What's the best ting to do with a pork tenderloin

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smokyokie

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Sep 26, 2006
977
13
Tulsa
Pork tenderloin-.... tender juicy meat, but not much flavor-.... and without much, if any fat. it dries out quickly. And like it's bovine counterpart the beef tenderloin, the texture goes to he!! quickly when cooked a little too much.

I've had a little success using a beefy soy based "Allegro" type, or even ginger/garlic/soy type marinades. And even larding with bacon seems to help. But while I've come up with some pretty fine fare, whether smoking or grilling, I've never really found anything that makes me want to run out and buy some more tenderloin so that I can make it again. It seems that every time I make it, I'm trying something new in search of the "real deal".

Who has the magic bullet for this fine cut of meat, and what is it?

Tim
 
same here. i've never had much luck w/ them but i thought maybe this would work,roll in flower & brasie it quickly(like a pork roast),then smoke it.and use the grease to make the pork or brown gravy. and maybe even stuff it w/ butter,evoo,stuffing & garlic.
 
I have had a hard time as well... I did ,by accident, come up with a pretty tasty pork tender recipe. It was for a party and I had slightly overcooked it. Well my greataunt told me one of her secrets is chicken broth. Put in a cassarole dish and cover after slicing and put in oven or smoker at 225
for an hour. You might try this recipe I posted earlier...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=6077

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Enjoy
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Tim: Here is a link to my post on this forum
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=1848
This has a wonderful spice and pepper taste and is a favorite of ours....We do this on a grill, indirect heat, and watch the temps....It has the taste of the spices and the loin adds the protein LOL...try it...think you will like it....freezes well...Is very moist inside because the cook time is short

Never tried it in the smoker...don't think it needs the smoke flavor
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I eat lots of Wild Boar. The tenderloin is a very difficult cut to cook. I no longer cook a boneless T-loin. Just too easy to ruin.

I now leave the upper portion with 5" of ribs and make thick pork chops out of them.

With the bottom portion of the T-loin, I cure it into canadian bacon and smoke it. Outstanding.
 
I love the small tenderloins. I coat them in EVOO then sprinkle on some of the Durkee St. Louis Rib & Chicken Rub. I then cook them on the grill over high heat until they hit 155*. Let 'em rest for a few then slice. They are always very moist and melt in your mouth. They are a regular staple in our household.
 
Smokyoky... I have fallen in luv with the pork tenderloin cured with highmountain buckboard cure ...amounts per # listed in instructions....I let cure for 5 days...then smoke with hickory @ 230 until internal hits 158...makes the most incredible tasting backbacon or high quality ham ...absouletly delicisious for breakfast ...entire family luvs it as well...more on curing right now with 2 pork butts to try as buckboard bacon as well
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Crown and Illini, those sound like great loin recipes, but the question was about tenderloin, not tender loin.

I've never tried curing it, that may just be the magic bullet I was looking for. I'll have to try it.

Tim
 
May not be a magic bullet. I have not had a lot of luck with it.
I think slice it, pound it out, bread it, deep fry it, tenderloin sammie!
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Yeah, it makes good "Veal Marsala" too. Also makes a pretty good schnitzel, but that's not smoking or grilling.

Tim
 
Maybe someone will come up with the ultimate way to smoke it and retain moisture. The injector doesn't do it. External wraps, coatings do not do it, so far as we know. Would be a nice thing, good piece of meat.
Guess what I'm saying is - I don't mess with trying to smoke it at this point.
I think SmokyOky will keep playing with it and develop another of his famous methods of preparation that will knock our socks off. He will show up at next year's gathering with a cooler full of loins and a box of rubs, spices, marinades, and secret ingredents and wow us again. Long as the heat doesn't get him.
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I marinate in Shore Lunch Tequila Lime over night. Lemon pepper it, slide it on the rotisserie and let er spin till it hits ~170 (sometimes with apple smoke, sometimes with hickory), foil, and slice it up after about 20 mins of resting. Juicy, great bark, wonderful taste. Can be made into sammiches, or eaten plain.
 
I do something similar except I use Morton's Tenderquick. Awesome Canadian bacon! Also, I know it goes against traditional wisdom but I brine them, sear them on a very hot grill and then cook at a more reasonable grill temp until medium well. Juicy, tender and flavorful. A nice rub is 1/3 coffee ground, 1/3 oven dried lime zest, and 1/3 oven dried orange zest. Salt and pepper to taste.
 
I know 170* is too done for our tastes, but what is "Shore Lunch Tequila Lime"? I've been known to try anything once.

Tim
 
Down 'these parts, the Cubans handle pork tenderloins pretty well.

CUBAN STYLE ROAST PORK

Yield: 6 servings

1/2 cup Florida orange juice
1/4 cup Florida lime juice
2 tablespoons Florida garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds Florida pork loin roast, boneless


Step one:
Combine first six ingredients for marinade and pour over roast. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Step two:
Place roast in pan, reserving marinade.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Roast the meat about 15 minutes.

Lower the heat to 350 degrees and roast another 40 minutes, or until juices run clear when the roast is pierced with a sharp knife.

A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should read about 155–160 degrees.

Step three:
Bring reserved marinade to a boil.

Let roast sit for 10 minutes, carve and pour reserved marinade over roast and serve with big white raw onion rings and hot sauce, yellow rice, black beans and fried plantains.
 
That sounds good. I wonder what you'd have to do to modify it for a smaller cut like tenderloin. I bet it'd be really good on a loin rib section. In fact, I've got one of those in the freezer, I think I'll thaw it out and try it this weekend.

Tim
 
Thats how we do it also. Only difference is we use Tony's seasoning instead of the rub. Cook those a lot on week nights for a quick dinner.
 
I like to do My loins in a wet rub. basically just take your favorite dry rub recepie and add molases or just enough cider vinegar to make it thick like mud. Slather it all over and plop it on a hot grill to let the crust form, once the crust forms it will peel away from the grill and you can turn it. It's like candy coated piggy. moist and tender on the inside, with the perfect shade of pink, and a nice candy shell on the outside.

Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.
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By the way...Where and when is this SMF get together I keep hearing about?
 
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