Little nervous....5lb pork loin

[peachbottomrob]

I am new to smoking in the last few months and I have done the smaller pork tenderloins last weekend. I over cooked those a bit but they were still good. that's part of learning. The store had a sale on pork loins today so I got a 10lb loin. I cut it in half and am smoking around a 5lb loin. My inlaws decided to do a cookout today and wanted me to smoke the loin so I agreed to try. I was thinking about the smaller loins and gave myself 2 1/2 to 3 hours for cook time and 30 min to rest. Now I realize from reading I should of allowed 4 to 5 hours for a full size loin. Is ther anything I can do without compromising tenderness or anything to speed up cooking? If not they will wait because I am not ruining my meat. Can I take the smoker up in temp a bit to help without sacrificing anything? I am using a masterforge electric smoker at 225° Thanks!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Rob, you can bump the temp up to 275*F to speed things along. The most important part is Do Not let the IT go over 140*F. Carryover during the rest will take it up 5+ Degrees and at 140*F the finished IT will be 145-150*F with a slight Blush of Pink. I like my Porkloin more Medium so I pull at 135*F, It will be very juicy unless you go too far...JJ

If you have the Stuff and Time, this is Really Good...

Apple Pork Topper

3C Apple Sauce

3T Dijon Mustard

3T Brown Sugar

2T Apple cider Vingar

1tsp Rubbed Sage

1/2tsp Black Pepper

1/2tsp Salt

1/8tsp Cinnamon

Optional: 2-3 Apples, peeled, diced and sauteed until golden brown and tender in 2T Butter.

Place all in a pot and simmer on low until thickened as desired. Adjust sweet/salt to taste. Spoon over Pork Roast, during last 30-60 minutes of Cook time and/or over the pork at the table.

 

[peachbottomrob]

Hey thanks, that helps a lot. I figured that I could as long as I pulled at 140° IT. Thanks again!

 

[peachbottomrob]

So, I just pulled at 140° it. It took like 2 1/2 hrs at 250-260° I don't trust these cheap thermometers on this masterforge so I verified IT with 2 other thermometers before pulling. I read 138-142 on 3 thermometers. It is resting now, so time will tell. It looks good. Thanks for the help. This smoking stuff is addicting!

 

[peachbottomrob]

Absolutely the best thing I have smoked by far....I was hesitant pulling it after 2 1/2 hours but I trusted the IT of 140°. I glazed with a Amish made raspberry jalapeño jam I picked up here in lancaster county. It was a hit, my in laws won't stop talking about how good it was. Kudos to the help and this forum for helping me. I wish I could smoke for a living. I did the following...

Used a sweet a spicy mix rub and i let marinate for 4 hours.
Pulled and let get to room temp before smoking.
Injected with a apple juice/brown sugar mix I got from this site.
Smoked 2 1/2 hours at 250, to a IT temp of 140° on a combo apple/ cherry wood
Glazed with local Amish made raspberry jalapeño jam
Let sit for 30 min

The most moist and tender pork I have ever made.

This may not be the best way for all you seasoned veterans, but for a beginner this was excellent.

 

[demosthenes9]

Peachbottom,

Your situation brings up an interesting point/question that I end up disagreeing with most people on.  Namely, when cooking "loins" of almost any type, you really can't go by "X mins per pound".     Take your pork loin for example.  Whole, it weighed 10 pounds.  You cut in in half so you now have 2 loins of 5 pounds each.  BUT, the thickness of the loin itself did not change, only it's length did.    The length of the loin is basically irrelevant when it comes to how long the loin will cook for.   

Another way to think of this is to picture cooking 2 steaks.  Both of them are 1 1/2 inches thick.    The first one is about 3 inches wide and 12 inches long.   The second one is 6 inches wide and 12 inches long.    The first weighs 1 pound while the other weighs 2 pounds.   Guess what ?  They'll both take the same amount of time to cook as the thickness is the determining factor.

The "X mins per pound" thing really only comes into play when you have a roast that is more symmetrical.  Say something like a Sirloin Tip.   With cuts like this, as the total pounds increase, so does the overall thickness.

Now, I'll go ahead and say that I could be wrong about this but this is a conclusion that I have reached after cooking many Prime Ribs.  As strange as it may seem, it takes me about the same amount of time for to cook a 14 pound 7 bone PR as it does to cook a 4 bone 8 pounder, presuming they have the same thickness.

 

[geerock]

Rob
Glad it turned out for you. Now you better learn sonething else quick 'cause everyone is gonna want your q. Chef jj is akways there to help with cook temps and times..... and usually throws in a great recipe to boot. Best of luck down the road.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Glad all enjoyed your Loin. You get a pass on the Qview...THIS TIME!... That Jam sounds like a good Topper as well...JJ

@ Demo...You are absolutely correct. A 5lb piece of loin will take the pretty much the same time as a 10lb piece of loin as long as they are basically the same thickness. Cook time for Steaks and Fish are also calculated by Minutes per Inches Thick and not weight. A Pork Butt averages 8lbs. Cut in half it is thinner and will go roughly half the time and a 12lb Butt from Brother of Hogzilla will be thicker in both dimensions so the Time per Pound is more accurate...So tell your naysayer friends they are mistaken...JJ