Hey guys, first post here. Need some help understanding my pork loin cook and what to do next.
They had pork loins on sale, so I tried my first pork loins on the newish pellet smoker yesterday. One was stuffed with veggies and a little bit of cheese, the other a while loin with a sweet rub. Put both on a cold grill and set to 225. Checked regularly and turned off when the thickest part hit 145 at about 2:45 into the cook. The thinner part hit about 155 I think. I cooled the grill down by holding the lid open for a bit then let it rest on the rack about 30 minutes while the rest of the food got ready. No spritzing or other tending besides checking temp.
Anyway, it came out chewy and flavorless. Not dry or anything, just tough. The only good parts are the filling and rub. The stuffed one is a lot tougher on the meat - I guess because the meat was thinner, but neither is terribly appetizing.
So two questions:
What went wrong? Or are my expectations unrealistic for this cut?
What can I do to save the meat? I cubed some and fried it in spiced butter to make a kind of burnt ends which worked pretty well. Any other ideas?
Appreciate any help you guys could give.
They had pork loins on sale, so I tried my first pork loins on the newish pellet smoker yesterday. One was stuffed with veggies and a little bit of cheese, the other a while loin with a sweet rub. Put both on a cold grill and set to 225. Checked regularly and turned off when the thickest part hit 145 at about 2:45 into the cook. The thinner part hit about 155 I think. I cooled the grill down by holding the lid open for a bit then let it rest on the rack about 30 minutes while the rest of the food got ready. No spritzing or other tending besides checking temp.
Anyway, it came out chewy and flavorless. Not dry or anything, just tough. The only good parts are the filling and rub. The stuffed one is a lot tougher on the meat - I guess because the meat was thinner, but neither is terribly appetizing.
So two questions:
What went wrong? Or are my expectations unrealistic for this cut?
What can I do to save the meat? I cubed some and fried it in spiced butter to make a kind of burnt ends which worked pretty well. Any other ideas?
Appreciate any help you guys could give.