Happy there's only 1 First Time

[Perkolater]

I did my homework and was pretty darn certain this ol' boy wasn't gonna make any mistakes on his first smoke but there's a bunch of leftover pork tender in my fridge that I'm not sure the dog will eat.  Here's the play by play:
Thinking I'm less likely to make an error with a smaller cut I started out with 3 brined and seasoned pork tenderloins about 1.6 lbs each .  Used 1 chunk of hickory(came with smoker) and a small piece of (alleged)pear wood from the big box store bag and weighed it at @3.2 oz.  Started cooking at 225 and within 10 minutes my #2 was puffing out smoke like a steam train.  Not a nice steady flow like the break in seasoning the night but a big puff every 5 seconds or so(was this the dreaded belch others comment on?)  The puffs subsided shortly but the smoke aroma was never good.  IT rose quickly so I cut the thermostat back to 200 thinking this was all happening way too fast and maybe I had some wood fire going.  Finished around 155-160IT in 1 1/2 hours after which I even tried a short reverse sear on the Webber just for the coup de gras.  It was a bit overdone internally just like the thermometer registered but I just wasn't expecting it to finish that quickly and didn't fully trust it.  Looked good tasted bad.

DM's repeated comments about how efficient these smokers are has now sunk in and I will be more precise with my wood and have already ordered some from smokenlicious but would prefer not to have any leftovers if anyone has suggestions?

 

[Durangosmoker]

Sounds like too much wood to me.  I use between 1.5 and 2 oz of wood when doing pork tenderloins, and yes, they cook fairly quickly - just a bit over an hour usually for mine.  And the number of tenderloins that you are making really doesn't change either the time or the amount of wood you need. 

As for the leftovers, maybe use a bit to flavor a bean soup?

 

[Perkolater]

Interesting concept to get my head around the idea that more meat doesn't equate to more wood.  I'm really suspicious of the bag of pear wood I bought locally but suspect most of the problem was just too much wood period.

Great suggestion on the left overs.

Thanks!

 

[old sarge]

It truly does not take much wood.

 

[DivotMaker]

Good to hear I'm making an impression, Dave!   Tenderloins go pretty quick (45 min - 1 hour, for me).  Here's a couple of quick recommendations:

1.  Tie up your loins (tenderloins, that is)!  Use butcher's twine about every 3".  It makes them "round," and they cook more evenly.  They tend to flatten-out, and cook uneven, if left alone.

2.  Weigh your wood, about 2 oz is plenty.  You don't have to use more wood with more meat, just with bigger meat!  If you have 10 tenderloins in there, they are all equally exposed to the smoke in the box environment, so it's no different than if you had one in there.  We need more wood for thicker, heavier cuts because they are, well, bigger!  lol.  They take longer to hit the magic 140, where the muscle fibers tighten-up enough to stop smoke from penetrating.

3.  Smoke your tenderloins to no more than 145.  This will yield slightly-pink, moist, and tender pork tenderloins.  I know we've all been conditioned, all of our lives, that ANY pink in pork is BAD!  Well, it's not.  The USDA has actually revised the standards, and 145 is perfectly safe with today's pork.  Plus, it will withstand a quick reverse-sear better!

Just my 2¢...

 

[Perkolater]

Thanks Sarge...the advice about the wood is plain as day throughout this forum but a little first hand experience puts it all in perspective.

DM...are u folding and tieing the loin or simply binding every 3" or so?

 

[DivotMaker]

Dave, if I buy the 2-packs from Sam's (4 tenderloins, total), I tie 2 of them together (mate them thin end to thick end, so they're even), and bind them every 2-3".  This makes them cook better, too, as they're not so small.  Singles should also be bound every 2-3", to make them round.

 

[Perkolater]

Man I'm almost ready to try again!  What temperature did you set the thermostat on?

As side notes-I need one in the "win" column before the wife gets the Visa bill on the #2 and contrary to my original speculation, the dog did not frown on the leftovers

 

[Perkolater]

Man, my photos are making me dizzy

 

[DivotMaker]

Dave, if you're uploading pics from your phone, sometimes you need to run them through an editor, like Windows Paint, rotate and save them before uploading.

 

[Perkolater]

Thanks Tony, after my smoker pics were on their side I thought I was on it and then my dog's upside down...well lol
I'm slow but I'll get there!

 

[DivotMaker]

No worries, Dave!  We'll help get you there!

 

[Perkolater]

Think I have a lot of potential for the Lazy Man Q award

 

[DivotMaker]

Think I have a lot of potential for the Lazy Man Q award

You may be on to something!