First Pork Loin... Looking for some input.

[jwbtulsa]

So I decided to try an experiment with a loin today. I brined it overnight using Sweet Smokin' Swine Brine. Then I injected it with Pure Pork Power. Followed up with a good rub of Okie Dust. I didn't trim any fat. I "wanted to smoke it at 225-230 but due to unstable weather in Tulsa today, I had a terrible time controlling my temperatures. One moment my temp would fall due to the rain, I would adjust and then of course, forget about it. The trusty Maverick would alert me that the temp was spiking WAY above 250. Back out in the rain to dampen down the heat. Temp would fall and I would start all over again. As a result of the crazy fluctuations, I reached a 145IT in about four hours. I foiled it and let temp come up a bit. Let it rest for about an hour. Here is the pre-smoke shot:

 

prok loin #1.JPG

• jwbtulsa
• Aug 18, 2012

More to follow...

 

[jwbtulsa]

After an hour foiled. no additional liquids, bastes, or marinades were used. Notice the juicy juice. It was still at 163F after resting. It reached a peak IT of 172F. I was a bit concerned as the end piece first cut was particularly dry. However, see the second photo.

pork loin#2.png

• jwbtulsa
• Aug 18, 2012

Despite the high temps and rapid cook, this old loin came out AWESOME!!   I used a combination of pecan and seasoned peach wood. The end result produced a subtly sweet flavor and mild smoke aroma. I appreiated the smoke ring as I was concerned about the cook rate. The yellow hue to the center of the loin is due to the Pure Pork Power injection. Nothing fancy, just mixed it up in a jar and used a Cajun Injector syringer and needle. (I like their dual port style of needle rather than a traditional needle)

pork loin#3.png

• jwbtulsa
• Aug 18, 2012

Notice how much liqiud leached form the meat after the first cut, post-rest.  All in all, we are very pleased. The loin is dense, but not tough. I attribute that to commercial pig farming and not cooking style. Super juicy that I attribute to brine and injection products rather than skill of the stickburner

By the way, I found that cooking basket at Sam's for $17. It's heavy enough to hold a good hunk of meat; or veggies but then why would you want to eat those?!

Here are my references:

http://www.cajuninjector.com/

http://www.usbbqsupply.com

 

[jarjarchef]

Looks good. Weather sucks when you want to do a smoke. Had plenty of those days.

If you don't inject your meat you don't have to bring it to as high of an IT. You would only need to get it to 145IT and hold at that for 3 min. You will still need a rest period before slicing, but no need to cook it anymore. That is why I usually dont inject pork or beef.

 

[north pork]

jarjarchef, where do you get your information about having to cook to a higher temp because of injection?  I have never heard that before

 

[jarjarchef]

I have been trained under the HACCP principles. It was a process that was developed for the NASA Astronauts and is used by most major food manufactures and many of the large food service companies. The guide below is basically the same as I use at my work location. I pulled it from this site http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html

If you notice the chart is broken down into many different situations. For example Pork (whole muscle) is 145 for 3 minutes and pork (ground) is 160 with no rest time. With the whole muscle the outer part will get hotter than 145, but you have not contaminated it by cutting, grinding, injecting or anything else. But with the ground pork everything is all mixed up and a greater chance of contamination, so they need to go to a higher temp all the way to the center.

Not to add confusion, but if you cook a beef roast to 145, you will be pushing more of a medium well to well done after it rests. We cook beef to 130 and hold for 121min in a hot box set at 145. We get a beautiful medium rare to medium.
[h1]Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures[/h1]
Use this chart and a food thermometer to ensure that meat, poultry, seafood, and other cooked foods reach a safe minimum internal temperature.

Remember, you can’t tell whether meat is safely cooked by looking at it. Any cooked, uncured red meats – including pork – can be pink, even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. 
[h2]Why the Rest Time is Important[/h2]
After you remove meat from a grill, oven, or other heat source, allow it to rest for the specified amount of time. During the rest time, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful germs.

Category	Food	Temperature (°F)	Rest Time
Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures	Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb	160	None
Turkey, Chicken	165	None
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb	Steaks, roasts, chops	145	3 minutes
Poultry	Chicken & Turkey, whole	165	None
Poultry breasts, roasts	165	None
Poultry thighs, legs, wings	165	None
Duck & Goose	165	None
Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)	165	None
Pork and Ham	Fresh pork	145	3 minutes
Fresh ham (raw)	145	3 minutes
Precooked ham (to reheat)	140	None
Eggs & Egg Dishes	Eggs	Cook until yolk and white are firm	None
Egg dishes	160	None
Leftovers & Casseroles	Leftovers	165	None
Casseroles	165	None
Seafood	Fin Fish	145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.	None
Shrimp, lobster, and crabs	Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque.	None
Clams, oysters, and mussels	Cook until shells open during cooking.	None
Scallops	Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm.	None

 

[netbbq]

Is 2-3 days to long to brine a 5-6 lb loin? Cooking on saturday. Usual brine with kosher salt and brown sugar in fridge in 5gal bucket and ice water bath. Prob add rosemary and other spices too.