Yesterday was beautiful, beginning with a nice $1.49/pound price on netted pork loins
I started a thread asking how hot that elastic netting can go. The label instructions call for roasting at 375F so I figured it would be OK in the smoker and that was correct. The instructions also said to rub the outside with seasonings, and I thought I could do better than that. I removed the netting and seasoned the individual pieces
One "roast" got sage, garlic, and herb salt. The other got "Montreal" type grilling seasoning, sweet paprika, and the same herb salt
Fire: a mix of briquettes and the last crumbles of a bag of lump, plus hickory chunks, with maple slivers on top for kindling
For a quicker ignition, I opened the ash door for more air
This time I ran a digital thermometer in the middle of the rack to compare against the OEM thermometer, looks like the OEM reads about 25F too low, which I had suspected - but that was variable. However the digital gradually went insane in the sun and became difficult to read. Eventually the center of the display became just a dark blob.
Meanwhile Linda's grandson was goofing around with a splash pool that wouldn't stay inflated, crappy valves that would pop open and leak
The paprika loin was mopped with Sweet Baby Ray's sauce mixed with a little bit of seasoned vinegar to rinse out the bottle. Cooked to an indicated internal of 157F in the thickest part
And, the final result, just barely cooked through with a smoke ring, clear juices (except for the sauce) and not dried out
Lessons learned:
- always unwrap the loins and season the insides, could have slathered with the sauce as well
- the elastic netting can go through the smoker
- improve the sides of the fire basket, fuel fell through as I shoehorned it into the firebox. Else, load the basket inside the firebox
- the OEM thermometer isn't accurate, as expected, but apparently the temps varied considerably during cooking
I started a thread asking how hot that elastic netting can go. The label instructions call for roasting at 375F so I figured it would be OK in the smoker and that was correct. The instructions also said to rub the outside with seasonings, and I thought I could do better than that. I removed the netting and seasoned the individual pieces
One "roast" got sage, garlic, and herb salt. The other got "Montreal" type grilling seasoning, sweet paprika, and the same herb salt
Fire: a mix of briquettes and the last crumbles of a bag of lump, plus hickory chunks, with maple slivers on top for kindling
For a quicker ignition, I opened the ash door for more air
This time I ran a digital thermometer in the middle of the rack to compare against the OEM thermometer, looks like the OEM reads about 25F too low, which I had suspected - but that was variable. However the digital gradually went insane in the sun and became difficult to read. Eventually the center of the display became just a dark blob.
Meanwhile Linda's grandson was goofing around with a splash pool that wouldn't stay inflated, crappy valves that would pop open and leak
The paprika loin was mopped with Sweet Baby Ray's sauce mixed with a little bit of seasoned vinegar to rinse out the bottle. Cooked to an indicated internal of 157F in the thickest part
And, the final result, just barely cooked through with a smoke ring, clear juices (except for the sauce) and not dried out
Lessons learned:
- always unwrap the loins and season the insides, could have slathered with the sauce as well
- the elastic netting can go through the smoker
- improve the sides of the fire basket, fuel fell through as I shoehorned it into the firebox. Else, load the basket inside the firebox
- the OEM thermometer isn't accurate, as expected, but apparently the temps varied considerably during cooking
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