Molasses & Brown Sugar Pork Loin

[UWFSAE]

Trying something a bit outside my wheel well today.  I have some friends begging for some 'Q for a little poker game we're having today.  They were running a sale on pork loin at the local Kroger for $1.79 a pound so I picked up two to stash in the freezer for a day like today.

So, I started with a 4.3 lb. pork loin.  I added this to a brown sugar pork brine I cobbled together and let that sit refrigerated for 36 hours.  After a good rinse this morning, I coated the loin liberally with some molasses and then rubbed with a Brown Sugar Pork Rub.  Originally I had planned on an injection but the brining make this sucker pretty heavy which meant it picked up quite a bit of the liquid from it's day-and-a-half dip in the pool.  Since this is an experiment, I'm letting it go without any further juicing.

I loaded the smoker with just under 4 oz. of apple wood and set the temp to 235.  I'll be removing it at 143-145 and wrapping it immediately for a rest of at least 30 minutes.  After that, it'll be sliced up at the time of service and we'll be putting the pork on King's Hawaiian Rolls with a little BBQ sauce and a spicy slaw.

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[DivotMaker]

Joe, that's a great-looking loin!  How long did it take to smoke?  I do loins a lot, and never have a bark like that with the short cook time (around 2 hours in my #1).  I always coat with sauce and reverse-sear on the grill.  What's the secret??

[puddle jumper]

Man that looks like it will be good,,
How about let me know how long it cooks for,,,
 
PJ

[UWFSAE]

As usual, cooking by internal temp rather than by time ... pork is safe at 145 and I figured it would coast upwards to 148-150.  The time was just over two hours at 235 and then a brief reduction.  I definitely recommend this method but I think you need to follow the thermometer.

[UWFSAE]

And here is the final prep ... sliced roughly 3/4" thick for service on sammiches ... VERY juicy, even after holding in an oven preheated and turned off to 170 for a couple of hours.

Texture was spot on ... think porkchops that still have the firm texture but no real resistance to cutting or a bite.

This prep is going down in the permanent recipe file; I will inject it next time ... not for moisture, but for some spice flavor penetration into the interior.  The brine flavor (and oddly spicy rub) are very flavorful, but I'd like a bit more "oopmh".

[DivotMaker]

Beautiful, simply beautiful!