Grilled Pork Tenderloin

[fuzzydaddy]

Very nice cook Stevo. You did good! Thanks for your post and photos. Your meal looks delicious.

[Bob's BBQ]

Looks super! Nice work!

[GirlpoweredBBQ]

Here's a stupid question from someone who never ate pork until about 6 months ago (and I'm 50!). I know, I know...anyway, pork*loin* is different from pork *tenderloin,* right? Is the pork loin more or less fatty than the tenderloin? Your tenderloins look awesome. But I have a big ol' pork loin in my freezer and am wondering if I'd cook it the same way, or if it requires a different technique. They're both pretty lean, right?

[ecowper]

GirlpoweredBBQ my wife never liked pork until she met me and learned you could cook it other ways than just turn into shoe leather. Pork loin is definitely lean. I like to do mine stuffed. Meathead has a recipe for it. But it's pretty straightforward. I cut it almost completely in half, leaving just enough lengthwise on one side to be a "hinge". I open it up, pile on some stuffing of some kind (last time I used Stovetop cornbread stuffing), close it up and tie it every 1.5 inches, or so. Then I rub it with Memphis Dust. Get the cooker up to 225-250, lay on a few chunks of Apple wood. Put the loin on and cook until internal temp is 140, then sear over direct heat until I have a nice brown on all sides. At that point my internal temp is 145 and with a bit of carryover cooking it will be 150 or so. No need to hold it in a cambro or anything. Bring in the house, finish prep and then slice the loin into nice, thick chops.

[GirlpoweredBBQ]

Thanks! (You're the best!) I saw Meathead's recipe. I liked his idea about pesto. How long do you think a 6-pound loin would take--ballpark? What would I do without you, ecowper?

[ecowper]

What matters is the thickness of the loin when it's all prepped, not the weight. I normally allow myself 2 hours for a stuffed pork loin. No stall to worry about or any of that sort of thing.

[GirlpoweredBBQ]

Fabulous. Thanks!

[ecowper]

Oh, and yes GirlpoweredBBQ the loin and tenderloin are different cuts of meat.

[ecowper]

Yes, just as lean. Totally nothing to be intimidated by. The loin is where a lot of pork chops are cut from.

[GirlpoweredBBQ]

Oooh, that didn't help the case. I have never met a pork chop I liked...they're always so horribly dry.

[ecowper]

The reason pork chops are dry is that they are very lean. So, if you cook them hot and fast to 165 degrees ... You end up with shoe leather. If you cook them low and slow, and serve at 145-150 .... Moist and tender.

[GirlpoweredBBQ]

Oh!!! This explains a lot. I will give this a shot and let you know how it turns out. You're the BEST. Thanks.