Problem cooking Pork Loin (Not Tenderloin)

Mike Beaton

Well-known member
Messages
48
Using a 700 Bull to cook portions of a pork loin. Each portions has a different marinade.
I place each portion in a foil pan (3 pans) and set temp on Bull to 180 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours to get good smoke ring. Then wrap each pan with foil and cook at 325 until done.
Problem is every piece of pork is dry and tough.
How to correct this for a tender piece of meat? Smoke ring is great and flavor is very good, just tough and dry.
 
I've been doing my pork loins at 220F for 3-4 hours. Pulling out at 150F internal temp. They've been good. No wrapping for mine, but I slice them open and stuff them with spinach and cheese or apple pie filling. It's a lean piece of meat, so it won't be as juicy as a brisket.
 
My advice FWIW is to cook lean cuts of meat, including pork loins and tenderloins, as quickly as is possible. Reserve the low and slow cooks for the fattier cuts that can benefit from rendering the fat without drying out. Stuffing the loins with something As @Smoker4 mentioned will generally make for a tastier cut of lean meat, regardless of what temp you cook it.
 
Stuff it with bleu cheese, green onions and dried cherries. 225F until internal of 125...bump the temp up to 350 to an internal of 145 and pull it.

Pork is safe at 145...so many recipes say to take it to 165 and loin is just plain dry at that temp.

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I've been doing my pork loins at 220F for 3-4 hours. Pulling out at 150F internal temp. They've been good. No wrapping for mine, but I slice them open and stuff them with spinach and cheese or apple pie filling. It's a lean piece of meat, so it won't be as juicy as a brisket.
Thanks for a good idea
 
Based on feedback from Greg and Bret, I may try the 2-step next time. Low and smoke for a bit to get a smoke flavor and then bump up the temp. Or I guess I could go 350F with the Amazn tube instead. Feel like I'm cheating when I use the tube in the pellet grill. Might as well be using it on the Weber at that point.
 
Just to add emphasis to Greg and Bret's posts................145 finish internal temp is best whether using interesting stuffing or not. If not stuffed with any goodies it probably would work best to pull at 140, let it rest 5-10 minutes before cutting which should give you the next 5 degrees in carryover cooking. And make sure you are checking those temps with an accurate device.
 
How big were the pieces? Did you have any liquid in the pans? Did you determine "until done" by internal temperature or time?
Averaged 1 1/2 to 2 pounds each
That's not a large piece of meat, relative amount to the surface area to lose moisture. You didn't say whether you added liquid or how you determined "done", but meat can and will dry out even in a foil-covered pan, if left on the heat long enough.
 
That's not a large piece of meat, relative amount to the surface area to lose moisture. You didn't say whether you added liquid or how you determined "done", but meat can and will dry out even in a foil-covered pan, if left on the heat long enough.

Agreed, yes it can!!! How many of us have cooked pork in a slow cooker only to have it dry and more reminiscent of canned tuna than pork?
 
More good commentary to agree with. So here's a pic to drive home all of that advice to cook to internal temp, other criterium be damned. The loin pictured here was not done on an RT, but fuel, and cooker config really doesn't matter, I'd replicate this on an RT pretty much the same. This was about 1.5 pound iirc, done at probably 275 (don't have notes, but was learning a new to me cooker) to the i.t.s I noted above. You should be able to see the moisture sheen on the plated slices. Loin only had a simple rub applied, no injection, no wrap, to hugging of talismans...............just a straight forward smoke.
judge pk tloin 03.jpg
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Here is a small stuffed pork loin I did one month ago today, cooked at 325*, my target pull temp was 140* but it was closer to 145* by the time I got there.
 

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Looks very good - was it?
:ROFLMAO: Well.....................................................of course.

Like so many facets of life experience, when you learn to understand the what and why of whatever your pursuit is, it becomes even more gratifying than just "lucking out". Probably something to do with that Zen stuff.............or whatever......
 

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