Newbie pork tenderloin

cindywd78 · Sep 12, 2016

Hi all! Im new to the smoking world. I inherited my moms ECB and did a few mods on it that was recommended. Today I smoked 2 pork tenderloins for supper. I smoked them for about an hr and a half. 1 had a spice rub and the other plain using pecan wood chips. Since this was my first time smoking meat I got a good deal on PT and figure give it a go it wont cost alot if I screw up. I must say I thought with the temp flux up n down til I got the hang of everything I thought we were gonna have shoe leather but it turned out amazing. Juicy, about a 1/4" smoke ring overall im really happy with the results.

20160912_165953.jpg

cindywd78
Sep 12, 2016

SmokinAl · Sep 13, 2016

It looks delicious!

Nice job on your first try!

When you get a chance would you swing by Roll Call & introduce yourself.

Then we can all give you a proper welcome!

Al

cindywd78 · Sep 13, 2016

Will do! Thanks

b-one · Sep 13, 2016

Tasty looking pork!

gearjammer · Sep 17, 2016

Nice going, very good looking pork.

I'd eat that quick.

Have fun.

Ed

crankybuzzard · Sep 17, 2016

You should be very proud of that! Very nice job!

cindywd78 · Sep 17, 2016

Thanks!!

disco · Sep 19, 2016

That is a thing of beauty! You sure you're a newbie?

Points for a great tenderloin.

Disco

cindywd78 · Oct 7, 2016

Guys I need advice and im not sure exactly where to post in the forums so im gonna explain here and hopefully i can be pointed in the right direction.Im having a party 2pm Sunday. Im gonna be smoking a 11# pork butt and a 12# brisket tomorrow night. I have 2 ECB's to smoke on. My plan is to smoke them each for about 5 hrs then foil and finish in the oven overnight at a low temp. If I start these tom night will they be done in time? Can these meats get overcooked if I do it this way? Any advice id really appreciate.

rockymtnsmoker · Oct 7, 2016

CindyWD78 said:
Guys I need advice and im not sure exactly where to post in the forums so im gonna explain here and hopefully i can be pointed in the right direction.Im having a party 2pm Sunday. Im gonna be smoking a 11# pork butt and a 12# brisket tomorrow night. I have 2 ECB's to smoke on. My plan is to smoke them each for about 5 hrs then foil and finish in the oven overnight at a low temp. If I start these tom night will they be done in time? Can these meats get overcooked if I do it this way? Any advice id really appreciate.

That's a great plan! When I only had a charcoal smoker and needed afternoon results, I did exactly what you're talking about many times.

You can overcook any meat by leaving it in the oven too long, so it's best to do at least one overnight check if you can. There's some general risk to leaving an oven on all night, but very low risk in my opinion. I typically had two ways of doing this:

1) Very low temperature in the oven - 200-215*. If you're not going to monitor overnight, I like a lower temp because your risk of overcooking is lower. You then have 4-6 hours the next morning to ramp up the temp, put it back outside, or take it out if it's already done.

2) Smoker temps in the oven 225 - 250. This is just like keeping it in the smoker. It's more likely to be done in the morning, but that's no problem because you can just wrap it in towels and put it in a cooler until you need it. If you're not going to check it overnight, you can't really ensure that it won't get overcooked. But you can time it up based on what you've experienced in the past. You might be relatively new to smoking, in which case option 1 might be a little easier.

cindywd78 · Oct 7, 2016

What im thinking is those size pieces of meat will take awhile wether smoker or oven. I dont mind babysitting the smoker a few hrs to start off with but dont trust my skills overnight with the smoker yet since im still a novice I def dont want to ruin $60 in meat. Im hoping the oven is a good way to maintain a steady temp.

dirtsailor2003 · Oct 7, 2016

Well running your smoker around 250° you should figure about 2 hours per pound. So your 11 pound butt would be done in about 22 hours. The brisket is a little bit different and has more to do with the thickness of the cut not the weight. For a full packer at that weight I have had the done anywhere from 10 hours to 16 hours.

For pulled pork I always plan to cook it a day or two in advance and then warm it back up the day I need it. Then there is no stress. Brisket is definitely better the day of. I would plan on a long cook, and if it s done early wrap it in foil and towels ans into a cooler.

No matter what your plan is make sure you have a good therm to check the internal temp of the food. Your pork will be done between 200°-205° Your brisket will be done somewhere between 190°-205°. You need to probe the brisket with a toothpick or something similar. When it slides in without resistance in multiple locations you are done.

rockymtnsmoker · Oct 7, 2016

It's a great way! Even in a smoker, once the meat is foiled, all you're really doing is cooking it in an outdoor oven - there's really no difference except that the oven temps are pretty steady and don't require watching. After 5 hours you should have some good smoke flavor. This may not be the "pitmaster approved genuine BBQ method," but it's worked for me, it will work for you, and you should have some very good meat to serve for your party!

Keep in mind that some ovens have a 6- or 12- hour automatic shutoff, although some newer ovens can be overridden by a "Sabbath mode" that will allow the oven to be kept on longer. For the long-term you can get a remote thermometer that beeps annoyingly when the meat hits the target temp. That way you can be sure you wake up before anything gets overcooked.

cindywd78 · Oct 8, 2016

When my brisket is done I know to wrap and rest. Can I slice my brisket and put it in a pan covered with foil and keep it warm until serving time or is it better to slice after the gang is all here and ready to eat

dirtsailor2003 · Oct 8, 2016

It is best to slice right before serving.

rockymtnsmoker · Oct 8, 2016

dirtsailor2003 said:
It is best to slice right before serving.

Agree. Slicing too far ahead of time increases the likelihood it will dry out by the time it's served.

cindywd78 · Oct 9, 2016

20161009_153001.jpg

cindywd78
Oct 9, 2016

im hoping I uploaded the picture correctly. Just wanted to give you guys a huge thank you for the advice. I started smoking the brisket and pork butt at 8pm last night. I brought it in about 1am into the oven. My brisket was actually done at 3:30am and the pork at 5am. Both meats were super tender and everyone loved it. I definitely learned alot for next time. One thing I will do diff is the pork butt to use a stronger wood chips. I used pecan which was great for the brisket but too light for the pork.

crankybuzzard · Oct 9, 2016

CindyWD78 said:
20161009_153001.jpg

cindywd78

Oct 9, 2016

im hoping I uploaded the picture correctly. Just wanted to give you guys a huge thank you for the advice. I started smoking the brisket and pork butt at 8pm last night. I brought it in about 1am into the oven. My brisket was actually done at 3:30am and the pork at 5am. Both meats were super tender and everyone loved it. I definitely learned alot for next time. One thing I will do diff is the pork butt to use a stronger wood chips. I used pecan which was great for the brisket but too light for the pork.

I'm gonna ask the same question that Disco did, are you sure you're new at this? Looks to me like you're a natural! All of that looks great, and your observation about different wood types for different meat types shows that you have a good idea of what you want!

Hit that pork butt with some cherry wood next time, I think you'll like the results.

Again, great work, and here's a point for jumping in with both feet!

cindywd78 · Oct 10, 2016

Thank you! I had my doubts Saturday night, the weather forecast was not in my favor so we had set up a camping tarp with the smokers and equiptment underneath. I just start trying to get my smokers revved up and it starts raining cats and dogs. Of course this is MY brilliant idea to smoke in the pouring rain. Im actually glad I did take in the meat and put it in the oven because the wind kicked up and that tarp fell on everything. Had the meat been on the smoker it would have been a total nightmare. My brother in law had recently ate at a bbq restaurant and it was pricy, he said that this was better then that. Something really amazing sitting around great bbq and knowing that hey! I did that! Im def hooked on smoking meat.

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