Half Pork Loin

[ddog27]

I bought a half pork loin at the grocery store last night. They were having a really good sale on them. After I got them home I realized I have never cooked a pork loin on the smoker. Can you cook them just like a pork butt? Any tips or recipes would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

[Bill The Grill Guy]

Thats what we had a the Fire House yesterday for lunch. Just loaded it up with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and put it in the oven at 375. Brought it up to 150 and it was DONE. Man it was good.

I'd be afraid of doing the smoker thing, not much fat. IMHO.

[ddog27]

Originally Posted by Bill The Grill Guy

Thats what we had a the Fire House yesterday for lunch. Just loaded it up with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and put it in the oven at 375. Brought it up to 150 and it was DONE. Man it was good.

I'd be afraid of doing the smoker thing, not much fat. IMHO.

I have seen pictures where people put slices of bacon over the pork loin while it smokes to keep it moist. Does that really work?

[Shawn White]

Darin you could brine/flavor brine for a couple of hours .... I'd 'hot' smoke it 275º - 350º .... loins don't benefit from low and slow like a pork butt

[Finney]

I would cook it hot as Shawn said. This is more of a grilling cut, than a smoking cut. Nothing says you can't have smoke wood in there though while you're grilling.

You could actually light a bunch of wood chunks up in your chimney dump them in the grill and cook with them.

[Nick Prochilo]

ddog, try this. I have done it like this twice and it is fantastic.

http://www.myfreebulletinboard.com/f2/b ... ut587.html

[Captain Morgan]

wow...that sounds excellent.

[K Kruger]

Originally Posted by corndog

I am going to try saute' the spinach, mushrooms and some fresh garlic b4 stuffing the pork loin.

Here's a suggestion: Saute the sliced mushrooms in an evoo/butter mix in a single layer in a large saute pan till the mushrooms give up their juices and the juices evaporate allowing them to brown nicely. At that point flip them, brown the other sides, then add the garlic sauteeing just till the garlic is very fragrant, about 2 min more.

Meanwhile, wash your spinach and remove any thick or woody stems. Put the spinach in a large colander and drain well. Sprinkle the spinach generously with salt, toss, sprinkle with more salt, toss again. Working with your hands in the mass of spinach in the colander, tear the spinach in handfuls working the salt into the spinach as you go (just rip in handfuls--the salt works in easily). As you tear the spinach will reduce in bulk substantially. When all is torn squeeze the hell out of the spinach. This will squeeze out all the excess water and with it much of the somewhat metalic bitterness of the oxalic acid spinach contains (but not the rest of the flavor).

[I'm trying to describe this succinctly. The process is quicker than it sounds. I do an overflowing extra-large colander of spinach in less time than it takes to brown mushrooms.]

Break up the now-compacted spinach a bit, rinse well under cold running water to remove the excsee salt (taste a little here and there; quit when the salt is to taste); squeeze the hell out of it again very well, put it on your cutting board and run your knife over it once or twice fluffing it up a bit as you go. (The spinach should be fairly dry at this point. If not, toss it in with your mushrooms to dry a mit more.)

I bleed spinach every time I use it in stuffiing or filling mixes--spanakotyropita, crab-spinach stuffed mushrooms, manicotti, etc. Bleeding spinach gets rid of much more of the water contained in the leaves than sauteeing it does (so your stuffing/filling doesn't end up watery when it cooks later), removes the oxalic acid taste (many people who don't like cooked spinach like it after this process), and you don't need to add water-absorbing breadcrumbs to the stuffing to absorb the water the spinach gives up when it cooks. Further, bleeding it first then making your mix means the stuffing cooks just once rather than twice (which would be the case if you sauteed it first to get rid of its water content) resulting in a cleaner spinach flavor. Give it a shot sometime.

[txpgapro]

Here's the way Miguel does it fast. I take a 7 lb. loin, butterfly it, soak it in peach juice then rubbed TexasRub all over it, inside an out. Stuff it with a can of asparagus spears, and an 8oz. brick of cream cheese. Folded it over, wrapped it up and tied it together with cotton string. Put more TexasRub all over the outside. Smoked for 5 hours over peach wood at 200*-215*. Very good! Sorry no pics, it got eaten too fast.

[txpgapro]

Here's the way Miguel does it slow. Take a large pork loin that has been sitting in peach juice overnight and butterfly it in thirds, like a phamplet foldout. Then rub with TexasBBQRub inside and out. Next goes on the rosemary and thyme, followed by some very thin sliced Virginia Honey Ham (lot cheaper than that fancy stuff). Then the baby leaf spinach, lots of it. Then sliced mushrooms topped with provolone. And last goes on a pound of cream cheese that has a jar of Texas Pepper Jelly mixed in. Fold it all back up, tie it off and smoke over peach wood for about 3-4 hours at around 200-210. Pull loin off when internal reaches 150.