Cooking pork loin?

[sixdogs]

My wife occasionally BBQ's pork loin. Sometimes she cooks it inside but in all cases it is always dry and tough. She has tried a crock pot, oven, etc and no dice. I don't think she is overcooking. Then we went out for a function and they served the nost delicious pork loin we have ever had and it was neither dry nor tough. It was as though fate had intervened.
Any cooks have any idea what is going on and why our pork loins are dry and tough? How do you cook a pork loin?

:licking:

 

[brin]

My wife occasionally BBQ's pork loin. Sometimes she cooks it inside but in all cases it is always dry and tough. She has tried a crock pot, oven, etc and no dice. I don't think she is overcooking. Then we went out for a function and they served the nost delicious pork loin we have ever had and it was neither dry nor tough. It was as though fate had intervened.
Any cooks have any idea what is going on and why our pork loins are dry and tough? How do you cook a pork loin?

:licking:

We buy big pork loins at Sam's Club and inject them...we inject them with a mixture of vinegar and a mild BBQ sauce..but you could inject them with anything you choose and then we cut off a portion of the fat and cook it on the gas grill off of the heat side...it is usually done in about 1 hr. and 20 min.

You may be overcooking...remember if you take it off the grill at 165 deg it will continue to cook as you let it rest off the grill covered with foil...It should rest for at least 20 minutes to retain the juices and finish cooking..

 

[Deere Dude]

Is the fire to hot? I usually try to keep the fire in the gas grill medium to low so the temperature stays about 300 deg on the thermostat in the cover.

As soon as the loin is browned I put it on the top rack and leave it there the whole time.

After awhile I stick a probe in the center of it from the end and pull it off at 170 deg, if I remember right. I am a rookie, but I turn the loin over quite often and keep putting BBQ on it after the first 10 minutes or so. . I turn it over every couple minutes so I don't burn it because steaks or anything I cook seems to burn if unless I turn them over often.

When the juices run clear when cutting into it and you don't see any blood, then you should be good to go.

It works for me that way, but I have to force myself to take it off in time. I have a tendency to always want to keep it on a little longer than it should be, and then it gets tough. Discipline.

 

[EarPlug]

Most Chef's recommend taking a pork loin off the heat at 140-150 range. If you don't like it a little pink inside then use the 150 temp.

The National Pork Board says to take it off the heat at 155 and expect a final temperature of 160.

Anything over 160 would be well done, dry and chewy.

Found a good site http://www.how-to-cook-gourmet.com/cookingporktenderloin.html

 

[dmccarty]

Most Chef's recommend taking a pork loin off the heat at 140-150 range. If you don't like it a little pink inside then use the 150 temp.

The National Pork Board says to take it off the heat at 155 and expect a final temperature of 160.

Anything over 160 would be well done, dry and chewy.

...

:thumbsup:

The older recommendation was to cook to higher temperatures, I want to say 170, to kill off parasites in the pork. With today's pork this is not needed. I try to cook to 160ish at the most.

I have noticed when cooking on the grill, that the meat will be done or close to done, when you start seeing juice on the top of the meat. I cut the loin into four pieces so it will cook faster and I keep the fire temp around 350 at the most. I cook with wood chips I save from splitting firewood as well as limbs I pick off the ground. I make a very small fire in the "grill" and cook for 60-90 minutes.

I just use wood. No gas or coal. The wood leaves a nice smoked flavor that even my picky, choosy kids love.

We eat off the loin for a week or more so having it a bit undercooked is ok for us since we can then reheat in the microwave.

Later,
Dan

 

[NativeSon]

We cook pork loin a lot because it's cheap, and when done right it's very good. I cut up celery, carrots, and onions in chunks and put them in the bottom of the pan. Put the loin on top of the veg. and then add some water to the bottom of the pan. Season the loin with Granulated Garlic, S&P.

Place in a 350* oven uncovered and cook till you get a nice browning on the top of the loin, about 30 min. Add more liquid if needed.

Cover with foil and cook to an internal temp of 155*. Take the loin out and using the foil, roll up the loin in the foil and allow to rest for 25-30 min.

Strain the liquid and add some beef broth and use it to make pan gravy.

I have also used Pork loin trimmed and made into cutlets to make Chicken Fried Steak of Fried Pork Chops, and my wife uses it to make Picatta Milanese(Veal is way too expensive).

When it's on sell it's cheaper than Hamburger and can be used in a lot of ways.

Give it a try if you like, and let me know how it comes out.

Charlie

 

[creekbend]

I cook pork several different ways. Have you ever tried cooking in one of those "oven bags". When I use one, I add some canned pork gravy, small red potatoes, celery chunks, carots, and lemon pepper seasoning. I cook the potatoes and carrots until they are about halfway cooked beforehand to ensure that they are done, in order to make sure that the meat is not cooked too long. After adding all the ingredients to the bag, I placed the loin in the bag and follow the instructions. Be sure to place the bag in a large enough deep pan before placing in the oven. This cooking method has always resulted in tender juicy meat.

 

[randy41]

you could try smoking it.

 

[om21braz]

Here we cook it on an indirect-heat gas grill @ approx. 350-400 degrees until inner temp is about 160F. Only prep is a rub-down with coarse black pepper and sea salt. This is a fairly quick method and does not yield as good a finished product as cooking over wood coals at a lower temp for a longer time. Below is a recipe for a true Lexington-style BBQ "dip" or sauce - which is only applied after cooking. This is for a restaurant size amount - reduce as you see fit.

2 quarts distilled vinegar
64 ounces of ketchup
1 tbsp. ground red pepper
1 tbsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. crushed red pepper
10 ounces sugar
1 tbsp. salt

heat to a boil and thin with water to desired consistency.

FYI - While heating - it will provide quite a nose-opening aroma LOL.

 

[Bird]

We've cooked pork loins in the smoker and in the oven, with and without injecting a marinade, and never had one that wasn't well done, but still tender and juicy. We do use a meat thermometer and usually cook it to 165; pink is good for beef, but we don't care for pink for pork. Not that we're afraid of it causing illness; just that it suits our taste better.