newbie with Pork Loin ?'s NEED HELP ASAP, meats on!!!

[ksxj]

I am smoking a 9.4lb pork loin tom. I tried searching but can't find out how long it will take. Also I think I found it says the meat needs to be 150deg? I am kinda new at this so any help would be appreciated.

The last time I used it I had a problem with keeping the temp up in the smoker and the meat. I used charcoal and wet hickory chunks.

This is the smoker I have http://www.charbroil.com/consumerwebhome/DoubleDoorsmoker.aspx

[jvreeland]

I have never tried smoking a pork loin - but from what I have read from others here taking it to about internal of 145-155 is about right. I think even 135 is on the medium rare side if I remember correct.

Smokin Jim just finished one at 135
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Jeff Vreeland
Alabama GrillBillies Team

[SoEzzy]

Welcome to the ring ksxj!

Pork loin doesn't have the fat or connective tissue of a butt or a picnic, so you don't have to cook it low and slow, you can cook low and slow or you could cook it hot and fast once it has taken some smoke.

Cook it to 150 and rest it tented for 20 - 30 minutes, it will still have a touch of pink in the center, if you don't like pink in the center, then take it to 155 and that should take out just about all the pink...don't go past 165 what ever happens, as it will toughen up a nice piece of meat if you do.

The chances are your fire is being smothered from underneath by the ashes, so raise up the grate you are burning your charcoal on, don't soak your chunks either, if they are chunks, 2 - 3" across and 1' thick, they will smoke without trouble without soaking.

There is no hard and fast rule as to how long it is going to take, you are only aiming for 150 not 200, so it may be as low as 35 minutes / lb or as much as 50 minutes / lb, it depends on the temperature the meat goes on the pit at, the temperature of the pit, and how well it holds that temperature over the time of the cook.

So raise the charcoal pan up in the firebox, don't soak your chunks, keep an eye on the temperature, make sure there is a good draw of air from the firebox to the cooking chamber, run your exhaust stack wide open, you might try some foil used as a gasket, around the firebox door, and around the cooking area doors, to reduce drafts from interfering with your fire control.

Control the air going to the fire from the vents in the fire box, try the vents 1/2 open at the start up and early running, if it runs too hot, close the vents down a little, if it runs too cold, then open the vents up a little.

The whole process is one of trail and error till you learn your pit, don't quit even if it appears nothing is working out, once you have some smoke on it for a couple of hours you can wrap it in foil and speed up the cooking process if you need to.

But to start, you are better off trying it right the way through, if it works then do it the same thing again the next time, if it doesn't work then change ONE thing and try it again.

Good luck and come back and tell us how it's going as you cook!

Oh! And we like pictures too!
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Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[ksxj]

Well I took some pictures of whats going on. And now I have a few more questions too.

first when I do get it smoking real good, it comes out everwhere and sometimes not the stack. Not sure if that is ok or not, but doesn't seam to be going into the cooking chamber.

But I find I can get it smoking but not keep it smoking all the time. Seams to only smoke for a little while after puttin in new chunks of soaked wood.

Riasing the coals up definatly raised the temp. maybe to much??? 400deg. Not good at keeping it consistent yet. What is the best temp to good at?

Should I flip or rotate the pork or is it ok to leave alone?

[ksxj]

Next and very important ? - Parts of it are reading 150 and the other right around 145, but I am not supposed to serve this till around 5. Can I some how slow it down and not cook anymore, just keep it hot without it drying up. I am continuing to put the marinade on.

[ksxj]

this is what it looks like right now, way to early

[SoEzzy]

If you have one whole end higher than the other it will be down to the fact that it is nearer or further from the fire.

If you want to leave it full for presentation purposes then leave it full, but if you don't have a platter that big to serve it on you might either cut it in half, then move the colder half nearer to the fire and the hotter half away from the fire, or just turn it over so the cold end gets to sit where the hot end is sitting now.

I normally cut them in half in order to get them into one of my WSM's a full loin would hang out one side or the other if it's not cut.

I like to cook low and slow between 225 - 250, or hot and fast above 325, sounds like things were a little more effective than needed at 400.

Close down your vents on the firebox if you can, it sounds like the foil gasket would be a good idea for the next cook, try and fill as many gaps as you can, the more controllable the air flow the simpler the job of controlling the fire.
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Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[ksxj]

its just for some friends and my wife and I. So presentation isn't a big deal. But I don't want to serve it cold or dry. Just not sure what to do about it being ready already??? Should I wrap it in foil and put it in the oven on warm or wrap and leave in the smoker, just keep the heat much lower???? Sorry for all the questions.

[ksxj]

here is what it looks like right now


bigger view
http://www.larsons.info/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/DSC02999.JPG



Thanks for all the help!!!

[Bbq Bubba]

I'd say your already done, maybe overdone, get it off the heat and tent in foil, maybe you can make up a sauce or gravy to help add some moisture

[SoEzzy]

I would foil it now, and put it in the oven at it's lowest temperature, as long as you are holding it above 140 you shouldn't have any trouble.

I tend to agree about it being pretty much done, it's hard to tell by the picture but if it was still pink in the middle when you cut it, it would be about a perfect time to take them off and hold till the friends arrive.
_________________
Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[ksxj]

tent in foil???

thanks for all the help, I have one wrapped in foild now and the other not. I have a mariande that I have been putting on the meat and inside the foil. Should I do the same for the oven???

[ksxj]

oven only goes down to 170 is that alright??? Plus it can stay that way till they get here at 5 or do I need to do something else to it inbetween??? It is 12:45 now. Thanks for the quick responses.

[SoEzzy]

That should be fine make sure it is wrapped tight though, the other way would be allow it to cool and then warm it through when they arrive.

Personally I would hold it hot I think the HD recommendation is above 160 oven temp, so 170 +will be good.
_________________
Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[ksxj]

Sweat!!! thanks for all the help Well the good thing is I found out how to get my temps up. now to just fiqure how to maintain it. Plus how to get the smoke to go where I want it... Well mark this up for the second time trying to smoke anything, I guess it didn't go to bad

[SoEzzy]

It's just down to more and more practice.

When you do something right, do it again to harden the idea in your head as to how you did it, if you do something wrong keep practicing it till you get it right, try and only change one thing per time, or it will be harder to work out what the right thing was from the wrong thing.

My kids loved even my first "bad" Q, and as I got better, they got pickier, now they critique my Q as if they know what they are talking about!

I still like my ribs a lot spicier than they do so I have to tone down my rubs from extremely hot and spicy to merely hot and spicy.

I love eating Q, even my mistakes can be instructional, in the years I have been cooking I think you could measure the inedible mistakes on the fingers of both hands, though I did include the dogs, (eating it), to get it below 10!
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Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!