- Dec 27, 2009
- 21
- 13
My name is Doug from Wichita, KS and I smoke on a Yoder YS640 pellet grill.
So I decide to smoke a couple pounds of bacon over Christmas break and maybe something else. I decide to try stuffing a pork loin (not tenderloin) for supper. As I'm looking around the forums, I decide maybe that's too much of a 'first bite' and decide to go for a bacon wrapped version instead.
My first weave.
The rubbed pork loin
The pork loin draped.
As I make my plans, I decide there is something better than just my pork loin and a bunch of bacon. So I'll do a couple of chickens too. When I get to the grocery store to get my chickens, right there next to them are the pork butts...on sale for $1.49 a pound!! I get only one chicken and two butts!! One goes in the freezer and one headed for the grill.
All 4 components (most bacon already done)
It was a beautiful Saturday with temps getting into the upper 40's later in the day. So the butt goes on about 10:15 in the morning, at 180 degrees with Apple pellets, along with most of the bacon. At 11:45 I bump the temp up to 2:25. About 12:45 I pull most of the bacon. Around 2:30, the pork loin and chicken go on. At 1:15 I pull the rest of the bacon...and yes, some of it actually made it to the refrigerator!
I'm getting excited...it is smelling wonderful...the temps are right on schedule! My wife gets home from work about 4:00 and I'm sweating in the jacuzzi! She asks how it's going and of course I say FANTASTIC.
This is where it all falls apart! At 4:15 we get a phone call from some good friends asking us to go out for supper!!! How?? When suggested they come over for fresh BBQ, they declined. I've always said people and friendships come first so we decide to go. They will arrive at 6:00. At 5:15, I pull the chicken and finish it in the oven. the house smells wonderful. I pull the butt and wrap it in foil and put it back on. I pull the pork loin, tent it and let it rest.
At 5:45 I open up the pork loin and cut off some samples because there is no way I leave the house without tasting my first time effort fresh off the smoker! INCREDIBLE!! When the other couple gets there I give them samples to show them what they are missing. The wife compares it to "butter melting in your mouth". I'm feeling better now that they know what they are missing!
The rested pork loin
Supper was good, not as great as it could have been! We're gone for about 2 hours and when we get home a little after 8:00 I check the butt temp with my new Thermapen Santa brought me for Christmas. It was ready! I pulled it and let it rest for about 20 minutes. The four of us stood around the kitchen as I pulled the pork and sampled it...Marvelous!
Pretty good smoke ring for a pellet smoker
(I've only had my YS640 for a couple of months.
18.5 WSM before that)
As good of an evening as it was, I keep thinking of the opportunity missed. The good news...I've got some great meals ahead of me this week!!!
I trust you are never forced to make the decision I was faced with!
So I decide to smoke a couple pounds of bacon over Christmas break and maybe something else. I decide to try stuffing a pork loin (not tenderloin) for supper. As I'm looking around the forums, I decide maybe that's too much of a 'first bite' and decide to go for a bacon wrapped version instead.
My first weave.
The rubbed pork loin
The pork loin draped.
As I make my plans, I decide there is something better than just my pork loin and a bunch of bacon. So I'll do a couple of chickens too. When I get to the grocery store to get my chickens, right there next to them are the pork butts...on sale for $1.49 a pound!! I get only one chicken and two butts!! One goes in the freezer and one headed for the grill.
All 4 components (most bacon already done)
It was a beautiful Saturday with temps getting into the upper 40's later in the day. So the butt goes on about 10:15 in the morning, at 180 degrees with Apple pellets, along with most of the bacon. At 11:45 I bump the temp up to 2:25. About 12:45 I pull most of the bacon. Around 2:30, the pork loin and chicken go on. At 1:15 I pull the rest of the bacon...and yes, some of it actually made it to the refrigerator!
I'm getting excited...it is smelling wonderful...the temps are right on schedule! My wife gets home from work about 4:00 and I'm sweating in the jacuzzi! She asks how it's going and of course I say FANTASTIC.
This is where it all falls apart! At 4:15 we get a phone call from some good friends asking us to go out for supper!!! How?? When suggested they come over for fresh BBQ, they declined. I've always said people and friendships come first so we decide to go. They will arrive at 6:00. At 5:15, I pull the chicken and finish it in the oven. the house smells wonderful. I pull the butt and wrap it in foil and put it back on. I pull the pork loin, tent it and let it rest.
At 5:45 I open up the pork loin and cut off some samples because there is no way I leave the house without tasting my first time effort fresh off the smoker! INCREDIBLE!! When the other couple gets there I give them samples to show them what they are missing. The wife compares it to "butter melting in your mouth". I'm feeling better now that they know what they are missing!
The rested pork loin
Supper was good, not as great as it could have been! We're gone for about 2 hours and when we get home a little after 8:00 I check the butt temp with my new Thermapen Santa brought me for Christmas. It was ready! I pulled it and let it rest for about 20 minutes. The four of us stood around the kitchen as I pulled the pork and sampled it...Marvelous!
Pretty good smoke ring for a pellet smoker
(I've only had my YS640 for a couple of months.
18.5 WSM before that)
As good of an evening as it was, I keep thinking of the opportunity missed. The good news...I've got some great meals ahead of me this week!!!
I trust you are never forced to make the decision I was faced with!
