I got a pork loin center cut roast, do I just cook it like a pork butt?
I've done lots of tender loins and butts, but I have never done one of these. It looks like a low and slow like a butt?
by LASERDICKMCCOOL
33 Comments
CardiffGiant7117
I’d brine and rub and smoke to about 150 internal
Shadowstrut
This is something you would steak up and grill typicall. You could smoke it at a low temperature and then finish it on the grill to sear. Imo not a cut i would solely smoke
bamagary
I just did a pork loin roast because it was huge and only $12. I wet brined for close to 48 hours (36 probably). Salt, sugar, peppercorns. Dried off, season with I believe killer hogs original. Then 400 for 15-20 mins, then 300 til 145-150. It was really tender and juicy. Tender Pork chop consistency. The plan was to take it to 205 and shred but people here said it would be stringy and not like pulled pork. That was a good call. I’m currently using it for Asian type rice meals
ETA: I did mine in the oven not a smoker. But a smoker would be 250 or so to temp and be amazing
Knarfnarf
Depending on the marble inside, I’d be tempted to smoke low until 165-170 cut in half(?), store that as is just in case, wrap the rest with a huge smatter of compound butter and cook until 200-210. Or just keep it warm for a while in an oven. If the full cook doesn’t measure up you can slice and prep sandwiches from the medium cooked part for your guests.
But I’m still trying and learning so that’s why I hedge my bets like that.
Shoddy_Alternative25
I get these and just roast them open fire bbq as a whole roast then cut to steaks extremely delicious and as long as you watch temp super juicy
stlchapman
There is a fat cap on the loin, but it does not have the same internal fat/connective tissue structure as a pork butt. I would typically sear the outside at high heat and then roast until the internal temp gets to 150-165. Low and slow like a pork butt will really dry out this cut.
Dnm3k
Others have said it.
There’s not enough fat marbeling to justify treating it like a pork butt.you have a roast there.
Regardless if you dry or wet brine it, you’ll smoke it to to an internal temp of roughly 150 (check online for pork roast internal temp doneness) and then you can finish it off over high heat or under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the outside
Rest and then slice for service.
Agitated-Mess-9273
Wrap in bacon. They tend to dry out on the smoking process.
Sea_Cress_8859
Put a couple hours of smoke on it then toss it in a crockpot with stock to finish. There just isn’t enough fat in there to make it shred like a butt without being dry as hell.
Conflagration666
I’d probably smoke it at 225 for a couple hours to get a good smoke flavor then transfer to the oven in some broth and veggies to finish. You get the best of both worlds
JakexDx
I do them like a normal roast, mustard binder with rub, smoke at like 225ish so it has more time on top get more smoke flavor, and I spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour. depending on the size it should take like 2.5-3 hours to get to 145-150 internal. then I wrap with butter to rest then carve off steaks to eat
Outrageous_Royal_367
I have done a couple batches of brined smoked loin chops. Cut into 1 inch chops, wet brine for 24 hours minimum, and the smoke at 190 till 130 internal then sear hot and fast to bring it up to 140.
Juicy and a nice smoke flavor. I usually do big batches and I freeze the rest pre sear. Sous vide uo to temp and then the same thing. Super easy smoked meal out of the freezer.
bilbo_the_innkeeper
Loin is *much* leaner than a butt, so it doesn’t benefit from low-and-slow the same way. Cook it just enough that it’s safe to eat or you’re going to dry it out. That would be nice as either a standard pork roast or sliced into pork chops.
sheem1306
I *might* brine, but I for sure wouldn’t take this past 135-140⁰ then rest.
tduke65
No. Cut it into chops and grill it. Hot and fast. Cook to 145.
da_fishy
Definitely do not cook loins to 200, they will be dry and tough as all hell.
Top-Echo1327
Thats gonna be dry af
CowDungCollector
Hell no. That and a pork butt are 2 opposite ends of the pork cooking spectrum. A pork loin cannot be cooked at too high of a temp. High and fast, not low and slow. The best pork loin I’ve ever done was on a special grill that could get up to 700 degrees. The longer it cooks, the less juicy it becomes. See if you can get a grill or oven over 500 degrees. Cook until internal temp is 145. I personally use Montreal steak seasoning and a lot of it to completely crust the outside. You can also inject. But what matters is hot and fast.
InsertRadnamehere
No. Waaaaay less fat content. You can smoke it, sure. But do it at lower temps and only bring it to 155 max temp.
Dirt-Sailor1980
To answer your question, yes you can cook it like a butt. But strongly recommend any internal temperature above 180 especially pork. When doing a butt the magic is 200-205 the trick is wrapping it in foil or something similar at 170 and finish at 200-205 can’t fail I do around 60 lbs of pork per month all proven results FYI I use proven fast smoking techniques
PizzaBear109
Reverse sear. Take it to 140f low and slow and then give it a hard sear over high heat
undercoverdyslexic
I’d be making pezole (pesole?) with pork loin but this is the smoking sub.
I’d smoke it to a pork medium then slather it in a punchy Asian dressing or chimichuri. Some veg and rice and you’ll be happy
smokinbbq
I cook pork loins several times a year. Maybe as much as monthly.
I buy a whole pork loin (usually Costco these days) for like $18-$25, and they often go on sale for $5 off. Take the whole loin, and I make 3-4 pieces from it (each is a few pounds). I usually get the boneless ones as they are more common in this area, but with a bone in, you can do the same thing below.
Slather with mustard, rub with whatever rub goes with pork. Put it on at 225F, and just wait it out. Will probably take a couple of hours (depending on size). You are only aiming for 145F max, so take it off at ~140, and let it rest for a few minutes. If you are getting close to dinner time, you can easily turn up the temp on the smoker (if it’s easy like on a pellet grill), and finish it off faster, or even take it inside and finish it in the oven. So if I’m planning on dinner at 6pm, and put the meat on around 4:30pm. At 5:30pm, if it’s still sitting a bit too low and now going to be done in time, I’ll turn up the temp on the smoker to 300 or even 400 if it’s *really* low. Let it finish faster, and it’s still great. Just make sure you hit the 140F internal mark. Over that and it starts to dry out.
Slice it up fairly thin (1/4″ slices), and serve like that. Any leftovers, slice up the same way, and you can make sandwiches, or a “Grilled Cheese Melt” with these, and they are the bomb.
Kind-Awareness-9575
Myself, I would make a crown roast out of it.
Remarkable_Yak1352
Pork loin is dry as shit, not much fat as a pork butt. You’ll be disappointed if you roast it like a butt.
Additional-Bag-1961
This is a very different cut of meat than a pork butt / shoulder (which is 200+). I do these at 275 degrees for a few hours, pulling off at 145 internal. Maybe also good to hit it with an injection but that isnt as important.
qmcnam4002
Smoke to 120 internal cut into chops and sear in butter to 135. Reverse sear is the best
NecessaryFlounder530
I’ve learned to always do a brine for pork loin – I like an overnight dry brine.
Naive_Specialist_692
Sous vide 145 fir about 36-48 hrs well seasoned. Then throw it on the smoker for about 30 min at it comes up to temp and give it a quick sear, cut and serve
OutrageousAd1880
I’d rotisserie it.
InspectahWren
I smoke these all the time, one of my wife’s favorites.
Smoke to 135-140. Takes maybe like an hour and a half. Juicy as hell
Dirt-Sailor1980
Nah filet mignon I just grill about 4 min per side in garlic butter and down the hatch. beef I do medium rare
NTPC4
Treat it like a big tenderloin, because it has almost no intramuscular fat compared to a butt/shoulder.
33 Comments
I’d brine and rub and smoke to about 150 internal
This is something you would steak up and grill typicall. You could smoke it at a low temperature and then finish it on the grill to sear. Imo not a cut i would solely smoke
I just did a pork loin roast because it was huge and only $12. I wet brined for close to 48 hours (36 probably). Salt, sugar, peppercorns. Dried off, season with I believe killer hogs original. Then 400 for 15-20 mins, then 300 til 145-150. It was really tender and juicy. Tender Pork chop consistency. The plan was to take it to 205 and shred but people here said it would be stringy and not like pulled pork. That was a good call. I’m currently using it for Asian type rice meals
ETA: I did mine in the oven not a smoker. But a smoker would be 250 or so to temp and be amazing
Depending on the marble inside, I’d be tempted to smoke low until 165-170 cut in half(?), store that as is just in case, wrap the rest with a huge smatter of compound butter and cook until 200-210. Or just keep it warm for a while in an oven. If the full cook doesn’t measure up you can slice and prep sandwiches from the medium cooked part for your guests.
But I’m still trying and learning so that’s why I hedge my bets like that.
I get these and just roast them open fire bbq as a whole roast then cut to steaks extremely delicious and as long as you watch temp super juicy
There is a fat cap on the loin, but it does not have the same internal fat/connective tissue structure as a pork butt. I would typically sear the outside at high heat and then roast until the internal temp gets to 150-165. Low and slow like a pork butt will really dry out this cut.
Others have said it.
There’s not enough fat marbeling to justify treating it like a pork butt.you have a roast there.
Regardless if you dry or wet brine it, you’ll smoke it to to an internal temp of roughly 150 (check online for pork roast internal temp doneness) and then you can finish it off over high heat or under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the outside
Rest and then slice for service.
Wrap in bacon. They tend to dry out on the smoking process.
Put a couple hours of smoke on it then toss it in a crockpot with stock to finish. There just isn’t enough fat in there to make it shred like a butt without being dry as hell.
I’d probably smoke it at 225 for a couple hours to get a good smoke flavor then transfer to the oven in some broth and veggies to finish. You get the best of both worlds
I do them like a normal roast, mustard binder with rub, smoke at like 225ish so it has more time on top get more smoke flavor, and I spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour. depending on the size it should take like 2.5-3 hours to get to 145-150 internal. then I wrap with butter to rest then carve off steaks to eat
I have done a couple batches of brined smoked loin chops. Cut into 1 inch chops, wet brine for 24 hours minimum, and the smoke at 190 till 130 internal then sear hot and fast to bring it up to 140.
Juicy and a nice smoke flavor. I usually do big batches and I freeze the rest pre sear. Sous vide uo to temp and then the same thing. Super easy smoked meal out of the freezer.
Loin is *much* leaner than a butt, so it doesn’t benefit from low-and-slow the same way. Cook it just enough that it’s safe to eat or you’re going to dry it out. That would be nice as either a standard pork roast or sliced into pork chops.
I *might* brine, but I for sure wouldn’t take this past 135-140⁰ then rest.
No. Cut it into chops and grill it. Hot and fast. Cook to 145.
Definitely do not cook loins to 200, they will be dry and tough as all hell.
Thats gonna be dry af
Hell no. That and a pork butt are 2 opposite ends of the pork cooking spectrum. A pork loin cannot be cooked at too high of a temp. High and fast, not low and slow. The best pork loin I’ve ever done was on a special grill that could get up to 700 degrees. The longer it cooks, the less juicy it becomes. See if you can get a grill or oven over 500 degrees. Cook until internal temp is 145. I personally use Montreal steak seasoning and a lot of it to completely crust the outside. You can also inject. But what matters is hot and fast.
No. Waaaaay less fat content. You can smoke it, sure. But do it at lower temps and only bring it to 155 max temp.
To answer your question, yes you can cook it like a butt. But strongly recommend any internal temperature above 180 especially pork. When doing a butt the magic is 200-205 the trick is wrapping it in foil or something similar at 170 and finish at 200-205 can’t fail I do around 60 lbs of pork per month all proven results FYI I use proven fast smoking techniques
Reverse sear. Take it to 140f low and slow and then give it a hard sear over high heat
I’d be making pezole (pesole?) with pork loin but this is the smoking sub.
I’d smoke it to a pork medium then slather it in a punchy Asian dressing or chimichuri. Some veg and rice and you’ll be happy
I cook pork loins several times a year. Maybe as much as monthly.
I buy a whole pork loin (usually Costco these days) for like $18-$25, and they often go on sale for $5 off. Take the whole loin, and I make 3-4 pieces from it (each is a few pounds). I usually get the boneless ones as they are more common in this area, but with a bone in, you can do the same thing below.
Slather with mustard, rub with whatever rub goes with pork. Put it on at 225F, and just wait it out. Will probably take a couple of hours (depending on size). You are only aiming for 145F max, so take it off at ~140, and let it rest for a few minutes. If you are getting close to dinner time, you can easily turn up the temp on the smoker (if it’s easy like on a pellet grill), and finish it off faster, or even take it inside and finish it in the oven. So if I’m planning on dinner at 6pm, and put the meat on around 4:30pm. At 5:30pm, if it’s still sitting a bit too low and now going to be done in time, I’ll turn up the temp on the smoker to 300 or even 400 if it’s *really* low. Let it finish faster, and it’s still great. Just make sure you hit the 140F internal mark. Over that and it starts to dry out.
Slice it up fairly thin (1/4″ slices), and serve like that. Any leftovers, slice up the same way, and you can make sandwiches, or a “Grilled Cheese Melt” with these, and they are the bomb.
Myself, I would make a crown roast out of it.
Pork loin is dry as shit, not much fat as a pork butt. You’ll be disappointed if you roast it like a butt.
This is a very different cut of meat than a pork butt / shoulder (which is 200+). I do these at 275 degrees for a few hours, pulling off at 145 internal. Maybe also good to hit it with an injection but that isnt as important.
Smoke to 120 internal cut into chops and sear in butter to 135.
Reverse sear is the best
I’ve learned to always do a brine for pork loin – I like an overnight dry brine.
Sous vide 145 fir about 36-48 hrs well seasoned. Then throw it on the smoker for about 30 min at it comes up to temp and give it a quick sear, cut and serve
I’d rotisserie it.
I smoke these all the time, one of my wife’s favorites.
Smoke to 135-140. Takes maybe like an hour and a half. Juicy as hell
Nah filet mignon I just grill about 4 min per side in garlic butter and down the hatch. beef I do medium rare
Treat it like a big tenderloin, because it has almost no intramuscular fat compared to a butt/shoulder.