I decided to mix things up this week and try my hands at a pork loin. I don’t typically plan to do cooks on weekdays because of my work schedule, but I guess I was feeling particularly ballsy this week. That, and I knew the pork loin wasn’t going to be as big of a commitment in terms of cook time. This cook went extremely smooth. It was a relatively cool and clear night with minimal wind. I put this 8 pound pork loin on the cooker for roughly 8 hours before pulling it off. The loin was incredibly lean, so the next time I opt to smoke one, I will definitely brine it ahead of time. Either way, I managed to get great bark development with a decent smoke ring. That being said, the more research I’m doing on smoke rings, the more I’m starting to realize that it’s not the tell-tale sign of good BBQ. It’s kind of how people judge the quality of an espresso shot by looking at the crema only. Let’s just say that I’ve had a lot of subpar espresso with beautiful crema.

Let’s mix things up with a detailed list of parameters…

Meat: Pork Loin
Time: 8 Hours
Wood: Ash

Overall, I was pretty pleased with how this came out. Would definitely opt to smoke another pork loin in the future… I’d just brine it first.