Thinking about smoking a pork loin but getting it to 205 degrees for pulled pork. I have smoked several loins to 145 for slicing but have not tried the pulled pork method yet. Have a couple of questions. When using the longer method is there a stall involved as with butts? If and when do you wrap the loin? Cooking temp at 225? Sure appreciate any info you folks have about this.
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Take a look at this:
It works every time. I used to not wrap, but I started wrapping recently to catch the drippings so I can mix them back in while pulling the pork. Next time I may try just using a pan under the pork to catch the juices. All of this is about experimenting and deciding which method you like best, but the basics are in Meathead's recipe.
I am sure our brethren will chime in soon... -
I was asking specifically about Pork Loin instead of butts. I have tried the recipe you mentioned for butts before and it worked great. Just didn’t know if loins should be cooked differently than butts because they are leaner etc. Thanks.Comment
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OK, closer reading is required. I have never tried to pull a loin, so I can't really contribute after all.Comment
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I would not take a loin to butt temperatures. You would have sawdust. There just isn't enough fat and connective tissue to render out. I have never tried cooking a loin to pull it. I have taken a pork SIRLOIN roast to 170 to pull it. Loins are best cooked to 140-145.Comment
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I wouldn't do it. The loin is way too lean, and it will end up a super dry mess, and probably hard as a rock.Comment
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I do it all the time. Smoke at 225 fat side up.. pull and put in crock pot with a little apple cider.Comment
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Since you do it, how about doing it again and taking pics from start to finish. Use a thermometer and let us know what temp you pull it and how did you know when to pull it if not by temp. That should answer all questions and concerns. Some of us may know what works and what does not work, but non of knows everything. Teach us how you do it. -
I do not/did not claim to know everything.. there are ways of doing things that are out of the norm.. I learn a lot of the stuff I do from people in their 70 and 80's so they never used thermometers much.. have their own way!!! To tell when a whole hog is done on the roaster..... The front shoulder should pull apart easy by hand.. how to tell when maple syrup is cooked down enough??the a piece of wire make. Loop and when it can hold it own weight up, it is the right sugar content.. -
@thehumbletexan..just cuz u can't understand it doesn't mean it can't happen... I hope I talked slow enough so u could understand pulled pork and chopped pork are close as u and your cousin😁😁😁Last edited by Backroadmeats; March 6, 2019, 11:48 PM.
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Do you wrap it at any point? Is there a stall? Looks great.Originally posted by Backroadmeats View PostI do it all the time. Smoke at 225 fat side up.. pull and put in crock pot with a little apple cider.Comment
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I am terrible for explaining how to do stuff.. I never wrap.. never use a water pan and only use a meat thermometer when I make sausage. I just know when to pull it out of the smoker . I am sure it would have a stall. Sorry wish I could be more help on specificsComment
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Thanks. At least I know it is possible. May give it a try to see how it goes. Nothing to lose except a chunk of meat, right?Comment
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I agree with the comments above, pork loin is way too lean to try to cook to that high a temp. There is no fat or collagen to render out so what's the point? I never take it to more than 140*, tender and juicy as can be. If you want to pull it (not sure why) then take it to about 165-170* at try pulling it there. I still think you will find it way too dry.
Best pulled pork is gotten from a nice fatty shoulder cut. Easiest thing in the world to smoke and not screw up too badly !!Comment
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Sorry, but don't try this. It will basically be a dried out brick or piece of wood if you do. Unlike the Boston butt (shoulder), the pork loin is a very lean cut of meat, and has no fat to render or connective tissue to break down, an will dry out completely if you cook it much beyond the recommended 145F.Originally posted by dennisl View Post
Back "in the day" when it was recommended to cook pork to 165F instead of 145F, I would smoke loins to 165F, and they were always so dry that the only way you could eat it was to slice thin and slather with BBQ sauce, much like I used to have it at Sonny's as a college student in the 1980's on all-you-can-eat pork day.
Cooking to 200ish degrees IT is really only useful for 3 cuts of meat that I cook - pork shoulder, brisket or chuck roast. All 3 of these have so much internal fat and connective tissue, that they can handle the higher temp cook, and they need that higher temp (and longer time) for the full connective tissue break down, as well as rendered fat that internally bastes the meat.Comment
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I've cooked and eaten a lot of pork loin over the years, but I can't quite wrap my mind around how I'd cook pork loin so this cut of meat would actually have a pull-able texture. Chopped or sliced -- sure -- but not pulled.
And the other aspect is cooking it to over 200 F. If cooked above 140 F, loin invariably turns dry and chewy even if braised in plenty of liquid.
I think a person could cook loin until properly done (140 F, not 200+), chop or slice the meat as desired, and toss with a BBQ sauce or broth or gravy to add moistness and flavor. That's a common way to do pork sandwiches around here in rural Iowa. But that's not the same as pulled pork like you're talking about.Comment
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I am with the majority. Pork loin won’t pull at any temperature unless you are talking about pulling it off of the grill.Comment
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On a cold day about a month ago I cut some pork loin into 2 inch pieces an browned them a little. Then I put them in the crock pot with chicken broth, chopped onion, and sauerkraut. Let it all cook until it was fall apart done. It tastes great! Shredded the left overs for sandwiches. It was kind of like what IowaGirl posted above.Comment
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You're just over the border, Skip, so it's obvious some great Iowa traditions have spilled over the state line.
I used to show my Norwegian Fjord horse at the Blue Earth Fjord Horse Show on the Faribault county fair grounds -- think it was right before or right at the beginning of the county fair.
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