Smoked Pork Loin with Southwestern Rub

Smoked Pork Loin

It’s Grilling Season and I can think of no better way to celebrate than with a delicious, tender Smoked Pork Loin. Back in the day, here in the South, Memorial Day was also called Decoration Day. Families would take flowers and flags to the cemetery to decorate the graves of fallen heroes. Often, they would use the opportunity to reunite with family members who had also come to pay their respects. These family reunions would usually include a picnic lunch. And so began the tradition that has become the Memorial Day cookout.

Memorial Day also signals the start of summer and grilling season. Kids laughing, old men telling tales and the food – fresh red tomatoes, sweet watermelon and, over it all, that lip-smacking smell of grilled meat! Man, you can’t do better than that first cookout of summer!

The Loin

For my celebration this year, I chose a beautiful pork loin because, well, you know, I love me some hog! Kroger happened to have a great sale and I snapped up a couple. It’s going to be just me and Miss Frankie, so I cut them in half and froze the rest. I will often brine pork to ensure tenderness but I didn’t brine this pork loin (you can tell by the bright color of the meat).

This post is mainly about the rub but I did want to give you a few tips on choosing a good piece of meat for this Smoked Pork Loin. Pork loins have a layer of fat on top. That fat cover should be no more than ¼ inch or you’ll be paying good money for the weight you can’t eat. Of course, “fat is flavor” but you want to get that flavor within the meat so look for one with a bit of marbling. The perfect loin will be firm and bright grayish pink.

Just to take this over the top, I cut small slits in the meat to insert garlic cloves and get all that good, garlicky flavor down into the meat.

The Rub

Now, the rub…a rub adds flavor to any smoked or grilled meat. This is what’s going to set your pork loin apart. You can use just salt, pepper and garlic powder or go more ethnic with Cajun, Asian or Southwest flavors. Really, the only limit is your imagination. You can buy rubs pre-mixed at the store but it’s awfully easy to make one and, once perfected, can become your signature flavor – a little “family secret”.

What I’m doing today is a dry rub, although it really is kind of a hybrid because of how I prepare the meat. The dry rub is the mixture of spices and other dry ingredients, such as sugar. A wet rub is where you mix those dry ingredients with something like olive oil or Worcestershire. I actually rub down the meat with a little olive oil to help the rub stick, help it seep into the meat and give a little extra moisture to the meat.

I do sometimes add a little brown sugar to a rub but if you choose to do that, be careful of your temperature. Sugar burns at 275 degrees and the last thing you want on the outside of your beautiful pork loin is an inedible, thick, blackened crust. Pretty important since a good barbecue joint will allow you to specify inside or outside meat and those “outside” people get pretty worked up over a burnt crust.

That’s about it for this delicious Smoked Pork Loin. See the previous post for my take on smoking your meat. Just do me a favor – once you’ve tried this out, work on your own secret rub recipe – your family and friends will love you for it!

smoked pork loin 4 — (Later in the day). BOOYAH! if it’s not the best pork loin I have ever had, its pretty dang close!!

[recipe title=”Smoked Pork Loin with Southwestern Pork Rub ” servings=”8-10″ time=”90 minutes” difficulty=”easy”]

Ingredients

1 head garlic
1 tablespoon table salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon’s chipotle chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons light olive oil

Directions

Rinse off your pork with cold water and pat dry. Trim any excess fat. Cut 1″ slits in the fat side of the loin and insert a clove of garlic in each slit. In a bowl mix the first 7 ingredients together. Using your hands, coat the dry meat well with olive oil. Wash and dry your hands to get the oil off, sprinkle your rub on the meat and pat it in. Bake or smoke as desired.

Smoking directions

Heat smoker to 250°. Place pork on oiled grate, shut door or lid and smoke for 2 ½ hours. Remove pork loin and wrap in a foil pouch. Put back in smoker, reduce heat to around 175° and allow to smoke for another 3-5 hours, depending on the cut and size of meat. I like an internal temperature of no less than 170°. Remove from smoker and allow to rest 30 minutes before removing from foil and slicing.

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Smokin’ HOT!

There are probably few small towns in the South that don’t hold claim to a great (or semi-great) barbecue joint (in Temple, it’s Jones Barbecue). You’ll be driving down the road and a breeze will come through your open window, carrying with it the tantalizing aroma of perfectly smoked meat. Man, you could have just eaten dinner at your Granny’s and your mouth will STILL water! The cool thing is you can get that aroma and flavor with your own smoker in your own yard.

This is not really a recipe but more of a how-to guide. I know people who have high tech, thousand dollar smokers and I know others who have a barrel cut in half and welded on a frame that their Uncle Frank put together. The truth is, you can get great results from whatever you have if you follow a few simple rules. I actually use a CharGriller barrel charcoal grill as a smoker and it works fine with a few little changes.

Smoking meat is simple enough, just don’t get in a hurry. Remember, the primary rule is “low and slow”. That meat is going to love a constant temperature of around 170° until your internal temperature reaches about 165°.

This is how I go about it. First, you need a throwaway deep-sided pan that sits in your firebox easily to hold your fire together and allow for a longer, more controlled burn. A disposable aluminum pan works just fine.

Put several 1” sticks of water soaked oak in the bottom of the pan. Shape a healthy-sized pyramid of charcoal on top of your wet oak. Add your charcoal fuel and allow to soak in for 10-15 minutes before you light. You don’t want a large fire, on the contrary, you want it well lit but your goal is a small fire that will burn for hours. Your grill is now a smoker!

When the flame dies down, shut the lid and start watching your grill thermometer. When you get up to temp, place your meat as far away as possible from the direct heat and close the lid. The oak on the bottom of the pan will dry quickly and begin to be a major fuel source within 45 minutes or so.

Your vents are your best tool for maintaining the proper heat level. If the temperature gets too high, close your vents a little. If it goes a little low, open them up a bit.

I keep a handful of nut or fruit tree twigs soaked in water close by to add your preferred smoky taste – pecan, apple, mesquite, etc. Allow to smoke until you reach the internal temp you desire. More charcoal may be needed as you go but that’s on a case by case basis.

When your meat is done remove from heat and allow to rest 15 minutes minimum to seal in juices before slicing. That’s it! Play with the wood chips to get the smoky taste you like. You can try any type of meat and/or veggies to see how the different varieties of wood accent the flavor. Look at it this way – you’ll eat a lot of good barbecue while you’re fine tuning…a win-win for everybody!

Italian Marinade

Today I have a short but SAVORY little recipe to share with you that could very well become a go-to marinade for you. Man, this stuff is good! I’ve used it on chicken in the picture but pork or beef works just as well and fish turns out to-die-for! You can even use it just for veggies if you have a mind to.

Again, this jewel of a recipe can be tweaked to include the seasonings you want. I find dried herbs work best for me but fresh basil or rosemary would be tasty also.

[recipe title=”Italian Marinade” servings=”1 cup” time=”10 minutes” difficulty=”easy”]

Ingredients

3/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Pour marinade into a sealable plastic bag, reserving 1/3 cup. Place your meat in the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove from bag, discard marinade and cook as desired. Use the reserved marinade to brush your meat about 10 minutes before done.

Cooking Note
Cook covered until the final 10 minutes then leave uncovered to brown.

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Fried Chicken Marinara

The other evening, I wanted something that would cook up quickly but didn’t want one of those boring quick-to-table recipes. With some beautiful chicken breasts I needed to use and a craving for pasta, I set to work on coming up with something new.

Now I know it’s a bit cliche for this recipe post on my southern cooking blog to start with the words “Fried Chicken” but be real, folks…you know you love it! If it makes you feel better, call it Chicken Parmesan. Whatever you call it, you’re going to love the way the crispy chicken and marinara blend.

I’m using a good quality, jarred tomato sauce as a base for this. Now, I do like to make my sauce from scratch but there are some good sauces you can pick up at the grocery store. They make a good start and the additional ingredients really kick up the flavor.
Just find a good brand you like and make it your own. My personal favorite is the Bertolli line but try out others to match your taste.

Another one of those recipes you can tweak to match your tastes. Try it out and I think you’ll find it’s a family pleaser.

[recipe title=”Fried Chicken Marinara” servings=”4″ time=”1 hour” difficulty=”easy”]

Marinara

1 lg jar pasta sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes, well-drained
6-8 white mushrooms, quartered
1⁄2 med sweet onion, roughly chopped
1⁄2 bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Fried chicken

2 large boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
Enough milk in bowl to cover chicken

Place the following items in a 1 gallon Ziploc

1 cup flour
2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder.
3 tablespoons canned parmesan cheese.
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Place chicken to soak in milk bath for at least 45 minutes.

Mix all ingredients for marinara in a medium sauce pot and bring to a low simmer. Stir often and keep covered, simmering on low for 1 hour.

Place dry ingredients for fried chicken in bag and shake to combine. Drain chicken and place in bag, shake well. Heat 1⁄2 inch olive oil for frying in 12” iron skillet. Gently remove chicken from bag and carefully place in the hot grease. Don’t crowd but most if not all will fit in one batch. Try really hard to only flip once. When both sides are golden brown, remove to paper towel to drain.

Boil 1 pound of pasta as per directions on package and drain well. Place desired amount of pasta on plate hollowing out the center. Place 5 or 6 pieces of fried chicken in center well. Dip a ladle full of marinara on top of chicken. Place a few more pieces of chicken on pasta and top with marinara. Serve right away.

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