curing and smoking pork loin

[sabmgb]

Well I'm trying to follow in Ralph's shoes here. I followed his recipe for curing his pork loins

here they are on the drying rack. They are currently in the smoker. Will update when thy come out. I might have taken too much fat off of them though, but we will see.

[mydogbites]

Pork fat is referred to as white meat. That's what I was taught. On a separate note you indicated you purchased several of the loins, here's a recipe I have been wanting to try.

Smoked Pork Chops Stuffed with Gouda and Bacon
Big fat, butterflied pork chops stuffed with shredded gouda cheese and crispy pieces of bacon smoked until perfectly done and the delicious melted cheese is oozing out from the edges. That’s what I call pure goodness!
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Servings:
–

+
Ingredients

▢ 4-6 butterflied pork chops (thick chops are best)
▢ 3 TBS Spicy brown mustard
▢ 1/2 cup Jeff’s original rub recipe
▢ 3/4 cup Gouda cheese (shredded (about 2 TBS per pork chop)
▢ 1 lb Bacon (cooked and crumbled (2 slices per pork chop)
▢ Butcher’s twine
Instructions
Cook bacon until it is crispy. You will need 2 slices per pork chop.
Make extra so you’ll have some to nibble on.
Let it cool then crumble into small to medium sized pieces.
Buy already shredded cheese or you can buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself.
I shredded about a cup of cheese so I had leftovers. You’ll only need about 2 TBS per pork chop.

Mix 2 TBS of shredded cheese and 2 slices of crumbled bacon for each pork chop you plan to smoke.
I purchased pork chops that were already butterflied and ready to go.
First, we’ll season the inside just a little with my original rub.
Add a little spicy brown mustard to help the rub to stick
Sprinkle my rub on the top
Place some of the cheese/bacon mixture to the top of the pork chop (one of the sides only)
Fold the butterflied pork chop over on top of itself
Apply some spicy brown mustard to the outside of the stuffed pork chops
Rub the mustard all over the top and bottom of the pork chop then sprinkle Jeff’s original rub on both sides generously.
Cut (3) 24 inch pieces of butchers twine for each pork chop to tie it up.
Lay the pieces of twine parallel and at about 2 inch intervals.
Lay the pork chop on top of the twine.
Loop each piece of twine over the stuffed pork chop, pull it tight and tie a knot that will hold.

Trim the extra string with scissors or a sharp knife.
Place the tied up, stuffed pork chops on a bradley rack or cookie sheet and they are ready for the smoker.
Set up your smoker for cooking indirectly at about 225°F (107°C) using cherry or your favorite smoking wood.
Once the smoker is ready, place the stuffed pork chops directly on the grate or if you use racks, you can just place the rack onto the smoker grate.
Place a digital probe meat thermometer into one of the pork chops so you’ll know when it is perfectly done.
You can expect the pork chops to take from 1.5 to 2 hours depending on actual thickness, how often you open the lid, weather conditions, and how cold the meat was when it went into the smoker.
If you are using a smoker that is not fueled by wood, you should apply smoke for at least an hour. I usually keep a light smoke going for the entire time to replicate the real wood smoker experience.

Ultimately, the pork chops are done and ready to eat when they reach 145°F (63°C).
Serve the pork chops as they come off the smoker if possible so your eaters will get to experience the dish at it’s very best and while the cheese is still very melty.
Don’t forget to cut and remove the butchers twine.

[sabmgb]

That sounds pretty good, might just have to try that MYDOGBITES.

Well at 8hrs the meat temp was just over 130, So I upped the temp to 200 on smoker. Now it 10 hrs in smoker and meat temp at 150F, so I have upped the smoker temp to 220.

Seems to be taking a long time.

[sabmgb]

Well put meat on at 1030 and off at 9. Took a long time but boy is it good. Wife really likes it tastes like football ham that she used to buy.

[Chevy]

Looks fantastic. I’m going to have to try this.

Cheers

[mamona]

Wow, really long time in the smoker. Looks delicious!

[kevb81]

Looks great 👍 you guys have me wanting to try this. I don't have a traditional smoker but have a pellet grill

[sdcaller]

Hey Steve

They look good. Real good.

I usually don't smoke this time of year when it is cold, as I find it can be hard to get the Bradley up to the temp I like.

I usually keep the temp at 175-200 degrees for the full period and I usually get the internal temp of the meat to around 160 degrees. Usually takes 8.5 - 9 hours.

Usually the pieces are on 2 racks and I usually use the 2 middle slots for the racks. Keeping in mind the heat source is at the bottom back of the Bradley, after 4 hours, I switch the position of the racks and turn them 180 degrees.

Ralph

[sabmgb]

thanks Ralph, i had the Bradley set to 180 and the meat on the top 2 racks. I was thinking that the next time I would call them done at 160. I have a 2 probe wireless thermometer so had one on each rack. the loins did taste great.

So thanks Ralph for a great recipe.