Today is John's birthday. We celebrated
hard last night, and relaxed in the yard (whilst doing yard work, of course) all day today while taking in the aroma of a pork loin on the smoker.
And lets be real here, there's
nothing better than a home cooked birthday dinner. I remember my brother, sister and I requesting a birthday meal when we were little. Ryan always asked for spaghetti, Stephanie wanted something grilled (usually a steak), and I asked for enchiladas. This was definitely a tradition I want to continue, and was happy to oblige when John asked for a smoked pork loin.
So I whipped up a rub.
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I don't know the exact recipe: about 3 spoons of brown sugar, some seasoned salt, ground rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes, ground black pepper. |
Then I butterflied the loin so I could use the rub on the inside and outside.
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To start, make a cut 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the loin. Don't cut all the way through. |
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Then, lay that flap out flat. |
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Make a second cut another 1/3 of the way through the loin. |
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You'll be able to lay your loin out flat and prepare it as you wish. |
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So I slathered on about 1/2 of the brown sugar rub. |
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Then rolled the loin back up and attached the loose end with 6 toothpicks. I usually use cooking string, but ran out. DO NOT use craft string in place of cooking string, it likely was treated with bleach or other chemicals. |
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I applied the other 1/2 of the brown sugar rub to the outside and let sit in the fridge for about 4 hours. Some recommend letting your loin sit with a rub or marinade overnight. I don't recommend using a marinade when smoking. Use a simple rub and let the smokey flavor shine through! |
Are you guys ready for this?
This is one
serious pork loin.
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Because we both like a little "crust" on our meat we put the smoked loin on the grill (about 250 degrees) for about 15 minutes. |
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While in Memphis last year we learned from some of the local grill masters that you can tell when meat has been perfectly smoked if it has a pink ring on the outer edge. Ya'll see that pink ring? See that delicious crust? What about that rub in the center?
I know.
BOOM. |
YOur smoked pork loin looks amazing...I am going to have to try that recipe.Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week; I hope you’ll join us again!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
It's always a pleasure hangin' out with ya!
DeleteThis looks wonderful! how long did you smoke it?
ReplyDeleteI use this chart to determine smoking time and temperature: http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downloads_files/Time-Temperature.pdf
DeleteIt's never led me astray so far! Good luck :)