Question: Whole Pork Loin

[dwdunlap]

Tom Thumb has whole pork loin on sale at .99 cents. I am wondering if there are parts of the loin better suited to different cooking. I.E. pork chops, roasts or grilling? I'm thinking I'd cut some 2" thick chops - is there a part or end of loin best suited for these? I'd also like to cut a roast to smoke. Same questions...

I've never bought pork loin so any suggestions and methods will be appreciated.

DW

 

[piker]

Tom Thumb has whole pork loin on sale at .99 cents. I am wondering if there are parts of the loin better suited to different cooking. I.E. pork chops, roasts or grilling? I'm thinking I'd cut some 2" thick chops - is there a part or end of loin best suited for these? I'd also like to cut a roast to smoke. Same questions...

I've never bought pork loin so any suggestions and methods will be appreciated.

DW

I buy them all the time. They work good for all ways you mentioned. Just make sure in your cooking methods you keep it moist as it has tendency to dry out if cooked to long or hot. I even make jerky out of then sliced thin. Very cheap good meat.

 

[atomicsmoke]

Chops are good. Bone-in chops are better. Cured/smoked chops are great.

Canadian bacon though disapoints (imho).

I just tried a long brined loin (10 days). Smoked to 145F IT. Is now in the freezer getting ready for slicing. I will update you if worth talking about it.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

10 days seems awfully short for a loin to be cured.

I use loin for canadian bacon along with jerky and chops. The ones I get from GFS are well trimmed when I buy them. Not sure how the ones around you are, but they make excellent jerky!

 

[atomicsmoke]

10 days seems awfully short for a loin to be cured.

I use loin for canadian bacon along with jerky and chops. The ones I get from GFS are well trimmed when I buy them. Not sure how the ones around you are, but they make excellent jerky!

Not cured...brined (just water and salt)

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Not cured...brined (just water and salt)

Ahh see...my mind immediately goes to curing ;)

Gleaned from the internet:

View attachment 377469

That's useful! I'm saving this one to my google photos!

 

[ristau5741]

I just tried a long brined loin (10 days). Smoked to 145F IT. Is now in the freezer getting ready for slicing. I will update you if worth talking about it.

I am in day 3 of a 14 day cure/brine of a 4 pound pork loin, starting another 3 pound pork loin tonight for a 9 day cure/brine, have next Saturday the 13th, scheduled to make a big batch of CB. I've been successfully making CB with pork tenderloin, this is my first time with a pork loin.

I've tried to make pulled pork with pork loin, but that was a failed experiment. it never pulled apart well. I've also done 1/2 pork loins, just regular, before I got into the CB thing, they turn out nice if you wrap in a bacon weave. smoke on the hotter side so the bacon crisps up.

 

[atomicsmoke]

I am in day 3 of a 14 day cure/brine of a 4 pound pork loin, starting another 3 pound pork loin tonight for a 9 day cure/brine, have next Saturday the 13th, scheduled to make a big batch of CB. I've been successfully making CB with pork tenderloin, this is my first time with a pork loin.

I've tried to make pulled pork with pork loin, but that was a failed experiment. it never pulled apart well. I've also done 1/2 pork loins, just regular, before I got into the CB thing, they turn out nice if you wrap in a bacon weave. smoke on the hotter side so the bacon crisps up.

I can cook loins no problem. Is just the CB. Tastes nothing like bacon. Fries up nicely, good eat with eggs but is no bacon. Since i don't use maple syrup, honey, or spices on it it actually does not taste at all.

 

[chilerelleno]

A whole pork loin can be used for any of the means you mentioned.

That said, I usually divide it up a bit.
The thicker end is a bit leaner than the tapered end with it's larger strip of fattier red meat.
The leaner thick end I usually square off into a foot long or better roast.
I like it cooked crusted with herbs/garlic, or butterflied (unrolled) for a nice stuffed loin.

I like the fattier tapered end sliced and fried as chops or cut in strips for stir fry meat.
Or I trim all the fattier red meat off, cube it, dredge in seasoned flour and fry it as chef's snacks.
The leaner part of the tapered end makes a nice roast too.
Brown it, crockpot it with veggies and gravy.

 

[tallbm]

As you can tell there are a lot of things to do with it. @Holly2015 shows a picture of what one person has decided to do with their loin but know that in the pic you could easily do the entire loin as any one of the things they point out.
The ends will be the least uniform parts when it comes to fat coverage and the end that went towards the pigs neck will have some neck muscle in the mix so that end is a little different in that regard.

I like to square up the ends (cut off the less uniform ends) and use those parts for stir fry or Mexican dishes that call for seared and then simmered cubed up pork. You could also cube up those ends and grill with veggies for nice kabob skewers.

For the rest of the uniform loin I cut in half. 1 half for grilling chops the other half I now save for brined (not cured) smoked chops. I cut the chops in 2 inch (or just over) chops.

The grilling chops get butterflied where place each chop fat side up and cut down through the fat towards the other end without going all the way through.

The smoking chops I just brine in salt and water for a couple of days.

I season grilling chops with SPOG + a touch of cayenne on on side and grill like a steak to just going into Medium (145F IT). When done to the correct temp this sucker will honestly rival a steak!

I season the smoking chops with POG+ a little Paprika to an IT of 145F. Salt came from the brine.

The pork loin is a super flexible cut of meat AS LONG as you don't over cook it (145F IT) and you take some measures like brining or injecting to keep it from drying out should you oven roast, grill, or smoke larger chunks of it.
It's is one of my favorite cuts of meat to buy and work with, I love them!

 

[dwdunlap]

Thanks to all of you for the ideas and uses of pork loin. So good we are stocking up @ .99 cents!! The how-to-butcher picture will help me get started. I've never fixed a Miss Piggy's loin before but it is great to have SMF learn

Thanks

 

[dwdunlap]

While I'm gushing on the merits of SMF I might as well ask for more advice. I want to cut the chops tomorrow and won't have time to brine for days. So advice please, on how and what to inject for chops on the grill. I have the injector but no recipes yet. Will search but "tried and true" always seems best.

DW

 

[chilerelleno]

You don't have to brine for days, you can brine for as little as four hours.
I usually only have time to brine overnight at best, plenty of time for chops.

For longer brines I use 1/2-3/4 cup of salt per gallon of water.
For overnight or less I use 3/4-1 cup of salt per gallon of water.

You can also brine in juices, sodas and beer.
Cherry Dr. Pepper is a favorite, 1/4 cup salt per liter for 4-8 hours.

 

[tallbm]

While I'm gushing on the merits of SMF I might as well ask for more advice. I want to cut the chops tomorrow and won't have time to brine for days. So advice please, on how and what to inject for chops on the grill. I have the injector but no recipes yet. Will search but "tried and true" always seems best.

DW

I don't brine chops that go on the grill. The key to my success with them is to grill on a hot grill, like steak hot! Grill to just at medium (145F IT). They will be very juicy. I think a 1.5 inch thick chop grilled 4 minutes each side on very hot/steak hot grill does the trick for me :) I season with SPOG and a pinch of cayenne on one side.

If you have a steak hot grill a 1.5 thick chop for much more than 4 min on each side you will have over cooked chops and once you leave a realm of a medium chop the taste and tenderness changes drastically.

If you oven roast or smoke the loin or chops then I would brine :)

 

[gmc2003]

Hey DW, I haven't used it yet, but allot of folks on the forum like Tony Chacheres creole butter injection. I picked up a couple of bottles when I was in Georgia and plan on using it soon. If you can find it give it a try.

Chris

 

[chilerelleno]

Hey DW, I haven't used it yet, but allot of folks on the forum like Tony Chacheres creole butter injection. I picked up a couple of bottles when I was in Georgia and plan on using it soon. If you can find it give it a try.

Chris

Tony's is tasty, no doubts.
But it's more fun and cheaper to make your own. And you can control the spices.

Cajun Butter Injection Marinade
1stick butter
1.5T cajun seasoning
1T granulated garlic

Add garlic to make Tony's Garlic.
I add apple juice sometimes, yum.

 

[dwdunlap]

Hey DW, I haven't used it yet, but allot of folks on the forum like Tony Chacheres creole butter injection. I picked up a couple of bottles when I was in Georgia and plan on using it soon. If you can find it give it a try.

Chris

I looked for Tony Chachere's Injectable Butter Marinade, 17 fl oz on Walmart and it's in-stock. I may go get it for Saturday grilling. Otherwise I'll try Chilerelleno's version recipe.

Thanks for the help!

DW

 

[dwdunlap]

Tony's is tasty, no doubts.
But it's more fun and cheaper to make your own. And you can control the spices.

Cajun Butter Injection Marinade
1stick butter
1.5T cajun seasoning
1T granulated garlic

Add garlic to make Tony's Garlic.
I add apple juice sometimes, yum.

Thanks for the advice and I'm anxious to try the grilled loin chops!! dw

 

[chopsaw]

I looked for Tony Chachere's Injectable Butter Marinade, 17 fl oz on Walmart and it's in-stock. I may go get it for Saturday grilling. Otherwise I'll try Chilerelleno's version recipe.

Thanks for the help!

DW

Just FYI , the store bought has sodium phosphate ( the creole and the jalapeno ) which holds the moisture in the meat . If you get the Tony's , pump the loin and hold it over night . Make your own as well , good to know both ways . I have made my own , and added sodium phosphate to it . I injected a half loin yesterday with the tony's honey praline ham injection . Just put it on the WSM . Not sure ,, it's really sweet . Might not work well with the fresh pork .