christmas pork loin

[smokedad]

I have been asked to smoke a pork loin for Christmas dinner.  I smoked one before the way Al has done it, in a pan of chicken broth with some rub on it, but I let the IT go higher than I wanted before taking it off the smoker so it wasn't as juicy as I wanted.  I have read in other posts of people brining or marinating a loin in apple juice or an apple juice mixture before smoking.  I also read that pork loin has a tendency to dry out quicker than other meats because it doesn't have as much marbling in it. 

My question is in order to get a juicy loin, do I need to marinate it if I am going to smoke it in a pan of broth, or is it all dependent on IT?  If I don't need to marinate it for juiciness, will it add more flavor than just injecting it with apple juice?

I would also like to have a glaze or sauce to serve with it on the side, so any suggestions for that would be appreciated.  As always, thanks for any help.

 

[nptwnsmkr]

I usually just rub loins and smoke them at 225-240*, never injected or panned them (not that it's wrong, just never tried it). I pull around 143*, tent them and let em rest for 20-30 minutes as the temp rises to 145*.  They come out nice and juicy every time. If you cook loin to much above 145* they tend to dry out. Type mahogany sauce in the search bar, it's pretty darn good.

 

[Bearcarver]

Or you could wake the crowd up with something like this!!!

Step by Step How To:

Smoked Stuffed Pork Loin (Apple)

Bear

 

[SmokinAl]

It's all about IT.

Pull it at 138-140 & rest for 20-30 minutes.

Al

 

[dirtsailor2003]

You need to do nothing more than not overcook the loin to get a nice moist product. I dry smoke, on the grate, non- brined, non injected and can guarantee that if I don't overcook it will be juicy. Having an accurate way to measure your pit temp and the internal temp of what you are cooking is the most importatnt thing you can do. Everything else is just a crutch.

KISS, Keep It Simple Smoker!

 

[smokedad]

Thanks, everyone, I think I will keep it simple and just use a rub and some apple wood for smoke.  I looked up the mahogany sauce and I think I will have to try that based on the rave reviews it got.  Anything with bacon can't help but be great. 

 

[smokedad]

Thanks, everyone, I think I will keep it simple and just use a rub and some apple wood for smoke.  I looked up the mahogany sauce and I think I will have to try that based on the rave reviews it got.  Anything with bacon can't help but be great. 

 

[smokedad]

I did make the mahogany sauce this weekend minus the garlic and whiskey, and man was that good.  The whole family loved it.  I guess I will be serving that with the loin this coming weekend.  Now to decide on a rub........

 

[smokedad]

I smoked a pork loin and a 10 lb turkey this weekend for our Christmas with my in-laws.  I did a simple SPOG rub on both of them since I was feeding kids and adults, except for a small portion of the loin where I tried a rub made of brown sugar, kosher salt and chili powder.  Both meats turned out delicious and moist, even though there were a few bumps in the road.  We had outside temps of about 20 degrees here in NW Ohio yesterday, so it was hard keeping the cook temps up to where I wanted them in the Weber (used charcoal and apple/pecan wood). I had to finish the meats with a short time in the oven so we could eat when the other food was hot.  I served the mahogany sauce and everyone loved that.  The brown sugar rub was great - I found it on this site, and I believe it is 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon each of kosher salt and chili powder.  Thanks to Al in particular for his suggestions for the turkey and for his step-by-step post on a loin he did and posted on this site.