Category: Pork Loin

The pork loin is the area between the shoulder and the back legs of the pig. This meat is very lean and is also the most tender part of the hog. This pork loin was just under six pounds.

We will be using an adobo seasoning and besides the fact that it adds a lot of flavor it will also help tenderize the meat by acting as a dry brine. The one I’m using today is from Lowry’s and this one also includes pepper. They also have a version without pepper if the pepper is an issue.

Get a container. I like using a glass 15-inch by 10-inch rectangular baking dish. Put the seasoned loin into the dish. When seasoning make sure you cover every inch of the pork loin. The salt in the adobo seasoning will play a second role besides taste by acting as a dry brine. Adobo or Adobar in Spanish means marinade, sauce or seasoning. Adobo was employed initially as a method for food preservation but now its primary purpose is just to add a lot of great flavor to your meat. Now put the dish into the refrigerator for up to 12 hours so the loin can get the benefit of the Dry Brine.

So what is a Dry Brine? This is when the salt draws out the juices in the meat through osmosis. Next, the salt dissolves into these juices essentially turning into a wet brine even though there isn’t any embedded liquid. And finally, this brine is reabsorbed into the meat and starts breaking down tough muscle proteins resulting in a juicy, tender, seasoned meat.

Now is the time to put the loin into a vacuum sealed bag using your vacuum sealer. Remove all the air from the bag and seal. if you plan on doing a lot of sous-vide cooking I highly recommend you buy one of these units. The model I bought was well under $100 and it is great for managing your food.

I always double seal each end of the bag just to make sure we get no leaks.

Now it is time for the bath preheat sous-vide bath to 137 degrees Fahrenheit put the pork loin into the bath and then cook pork loin for four hours.

Remove loin from the cooking bag and pat dry the loin with paper towels.

Preheat your smoker or barbecue grill to 275 degrees Fahrenheit if you’re using a grill please set up for indirect cooking. Smoke the pork loin for one and a half hours.

The outcome of this type of cooking gives you the best of both worlds. The meat will be extremely tender and moist. Also, the smoker will add just the right amount of bark, texture, and color.