How to cook a pork loin
I had planned to make some pulled pork and sent my boyfriend off for some pork butt. He came back with a 3 1/2 lb. pork loin (two loins tied together). I don't know what to do with this hunk o' meat as it is too lean to slow cook. Should I braise it and then roast it? I have read some conflicting information. I would still like to use some BBQ sauce-like ingredients. Any ideas?
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12 Comments:
Stud it with garlic, coat it liberally with rendered bacon fat, salt it, then sear it on all sides on high heat in a deep oven safe container, like a cast iron or enameled dutch oven. When you have it nicely seared, put it in a low oven and then braise it slowly in the flavored liquid of your choice, covered with a parchment paper round. If you want BBQ flavor, you could dilute your favorite BBQ sauce in some chicken stock and / or a dry white wine and use that as your braising liquid.
simon at 3:51PM on 05/11/09
You can use this recipe with one or both of the loins (you can freeze one). Remove the silver skin and trim off any fat. Finely chop 2 big garlic cloves, one largish shallot, and mix with at least a half a bottle of Dijon mustard - also mix in some tarragon and thyme if you have it. Coat the tenderloin generously on all sides with this mixture and marinate a least an hour, preferably more (overnight is good). Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or so, till done. Deglaze the baking pan with white wine and chicken stock to make a gravy.
The leftovers are great in Cuban sandwiches, as well as in lentil or split pea soup.
MMinNYC at 4:06PM on 05/11/09
I like to buy extra pork loin. I marinade it in all the pickle juice I save and then slow bake it. The meat comes out nicely tenderized and suprise, suprise it goes perfectly in Cubano sandwiches.
Martini Me at 4:57PM on 05/11/09
I slow-cook pork loin all the time ... 6 - 8 hours at 200 degrees. It just falls apart.
LunaPierCook at 5:05PM on 05/11/09
Whatever method you use, I recommend brining it. Let us know what you decide to do with your pork line surplus and how it turns out.
ag3208 at 5:13PM on 05/11/09
Is that tenderloin or loin? Two entire loins tied together would be more like 12-15 lbs at least.
If it's tenderloin (or even if it's loin AFAIC) you should sear it and roast it in the oven. It would be a waste to overcook such a nice cut of meat.
SqueezeBottle at 5:26PM on 05/11/09
NC style in honor of my hubby! I season it with S&P and saute it on all sides, pop it in the slow cooker for 6-8 on low after adding 2 cups of apple cider vinegar, a BIG spoonful of crushed red pepper flakes, a couple teaspoons brown sugar, and a couple tablespoons of Frank's Red Hot.
dharmon at 5:58PM on 05/11/09
This could also be a recipe for the post about food for camping:
I like to slice the tenderloin into 1 inch medallions, wrap them with a strip of bacon, and put 2 or 3 (depending upon the diameter) onto a skewer.
I brush them with just a bit of olive oil, and then do a rub of thyme, garlic, paprika, black pepper & some salt.
You could use whatever spice combo you want.
Grill or broil them at home.
If camping....simply stick them near the campfire/coals and cook them Guacho style.....
2qrs at 6:30PM on 05/11/09
My husband cooked up some pork loin last night for my lunch today. I posted what he more or less did in the pantry post.
He made a batter of flour, cajun seasoning, and egg. Coated the loin slices with the batter and then with panko, then deep fried. He then laid the loins out in a baking dish and put cream of mushroom soup and fresh mushrooms, and baked it for several hours.
Good with apple sauce - what I had for dinner tonight...the leftover apple sauce is what we'll use for the kim chee (recipe posted here last week) we'll be making later this week.
Cassaendra at 6:44PM on 05/11/09
Salt,pepper and garlic powder.Smoke it for about 3 hours,cool,slice thin and warm it up in some BBQ sauce.
onepercent99 at 6:45PM on 05/11/09
Low and slow garlic salt pepper in the oven at 225 for 2.5 hours
or 325 for till inside hits 168 degrees. Pork loin is wonderful.
JerzeeTomato at 7:16PM on 05/11/09
Cut the tenderloin into 1/2-inch thick medallions against the grain. Season with salt and pepper then lightly flour. Brown both sides in olive oil and remove from pan. Deglaze pan with beef broth, scraping up brown bits. Add some dijon mustard and capers. Cook sauce down just a bit; adjust thickness with more broth if needed. Add back pork and cook until heated through.
I love this because it's not only delicious but really quick and easy. Great with rice pilaf. Mmm...maybe I'll make this for dinner tonight:)
ericjpdx at 10:34AM on 05/12/09