. Some onion and garlic in the broth could have helped.
For an herb based rub and how to go to http://www.smoking-meat.com/may-8-2014-herb-rubbed-smoked-pork-loin
Per SmokinAl –
- Rinsed & dried it, & scored the fat cap.
Coated it with my pork rub, use your favorite rub. No mustard or oil, just rub.
Wrapped in plastic wrap for a couple of hours in the fridge. - As most of you know I smoke just about everything in pans with some kind of broth.
Here I had a couple cups of frozen chicken broth. Into the pan with the loin. - Into the smoker. I kept the smoker around 210-215. Wood today is hickory.
- 3 hours later the IT is 140. I pulled it out & rested it uncovered on the counter for 30 minutes.
That was enough to bring it up to 145, the safe temp for pork. - 140 & ready to be pulled out.
- On the counter for the rest.
- After slicing, back into the pan juices & ready to eat.
- Perfect meal with some garlic bow ties & peas.
- This was so simple & easy. The loin was juicy & tender. It just melted in your mouth.
Sometimes I think we get carried away with trying to make something special, or extraordinary,
and forget how good something simple like this can be.
Per Chef JJ – “Smoke it at 225*F to an internal temp of 135-140*F if you don’t mind a little pink or 150*F if not. Rest the meat, at least, 30 minutes tented or up to 3-4 hours wrapped in foil and blankets in a cooler…Anything over 155*F and that Loin will be Dry.”
