Pork Tenderloin (not loin)

[Bigtank]

I have a pork tenderloin that I would like to cure into something other than Canadian Bacon. I'm looking for ideas?

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

My favorite way to do Pork Tenderloin is grilled medium jerk. My favorite jerk is Walkers Jerk Marinade. There is also a paste. Some Walmarts carry it. It get it at Fiesta Mart.

Walkerswood Caribbean Foods

 

[daveomak]

This recipe is the BEST pork loin ham I have ever eaten....

Pork loin... faomheart style.... Canadian bacon, made in America... Recipe added

Kevin and I traded stuff awhile back.. Well, maybe a few years back... time seems to run amok anymore... He got some weird spices and I ended up with some lovely stretch netting.... It seems meat prefers to be tied up when smoking.... So this loin was whispering my name the other day when...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[SmokinAl]

You really don’t have any choice, once it’s cured & smoked it’s CB. Whether it’s a loin or tenderloin, it is still CB. For us I like them both, but the loin is much cheaper & IMHO just as good as a tenderloin. I think I would just marinate it & grill it.
Al

 

[thirdeye]

I have a pork tenderloin that I would like to cure into something other than Canadian Bacon. I'm looking for ideas?

Here is an ideer.... Now, you just have one, they usually come two to a pack?

You could pastrami it. If you cure it with some pickling spices and maybe garlic.... essentially you have corned pork (like corned beef). Next, you season it with pastrami spices and let it sit for 12 or 14 hours in the fridge. Then smoke it. Now it's pork pastrami. You need to be careful because when you pastrami a brisket flat, or a rump roast a finishing step is in order like a steam or pressure finish. A tenderloin is naturally tender, so maybe a short wrapped finish with some broth. Pastramied pork makes a wonderful sandwich.

You really don’t have any choice, once it’s cured & smoked it’s CB. Whether it’s a loin or tenderloin, it is still CB. For us I like them both, but the loin is much cheaper & IMHO just as good as a tenderloin. I think I would just marinate it & grill it.
Al

Out West we call it Buckboard bacon, or Pioneer bacon, but basically the same product.

 

[thirdeye]

Here is my pastrami rub to give you an idea of the flavor profile. When I pastrami turkey breasts I mix it 50:50 with garlic pepper.

thirdeye's Pastrami Rub
(this recipe makes enough rub to season several corned briskets, any leftover can be stored in a zipper baggie in the freezer for several months)
4 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper (more if you like it peppery)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons Canadian/Montreal Steak seasoning
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
1 teaspoon paprika
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

 

[jcam222]

Here is an ideer.... Now, you just have one, they usually come two to a pack?

You could pastrami it. If you cure it with some pickling spices and maybe garlic.... essentially you have corned pork (like corned beef). Next, you season it with pastrami spices and let it sit for 12 or 14 hours in the fridge. Then smoke it. Now it's pork pastrami. You need to be careful because when you pastrami a brisket flat, or a rump roast a finishing step is in order like a steam or pressure finish. A tenderloin is naturally tender, so maybe a short wrapped finish with some broth. Pastramied pork makes a wonderful sandwich.



Out West we call it Buckboard bacon, or Pioneer bacon, but basically the same product.

Most folks around me call bacon from butt Buckboard. I’m a big fan and usually do a bunch in the winter.

 

[thirdeye]

Most folks around me call bacon from butt Buckboard. I’m a big fan and usually do a bunch in the winter.

You bet, I make the loin version for holiday gifts mainly because I can hang them in my drum smoker and make one huge batch. This year I'm thinking about including farm eggs and making gift baskets.


So, speaking of names, when you cure & smoke chops do you call them Buckboard chops, or just smoked pork chops? The meat market just calls them $8.99 a pound and smiles all the way to the bank.

 

[617Smoker]

I brine-cured two tenderloins, applied a pastrami spice and smoked it last night. Problem is, I didn't soak it after the brine for nearly long enough and it is waaayyyy too salty. Seems like a soaking now would ruin the pastrami rub -- any way to salvage what I have?

 

[daveomak]

I brine-cured two tenderloins, applied a pastrami spice and smoked it last night. Problem is, I didn't soak it after the brine for nearly long enough and it is waaayyyy too salty. Seems like a soaking now would ruin the pastrami rub -- any way to salvage what I have?

Morning... What was your recipe...
When using salt etc. I weigh out 1.75% Kosher salt and add cure#1 at 0.25%... For me, it's the perfect salt amount and no soaking required...

 

[617Smoker]

Morning... What was your recipe...
When using salt etc. I weigh out 1.75% Kosher salt and add cure#1 at 0.25%... For me, it's the perfect salt amount and no soaking required...

I think you're talking about a dry rub, not a brine. I brined mine for a little over 3 days in a gallon of liquid. I actually forget what the recipe was, sorry to say, but I remember thinking when I made the brine that it was calling for a s***-load of salt. In hindsight it needed something like an overnight soak, but I rushed it and here I am. I did soak some pieces for about a half-hour last night before frying them up. It helped, but the pastrami and smoke flavor was watered down, as would be expected.

 

[daveomak]

I'm speaking of any recipe.... If you brine meat, follow this method...
weigh the meat, weigh out water that's 1/2 the weight of the meat.... add 1.7% salt, 0.25% cure#1 and 1% white sugar based on the TOTAL weight....
That's a starting point for your future brines... Inject the brine into the meat as much as it will hold and place the meat in the remaining brine... Refer for about a week.... DO NOT soak... lightly rinse only... wire rack in the refer for a day or so then smoke as you would....

 

[617Smoker]

I'm speaking of any recipe.... If you brine meat, follow this method...
weigh the meat, weigh out water that's 1/2 the weight of the meat.... add 1.7% salt, 0.25% cure#1 and 1% white sugar based on the TOTAL weight....
That's a starting point for your future brines... Inject the brine into the meat as much as it will hold and place the meat in the remaining brine... Refer for about a week.... DO NOT soak... lightly rinse only... wire rack in the refer for a day or so then smoke as you would....

gotcha. So not much liquid. Are your percentages the percentages of meat or percentages of meat+liquid. I'm assuming just meat because of the 0.25% cure

 

[daveomak]

Percentages of meat + liquid..... It's called an "equilibrium" brine.... the salt, cure and sugar come to equilibrium in the meat and liquid... Therefore, the meat can't get over salty... same with the cure and sugar....
Do a taste test when it's done... adjust accordingly....
You can add ANY spices to the mix... Just don't add salt etc... unless it's not salty enough for you.....

 

[dernektambura]

Dude... keep it simple... 2% salt... 0.5% sugar... 0.5% peper... vacuum... let it cure... put it in smoker on cold smoke (and I mean cold smoke 15 to 20 deg C...) dry it to 30% weight loss and brag about it for reason...

 

[thirdeye]

I'm speaking of any recipe.... If you brine meat, follow this method...
weigh the meat, weigh out water that's 1/2 the weight of the meat.... add 1.7% salt, 0.25% cure#1 and 1% white sugar based on the TOTAL weight....
That's a starting point for your future brines... Inject the brine into the meat as much as it will hold and place the meat in the remaining brine... Refer for about a week.... DO NOT soak... lightly rinse only... wire rack in the refer for a day or so then smoke as you would....

Dave, I'm curious where the suggestion to use 1/2 the weight of the meat for your weight of water came from? Say I'm making corned beef with a 4 pound brisket flat, I'm not sure 2 pounds of water will cover the meat in my brining bucket, so I may need more water.

Here is what I do, and please critique:
1. Weigh the meat - check
2. Weigh the water - check
3. Select whatever aromatics you like, and weigh them - check
4. Using the weight of the meat and water... calculate the salt and sugar based on your personal threshold. (for example 1.7% salt and 1% sugar) then add everything together arrive at a total weight (meat, water, and 'other' ingredients). - check
5. Add cure#1 at a rate of 1.13 grams per pound of total weight because you need the correct weight of cure #1 in your mix of meat, water and ingredients so it can do it's job. - check
6. Inject this curing brine on meats > 1" in thickness and use the remainder as a cover brine (immersion brine). - check

Edited to correct typo.

 

[dernektambura]

Wrong... you need to calculate salt amount @ 25 to 30% loss... for example: if your tenderloin id 1 pound...
1 lb minus 30% = salt amount... that is how you get get to right saltiness property of finished product... your amount of wet brine doesnt affect saltiness... salt is distributed evenly regardless of brine amount... it is pure physic... time affects salt distribution... it's simple as that... hope it helps you get through....

 

[daveomak]

Dave, I'm curious where the suggestion to use 1/2 the weight of the meat for your weight of water came from? Say I'm making corned beef with a 4 pound brisket flat, I'm not sure 2 pounds of water will cover the meat in my brining bucket, so I may need more water.

Here is what I do, and please critique:
1. Weigh the meat - check
2. Weigh the water - check
3. Select whatever aromatics you like, and weigh them - check
4. Using the weight of the meat.... calculate the salt and sugar based on your personal threshold. (for example 1.7% salt and 1% sugar) then add that combined weight to the weights of 1, 2, and 3 to arrive at a total weight (meat, water, and 'other' ingredients). - check
5. Add cure#1 at a rate of 1.13 grams per pound of total weight because you need the correct weight of cure #1 in your mix of meat, water and ingredients so it can do it's job. - check
6. Inject this curing brine on meats > 1" in thickness and use the remainder as a cover brine (immersion brine). - check

4. Using the weight of the meat.... calculate the salt and sugar based on your personal threshold..
Did you not use the weight of the water ????

 

[daveomak]

From what I have read, using a lesser amount of water increases the concentration of salt, cure and sugar in that liquid...
It becomes "easier" for those molecules to migrate into the meat to attain equilibrium due to the higher concentration... The "pressure" of equilibrium moving those molecules around is pretty intense... That's why you don't suffocate yourself, when standing in one place while breathing... Oxygen from the surrounding area immediately migrates to displace the CO2 etc. to return the air into "balance"...

Most "professionals" recommend 25-50% water to meat ratio for that reason...
Heller and Heller, back in the early part of the 1900's, in their book, use 50% water in their brine....

41.75#'s water, 5#'s salt,1# cure, 2#'s sugar = 49.75#'s of stuff...
For 100#'s of meat..

 

[JLeonard]

thirdeye that gift basket sounds good. How do I get on the list? Love me some farm fresh eggs.
Jim