center cut pork loin- good plan for first time??

[giles45shop]

Hi all,

I'm a relative newb at smoking, but I'm going to try a center cut pork loin tommorow and wondered if I could get some feedback on my plan? I'm using an MES. I did some searching on the site and found what seemed to be a good recipe.

Plan:

Marinade 5.5 lb pork loin in mojo criollo overnight
Inject w/ creole butter marinade
Wrap in bacon
Smoke w/ apple wood, w/ smoker set at 230F
Let internal temp get to 155F
Pull and wrap in aluminum foil.

I would appreciate any comment on the plan and also if anyone has a rough idea of how long a 5.5 lb loin will take in the MES??

Just trying to get a rough idea so I don't have dinner too early or too late :)

I know that some folks pull at a lower temp, but I would rather err on the side of caution.

Thanks for any help,

John

 

[beer-b-q]

Hi John,

Welcome to SMF

Be sure to drop in to the Roll Call thread and introduce yourself.

I have not done a whole loin but someone who has will be around to help you. I do know that you do not want to overcook the loin as they are very lean and thus easy to dry out.

 

[billbo]

That sounds like a good plan! 155° may be a little high though as they dry out easy. I would shoot for 140-145° or so. Others will chime in soon too. Don't forget the Qview!

 

[mballi3011]

Ok John your pork loin is just that a loin no bone right? I ask because I'm doing a bone in loin myself. I'm just gonna rub mine with a new rub a butcher gave me called country boy. I'll rub it tonight then using a vaccum sealer and put it in the refrig for overnight. In the mourning i will also inject it with cajun butter but mine will have some garlic and cheyanne pepper seasoning. Then i smoke it at 225-230 till it hits about 165 or so. Then wrapped it in foil and in the cooler for about a hour or more. Then enjoy i'll cut it into chops and enjoy as always.

 

[tntxajun]

I have never run mine to 165,, too dry for me. I feel comfortable at 135F,, foil wrap for about an hour. My guess is about 3 1/2 hrs at 235-245 for the size you posted. I have never injected a loin but the Crillio is an excellent marinade. I add some orange juice to mine for some additional boost.

Jack~

 

[giles45shop]

Yep, It's boneless. I got the mild Cajun Injector Creole Butter to try. I'm hoping it's not spicy, as my wife and daughter are anti-spice and she said she would kill me if I made it too spicy :)

 

[giles45shop]

Thanks for the guess on the time, sounds like I can start it around lunch time and have ready for dinner w/ time to spare. Much better than getting up at 5 AM :)

 

[billbo]

The mild should be fine. Most of it cooks down anyway. Good luck and post some Qview!

 

[eman]

The creole butter will be fine in a loin . we use it in all our turkey and chicken cooks. Just make sure to have a good bacon wrap and keep it moist w/ a lil apple juice.

 

[giles45shop]

Hi all, just wanted to let you know it came out great! I was going to take some pics, but the digital camera was on the fritz.

I pulled it out right at 3 hours and it was ~ 160F. It had a nice 1/4 smoke ring and was very tasty, no spiciness at all, so the wife was happy! It was also fairly moist, considering it's such a lean cut.

Thanks again for all the help,

John

 

[billbo]

Good to hear it came out tasty! Just out of curiousity, would you go for a lower internal temp next time?