Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Cajun Mustard Pork Loin - Slow Roasted - Grilling Time Main Dish

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Pound for pound,ounce for ounce, taste bud for taste bud this is the easiest dish to make.  Just set your grill to the right low and slow temperature (225 degrees, maintain no lower than 215 and no higher than 240).  Rub the pork with spices (I make my own Cajun Spice mix I call, "Big Easy in a Jar", but feel free to use a store bought mix, Paul Prudhomme makes a very good one).

The mustard slather will keep the pork moist while it slow roasts.

And that's it... Careful temperature control, monitoring to take the meat off the heat at 145 degrees and you are set for a very tasty, very simple main dish.

Then, while serving brag about the 3 hour cooking time to get it just right, never admitting that you played a few games of on-line poker while the meat cooks itself!

Alright, it is just slightly complicated to get the grill the proper temp, but not terribly so.

BTW, feel free to just cook this in a regular kitchen oven.  You lose the smoke flavor, but you get the same moist tender delicious results.  But if you want to grill this... here's a few tips for smoking on a Weber Grill...

OK... Time to prep the grill for INDIRECT HEAT... Here's the most important part in order to get your meat restaurant quality.  It is important that the heat and smoke travel around the kettle, like a convection oven.  It is equally important that you do not "grill" the meat, meaning the heat (coals) is not directly below the meat.  That is too hot, too direct of heat.  Direct heat will burn, indirect will allow low and slow smoking, making moist tender and delicious!

So... Here's the steps for indirect heat on a Weber Kettle Grill...

 OK, remember All natural Wood Briquettes...

The bag also reads 100% Hardwood Charcoal.

OK... there is a math factor here... 20 Briquettes.  That's all you need now, count out 20 briquettes and put them in a chimney...
 And light the chimney... You use a few pages of newspaper wadded up and stuffed into the bottom, there is a wire rack keeping the newspaper separate from the coal.  Light the paper and let the coals sit on top of the fire for about 10 minutes...
 After 10 minutes the coals should show signs of being lit... Ash around the edges and deep inside glowing red.  Also little wisps of smoke....

If not, relight another few pages of newspaper and repeat the 10 minute wait.

If so, wait for another 5 minutes and then pour...
 BUT...

Only pour around one edge... Indirect remember.  You do not want the coals spread to reach under the meat.

Pop on the grate and you are now ready to cook...

Notice that I have the handles of the grate, one side directly over the stack of lit coals.  This is IMPORTANT so that you can add briquettes without removing the grate.


And the photo above shows the MOST IMPORTANT TIP for insuring Restaurant Quality Low and Slow smoked ribs...

TEMPERATURE.  225 is your goal.  Never higher than 250, never lower than 220.  The air vents at the op and at the bottom of the kettle are adjustable, open wide and more oxygen flows into the kettle and the fire burns hotter.  Close them and no oxygen gets in and the fire dies.  You need that happy medium.  Check your temperature early and often.  It will take you another 10 minutes or more to get the vents right.  Do this before you add the meat.

OK... FINALLY, time to start cooking...



Arrange the meat fat side up on the grill NOT over the coals... NOT over the coals.  Watch your temperature in the kettle, check every few hours to make sure the internal temperature of the meat does not get above 145 and relaxe... it really is easy and so worth the effort!


OK... Here's what I did...


Cajun Mustard Pork Loin - Slow Roasted


Ingredients
Cooking Directions
  1. Rub the spice mix all over the pork loin. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes for the spices to blend into the pork.
  2. Carefully rub the Mustard onto the pork without rubbing off the spices.
  3. Set your grill for indirect low and slow. Add wood chips to the charcoal for an additional smoked flavor. Cook low and slow with the temperature in the grill maintained at 225 degree
  4. After 2 hours, Check internal temperature of the pork every 30 minutes. Internal temperature goal is 145 degrees.
  5. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
  6. Serve warm and ENJOY!!!


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