My brother is getting married in about a month and my dad and I are in charge of the meat. We wanted to do pulled pork but our local butcher is having a hard time getting it right now. He suggested bone-in pork loin for the party. He said a lot of the fire halls and golf tournaments were using these for their big barbeques and had told us that they would probably continue to use these because of how well they turned out. I know I don't post on here a lot but, I could use a little help. The pork butts would seem to be a better choice for the number of people we are feeding but I could see the pork loins going a long way also if we slice them thin. I was just hoping any of you guys have cooked this cut of meat and could give me any ideas on how to cook them. We have about 240 lbs to cook, any help is appreciated. Thank you!
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Someone will be along shortly that has experience with this cut. . . 🔥🔥🔥â¤ï¸ðŸ¿congratulations to your brother!! -
Crown roast of pork is what I would do with it. It is essentially a bone in rib roast from a pig. Don't over cook it and season it aggressively. Medium at MOST.Comment
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Take it from someone who does several cooks that size a year, go with pork butt or brisket. -
Listen to texastweeter, you'll have plenty of opportunity to support local businesses, but only one shot at getting this special occasion done effectively. -
texastweeter
Knows his meat might want to follow his advise and save the day!
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Bone-in will be harder to work with and slice. I'd find some butts. The loins are leaner and will be less forgiving if you don't time everything perfectly. The loins can dry out.Comment
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Has anyone here ever used this cut for shredded pork? I've found a few websites that say it's almost better than butt.Comment
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I've only done the boneless pork loins. I think wet brining the lean pork loins are almost a necessity. I used the "Maple Ham Cure ( from Sausage Maker) and brined for multiple days. Then used coarse pepper sprinkled liberally but-- only after slathering with mustard to help it stick. The brine is already salty so didn't add extra. I put it on the HB and smoked it at about 225-250 until it reached an internal of about 150. It took a few hours for the average size one I had. Right before it reaching 150 though, ( maybe 30 minutes) I slathered with Hoover Sauce and wrapped in pink paper. After it cooled down, I sliced it paper thin with an electric slicer . Everyone really enjoyed it. It was served on a bun.Comment
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I strongly agree with the advice to brine the loin. There's a local caterer who does large events serving boneless pork loin and it's really good -- tender and moist. Having eaten it quite a few times over the years, I can tell his loin has been brined to keep the moisture in and he manages to not overcook it. It's sliced to order as you go through the buffet line, not sliced in advance, and I think that also helps keep the loin moist and flavorful.
I would not do bone-in loins for this situation. Portion size will be set by the width of the bones, and if you're trying to maintain portion control, this won't work well.
All that said, I think I'd do pork butts given your circumstances. The caterer has lots of experience with his cooking method to turn out his loins. If this is your first shot experience at feeding 300 people, it would be best to stick with a cut that's more forgiving than pork loin -- it's wonderful if done well, but tough and dry as dust if the cook misses the mark.Comment
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I agree with those saying to get some butts. You would be slaving away right up until time to eat if you do loins, whereas butts would be done hours ahead of time and you can enjoy more of the day with your family.Comment
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As other members have said already, pork butts are less stressful to prepare. I've smoked pork butts, wrapped them midway, and then put in a cooler type chest to stay warm and reabsorb juices after they hit 200 IT . A good insulated chest will keep them hot for hours. They can also be pulled and vac bagged, refrigerated, or put in a sous vide type bath to stay warm until serving time ( just before serving time ) Keep safe handling of food in mind .Comment
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I am not familiar with "bone in pork loins" as such. I would agree pork butts would my go to for that amount of people. I am not sure where you live but here in FL pork butts are everywhere and they were easily available in MI on a recent trip there.
In that you have a month you could get a bone in pork loin and run a test this weekend. I am thinking at a minimum (if you went this route) they could be thinly sliced for some great sandwiches. I have smoked pork rib roasts and remove them when the hit 140 internal, comes out perfect every time.
Let us know what you decide with pics of course.Last edited by Redwng; August 19, 2022, 06:36 AM.Comment
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I found a picture of the boneless pork loin I did a few weeks ago. I cut the raw loin into 1/3 s since they were so big and use them one 1 at a time. So the picture is 1/3 of the loin we bought. I need a better phone to take pictures with. The yellow cast appearing wasn't on the meat.Attached FilesLast edited by bordercollie; August 19, 2022, 07:34 AM.Comment
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Pork loin, bone in or boneless, is overcooked and dry if you smoke it to past 145F. It is not a shreddable meat by any means. I've seen some idiots on Youtube that did so, but it requires tons of BBQ sauce to deal with the dryness. Pork loin is best cooked to 140-145 (I pull at 140, as carry over cooking will take it to 145F), and sliced thin.
Think about it - if you ever had those "center cut" pork chops, those are from the pork loin. If you cook one of those to pulling temperatures of 195F to 205F, it will be a piece of leather.
Not sure where you are located, but if your local butcher cannot get Boston butts, I would go somewhere else that does have it, even if it means going to a grocery store, or a place like Sam's Club or Costco. I think for what you want to do, even commodity grade Boston butts will do better than a bone in pork loin. Much more forgiving, and it will give you what you want - pulled rather than sliced pork. But if you can only get the loins, just plan on slicing thin. And be aware that they only take 2-3 hours to reach an IT of 145. So they are not a long smoke like Boston butts are for pulled pork.Last edited by jfmorris; August 19, 2022, 09:05 AM.Comment
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And if all you can get is bone-in pork loin, just separate the rack of bones from the loin eye. Voila! You've got boneless loin to cook now and a rack of baby back ribs to cook later.Comment
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I'm sorry I'm so late in responding. I've been away from my computer for a while. I really appreciate all of the advice you guys have given me. My dad went ahead and bought the loins and did a test run yesterday. They were smoked until about 150, wrapped in a tinfoil pan, and finished off until about 200. All of the juices were saved and the fat was scraped off to put back into the meat when shredding. I will have to say that I'm truly surprised at how moist the meat is. I'm running my test a little differently tonight. I've injected my loin with Smoky Okie's pure pork power to see what the difference will be in the moister content. I'll get some pictures of my smoke tonight and get them uploaded sometime. Thank you all again!Comment
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