Second Stuffed Pork Loin - Very Tender!

necron 99 · Last edited by necron 99 on Jan 29 2009; edited 1 time in total

FrankC and I must have been on the same wavelength last weekend. I'd picked up a pork loin on sale recently, to repeat my Christmas 2008 cook with, except trimming and rolling it pinwheel-style instead of the three sided variant of butterflying I used last time. Soezzy mentioned a 'book cut' referred to Raichlen's books, but all I found was simple butterflying with that reference in "How To Grill" - the next recipe showed what I wanted to try, except the Raichlen recipe for this used an olive tapenade with no brining.

Before trimming, brining, slicing, stuffing, and rolling.

I used some Nature's Hardwood briquets and Picnic lump for a really neutral charcoal smoke, then used 3 chunks of maple I'd bought when Cabela's was closing out their remaining stock of Texas Smoke brand wood chunks. It took 2.5 hours at 300 F to hit 145 F internal.

Plenty of visible light blue smoke and smoke smell. Anxious for the maple chunks to tell me what just maple smoke is like on this cook.

Time to take it inside - this looked more like a smoked version of that planet-eating doomsday machine in one of the original Star Trek episodes vs. the sea cucumber look the last one I cooked took on. Very Happy

Time to start slicing.

A few slices to start the wife's plate, she'll put sides on herself.

My plate with the end piece in particular for smokiness, with buttered toast, beans on the side and the fruit sauce on top.

It was barely smoky - almost like cooking it on a gas grill with some wood chips in a smoker box. Three chunks of maple just barely gave it any smoke flavor, and only in the outer perimeter. So, maple chunks for me aren't on the 'cooking wood to spend money on' list, but it was nice to give it a fair trial. Back to mesquite, pecan, and oak for me for smoking woods. Maybe I'll do some grilling by 100% chunkburning the maple with some seafood some night.

I didn't rinse it after brining this time, and the rosemary and such flavors really came through, and no salty flavor or indigestion for me, so I'm sticking with a ratio of 1 tablespoon table salt per quart of water ratio for my brining going forward - it's worked well twice.

Dessert - some Blue Bunny Fat Free No Sugar Added (Splenda instead) vanilla ice cream, with some fresh Ponchatoula (local) strawberries sliced up while the pork was cooking. A nice way to end the meal.

Here's the original recipe. My mods this time were subbing neufatchel cheese for the gorgonzola again, using craisins instead of cranberries again, swapping ratios of dates to apricots (more dates, less apricots), got to add the pecans this time since it was just the wife and me, and I used 6 oz. apple juice and 6 oz. pineapple juice for the fruit sauce this time. I recommend this if you haven't tried it!

http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2880069052/m/5930024045
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SierraScott · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

It looks tender, smokey and DELICIOUS!
Nicely done. The one on the smoker with the smokey brown bark forming, looks nice. It would be tough not to keep picking at it and sampling it at that point! Very Happy

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necron 99 · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

I didn't peek until the remote therm alarm at 145 F went off, I kept myself busy slicing strawberries and making the fruit sauce while it was cooking. Wink

Thanks for the idea now I'll have to try to keep that out of my head for the next one I cook! Laughing

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k.a.m. · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

necron 99,very nice job on the Pork Loin Very Happy

Everytime I go to Sam's I look at them and almost buy one, seeing yours has made up my mind. I need to try one. Nicely done. Smile

Canadian Bacon · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

Nice loin necron99,beautiful looking color. I like using maple when I do not want heavy smoke flavor,what I really like to do is use a Maple and Cherry mix,thats my favorite smoke flavor on pork.
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necron 99 · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

CB, that's what I used on my Thanksgiving turkey breast cook, a 50/50 mix of maple and cherry. I'm out of cherry now. I might mix it with some red oak to try to approximate what Harry N. uses at his 'raunt though.

My Christmas pork loin used the same charcoals with a 50/50 mix of cherry and mesquite, and went over realy well, including the in-laws. I might try mixing maple with mesquite, and maple with pecan, also to help use up the bag of maple chunks.
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Doc1680 · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

That's a nice looking loin necron99. Great color.
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necron 99 · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

Thanks Doc!

You mentioned I should try a comp some time. Well, there's a charity event where we work coming up the first weekend in March and between my co-workers commenting on the brisket luncheon we had, and the way this stuff's been coming out, I think I'll enter the charity cook-off this year. It's nice to be at home 7 nights a week for a change, I was always traveling too much the past 3 years to want to do this previously. It'll be a lot more fun for me as a charity competiton than I think I would enjoy a serious KCBS etc. competition.

http://www.sanfranciscoplantation.org/index.asp

http://www.sanfranciscoplantation.org/calendar.asp
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Fatrat · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

Great looking loin Necron. I love that mild smokieness of maple when done with fruit glazes, or a natural Maple syrup and bourbon mop(great on pork loins). The maple seems to agree with it self real well. Definately not the oak or hickory flavor, more of an accent to an already falvorful recipe. Looks great, give thre maple another try with something alittle more delicate and sweet. jmho.

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roxy · Posted: Jan 28 2009 Post subject:

The label on the hunk of meat says its a Pork loin not a tenderloin. I kinda thought that given the size of the prepared hunk of meat..

All good if ya ask me.
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FrankC · Newbie Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 83 Location: Omaha, NE

Necron, that looks great! I've got 3 more of those in the freezer, so I'm going to have to come up with some more creative ideas. Thanks for the suggestion of goat cheese...that sounds like a real winner. Great cook! I'm sure you and the Mrs. enjoyed it very much!

fc Laughing

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Mrs. K.A.M. · Posted: Jan 29 2009 Post subject:

WoW

Another masterpiece Very Happy

AwEsOmE looking dinner.
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necron 99 · Posted: Jan 29 2009 Post subject:

necron 99 · Posted: Jan 29 2009 Post subject:

Toga · Posted: Jan 29 2009 Post subject:

Wow. You hit a home run with that log of filled porky goodness. That looks better than anything I have eaten in a couple weeks.
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necron 99 · Posted: Jan 30 2009 Post subject:

Thanks Toga! We still have some leftovers available, c'mon by!

I'll confess to adding some mesquite liquid smoke to my dinner portion last night though. Surprised

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Brinnie · Posted: Jan 30 2009 Post subject:

necron 99 That looks Great Cool

I have been on leave for a couple of weeks and the first thing I look at when I get Back is your Post -YUMM !!
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necron 99 · Posted: Jan 30 2009 Post subject:

Brinnie,

That's high praise indeed from the person who built the ultimate bullet smoker! I hope 'leave' means 'vacation' or 'holiday' for you, I could use some of that myself!

Welcome back!
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Brinnie · Posted: Jan 30 2009 Post subject:

necron 99 · Posted: Jan 30 2009 Post subject:

Glad you had a nice break away from work!

You could always go visit Mr. Bacon at this time of year while on leave Shocked

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24197

I'll take the 100 F weather instead any day!
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