Smoked Pork Loin
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 14, 2011
Time
2¼ hours, plus 2 hours marinating
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Marinade
¼ cup Dijon mustard ¼ cup whiskey, preferably bourbon (see note)¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 4 garlic cloves, minced2 ½ pound boneless pork loin roast, fat on top scored lightly and tied (see tip)Spice Rub
1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 cups wood chips, soaked for 15 minutesBefore You Begin
Look for a pork roast with about 1/4 inch of fat on top. This pork is juicy and flavorful enough to stand alone, but it also goes well with any of our quick No-Cook Barbecue Sauces (see related content.) While we prefer bourbon for its smoky sweetness, feel free to substitute whatever American whiskey you have on hand.
Instructions
- For the marinade: Whisk mustard, whiskey, soy sauce, sugar, Worcestershire, and garlic in bowl. Place marinade and pork in gallon-size zipper-lock bag. Press air out of bag, seal, and refrigerate for 2 hours, flipping bag after 1 hour to ensure that pork marinates evenly. (Pork can marinate for up to 8 hours.)
- For the spice rub: Combine all ingredients except wood chips in small bowl. Remove pork from marinade, pat dry with paper towels, and rub spice mixture all over roast.
- Seal wood chips in foil packet and cut vent holes in top. Open bottom vent on grill. Light 100 coals; when covered with fine gray ash, spread over half of grill. Arrange foil packet directly on coals. Set cooking grate in place and heat, covered, with lid vent open completely, until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 5 minutes. (For gas grill, place foil packet directly on primary burner. Heat all burners on high, covered, until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner[s] off.) Scrape and oil cooking grate.
- Arrange roast fat-side up on cooler side of grill. Cook, covered, until meat registers 130 to 135 degrees, about 1 hour, flipping and rotating roast once halfway through cooking. Move roast to hot side of grill and cook, covered, until pork is well browned on all sides and meat registers 140 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 15 minutes (temperature will rise to 150 degrees). Remove twine. Slice and serve.
Time
2¼ hours, plus 2 hours marinatingYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Marinade
Spice Rub
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Marinade
Spice Rub
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Marinade
Spice Rub
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Our Smoked Pork Loin recipe began with a basic barbecue spice rub (paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, brown sugar, salt, and pepper), which added plenty of flavor without completely taking over the dish. Starting the meat on the cooler side of the grill and saving the searing until the end of cooking—when the wood chips had already surrendered their smoke—proved a better way to develop flavor on the exterior of the meat. To build flavor on the inside of the meat with a marinade, we began with soy sauce, which penetrated the meat much like a saltwater brine, helping to season it and keep it moist. Garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar lent boldness to the mild pork, while bourbon provided the smoky-sweet taste and kick needed to reinforce the smoke flavor.
Before You Begin
Look for a pork roast with about 1/4 inch of fat on top. This pork is juicy and flavorful enough to stand alone, but it also goes well with any of our quick No-Cook Barbecue Sauces (see related content.) While we prefer bourbon for its smoky sweetness, feel free to substitute whatever American whiskey you have on hand.
Instructions
- For the marinade: Whisk mustard, whiskey, soy sauce, sugar, Worcestershire, and garlic in bowl. Place marinade and pork in gallon-size zipper-lock bag. Press air out of bag, seal, and refrigerate for 2 hours, flipping bag after 1 hour to ensure that pork marinates evenly. (Pork can marinate for up to 8 hours.)
- For the spice rub: Combine all ingredients except wood chips in small bowl. Remove pork from marinade, pat dry with paper towels, and rub spice mixture all over roast.
- Seal wood chips in foil packet and cut vent holes in top. Open bottom vent on grill. Light 100 coals; when covered with fine gray ash, spread over half of grill. Arrange foil packet directly on coals. Set cooking grate in place and heat, covered, with lid vent open completely, until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 5 minutes. (For gas grill, place foil packet directly on primary burner. Heat all burners on high, covered, until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner[s] off.) Scrape and oil cooking grate.
- Arrange roast fat-side up on cooler side of grill. Cook, covered, until meat registers 130 to 135 degrees, about 1 hour, flipping and rotating roast once halfway through cooking. Move roast to hot side of grill and cook, covered, until pork is well browned on all sides and meat registers 140 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 15 minutes (temperature will rise to 150 degrees). Remove twine. Slice and serve.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
0 Comments