The idea is that the dry surface accepts more of the smoke flavor.
Once you start putting on the mop baste, you rewet the meat. You could
raise the temp inside the smoker a bit too. I should point out that
having the mop warm works much better than cold. Thing about smoke
roasting is that it's a much quicker cooking process than for ribs or
brisket. You're not gonna leave the meat in there for 8-16 hours. I've
done a half cryovac sirloin this way, it was about 8 lbs. Leave the
fat on and let it render off into the water pan. For that cook I got
the temp up to about 300, and it spent 5 hours in the smoker. I let
the meat rest for 20 minutes before trying to slice it. The roast came
out with minimal shrinkage, and had a beautiful smoke ring. I managed
to squirrel away about a quarter of it so I might have sandwiches.
Good thing too, 'cause once I put the slices onto the table, they were
gone. I made a barbrcue gravy to go with it; red wine, a bit of rub,
some dijon mustard, lots of sauteed portobello shrooms, a splash Heinz
57 beef stock & roux to thicken. That was mighty damn fine on the
sandwiches.


Thanks Jim,

This is the kind of post that ought to be in the FAQ.

Now I understand, dry meat will accept the smoke flavor more readily.
Does mopping the meat prevent drying? Add flavor? Both? And doesn't
opening the smoker to mop the meat lower the temp enough, especially
if done regularly, to considerably lengthen the cook time? Which might
make things dryer?

I love your BBQ gravy idea, that's going in my idea file.

Thanks again.





Jim Rutkowski
Executive Chef - TrailerTrashAerospace
www.trailertrashaerospace.com

Jim Rutkowski wrote:

However, I'm still a newbie when it comes to BBQing, so I don't yet
understand the effect of these really long cooking times on various
cuts of meat. That's why I'm asking here, my lurking has revealed a
lot of experienced people post on this forum.

Jim,

Correct me if i'm wrong, but from the sum of your posts I
take it you still have questions on the benefits low temp
cooking of cuts other than ones traditional for BBQ like pork
butt, brisket, etc?

If so, try an experiment. Take a center cut pork loin, cut it
in half, put simple seasoning on them (S&P, etc) and cook one at
250 F and one at your normal higher temp. You'll find the one cooked
at the lower temp not only good, but quite possibly better. It will
definitely have more residual moisture, not less. When you add in
smoke, it's even better.

My routine is to rub it, sear it to get some caramelization,
and smoke it at 250 F to about 140-145 F internal. Nice crust,
good moisture content, less shrinkage.


--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Jim Rutkowski wrote:

Reg,

Yep, this is exactly the experience I'm looking for. I have a number
of nice tenderloins and roasts in the freezer that I'll experiment
with.

Could you give me a rough idea of how long it will take to bring a
t-loin to 140?

Better yet, ideally I'd like a cut of meat that I could smoke as you
mentioned above in less than 2 hours.

Suggestions...thanks.

Jim,

I always hate to give exact cooking times because it can vary so much,
but since you're an experienced cook I know you'll take that
into account As an example, my "usual" cooking time for
brisket at 250 F is around 1.5 hours per lb. Recently I cooked
one overnight in a screaming windstorm. An 8 lb brisket done to
perfection in 8 hours. Who knows...

That said, this morning I did an 8 inch center cut pork loin segment (not
tenderloin) at 250 F and it took about an hour and a half to hit 140 F internal.
It was just about at room temp to start and it was stuffed with a parfrozen
smoked sausage. Your tenderloins having a smaller cross sectional area will
be less obviously.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

I always hate to give exact cooking times because it can vary so much,
but since you're an experienced cook I know you'll take that
into account As an example, my "usual" cooking time for
brisket at 250 F is around 1.5 hours per lb. Recently I cooked
one overnight in a screaming windstorm. An 8 lb brisket done to
perfection in 8 hours. Who knows...

That said, this morning I did an 8 inch center cut pork loin segment (not
tenderloin) at 250 F and it took about an hour and a half to hit 140 F internal.
It was just about at room temp to start and it was stuffed with a parfrozen
smoked sausage. Your tenderloins having a smaller cross sectional area will
be less obviously.


Very cool indeed, and I just happen to have a center cut pork loin
segment about 8 inches long in the freezer. I won't get to it till
later in the week but I'm going to give it a try using your method.

The reason I asked is some buddies and I head out to the middle of
nowhere at least once a month to launch our homemade rockets, and part
of the fun is smoking/grilling something for lunch. In the past I'd do
something ahead of time and just reheat and serve at the launch, but
this smoked roast sounds like a real winner, both in time to cook and
uniqueness...Thanks again.


Mmmmmmm pork stuffed pork....


Jim Rutkowski
Executive Chef - TrailerTrashAerospace
www.trailertrashaerospace.com

My routine is to rub it, sear it to get some caramelization,
and smoke it at 250 F to about 140-145 F internal. Nice crust,
good moisture content, less shrinkage.

I agree with Reg, Jim. Barbecue is a cooking method traditionally reserved
for tough, fatty cuts of meat (i.e., brisket, pork shoulder) that benefit
from a long exposure to low heat and smoke. This process breaks down the
collegen and tough connective tissues within the meat, rendering it tender.
Lean cuts like tenderloin don't need the long process, since they're
inherently tender and sincce they have very little fat content they dry out
and toughen if cooked for a long time, just like a decent steak that's
cooked well done. Maybe your experience will prove otherwise...

Jack,

I agree that too long is going to dry the meat out, but if enough heat
is used to keep the cooking time reasonable.....we'll I guess I'll
just have to try it and find out.

I'll try and get Ole Stubby fired up later this week, I'll certainly
post my results.

Thanks for your input.



Jim Rutkowski
Executive Chef - TrailerTrashAerospace
www.trailertrashaerospace.com

On 14-Mar-2004, Reg wrote:
snip
I always hate to give exact cooking times because it can vary so much,
but since you're an experienced cook I know you'll take that
into account As an example, my "usual" cooking time for
brisket at 250 F is around 1.5 hours per lb. Recently I cooked
one overnight in a screaming windstorm. An 8 lb brisket done to
perfection in 8 hours. Who knows...

That said, this morning I did an 8 inch center cut pork loin segment (not
tenderloin) at 250 F and it took about an hour and a half to hit 140 F
internal.
It was just about at room temp to start and it was stuffed with a
parfrozen
smoked sausage. Your tenderloins having a smaller cross sectional area
will
be less obviously.

From my notes I find that I cooked two tenderloins and two racks of beef
ribs
on Dec 31. Both tenderloins were butterflied and stuffed with prosciutto ham

and provolone cheese. I built a fire on one side of the cook chamber in my
offset (NBS) smoker and grilled the 'loins over direct heat. I placed the
ribs
as far away from the fire as I could. Everything was a little overdone at
the
end of an hour.
--
M&M ("The problem is that no matter what you do, there's
Sombody that won' t like it much") Tom Clancy

Jim Rutkowski wrote:


Very cool indeed, and I just happen to have a center cut pork loin
segment about 8 inches long in the freezer. I won't get to it till
later in the week but I'm going to give it a try using your method.

The reason I asked is some buddies and I head out to the middle of
nowhere at least once a month to launch our homemade rockets, and part
of the fun is smoking/grilling something for lunch. In the past I'd do
something ahead of time and just reheat and serve at the launch, but
this smoked roast sounds like a real winner, both in time to cook and
uniqueness...Thanks again.


Mmmmmmm pork stuffed pork....

My opinion: Rocketry and Q are a perfect combination. I can't
think of a better way to spend an afternoon! Keep us apprised
chef.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Jim Rutkowski wrote:
Hi Group,

I found these on sale yesterday for .97/lb and couldn't resist. Too
bad I was planning on doing some butts to pull.

Any ideas on how these could be best prepared on my offset? I'd be
happy to turn them into pulled as I normally would do a butt, but I'm
afraid they would dry out.

I was thinking of brining overnight, a couple or 3 hrs in the smoke,
cool, perhaps 175-200 degrees, then turn the heat up to 350-400 until
I get about 145-150 internal.

And how about trimming the ribs off and doing them normal? Or do I
want to keep that fat on the roasts?

Thanks a million for your ideas.

I've posted a picture of these beasts on alt.binaries.food
Jim Rutkowski
Executive Chef - TrailerTrashAerospace
www.trailertrashaerospace.com

Here's a link to stuffed pork loin that I cooked around Christmas. Just cooked
a similar one this past weekend at the Florida Fest 2004, and had great results.
It all disappeared, anyway.

http://www.kamado.com/discus/message...tml?1077047425

BOB

On 15-Mar-2004, " BOB" wrote:

Here's a link to stuffed pork loin that I cooked around Christmas. Just
cooked
a similar one this past weekend at the Florida Fest 2004, and had great
results.
It all disappeared, anyway.

http://www.kamado.com/discus/message...tml?1077047425

BOB

Nice pic's there BOB. I did mine without the spinach, shame on me. But
I used some prosciutto with the cheese. My hindsight tells me that the
Spinach with some italian dressing would probably be good. Now if I can
just stop over cooking them.
--
M&M ("The problem is that no matter what you do, there's
Sombody that won' t like it much") Tom Clancy

Lean cuts like loin, tenderloin and top round like to be cooked at
higher temps to get a nice crust on the outside while finishing up
rare in the middle. That's tricky without a probe thermometer unless
one cooks a lot like Ricky and Big Jim. So far, I have overcooked
about two large loins and four tenderloins. Don't have the knack yet.

M&M,

Try taking the meat out at least 10 degrees cooler than what you're
aiming for, carry-over cooking will continue for quite awhile.


Jim Rutkowski
Executive Chef - TrailerTrashAerospace
www.trailertrashaerospace.com

I always hate to give exact cooking times because it can vary so much,
but since you're an experienced cook I know you'll take that
into account As an example, my "usual" cooking time for
brisket at 250 F is around 1.5 hours per lb. Recently I cooked
one overnight in a screaming windstorm. An 8 lb brisket done to
perfection in 8 hours. Who knows...

I've run into this also, I'm guessing there are a lot of variables in
play. Not only how the wind/temp affects the cooker but also the meat
itself, not all cuts are created equal. I've had choice cuts that were
no doubt prime grade and choice cuts that only wished....that quick
cooking brisket might have come from a very lazy cow....



That said, this morning I did an 8 inch center cut pork loin segment (not
tenderloin) at 250 F and it took about an hour and a half to hit 140 F
internal.
It was just about at room temp to start and it was stuffed with a
parfrozen
smoked sausage. Your tenderloins having a smaller cross sectional area
will
be less obviously.

From my notes I find that I cooked two tenderloins and two racks of beef
ribs
on Dec 31. Both tenderloins were butterflied and stuffed with prosciutto ham

and provolone cheese. I built a fire on one side of the cook chamber in my
offset (NBS) smoker and grilled the 'loins over direct heat. I placed the
ribs
as far away from the fire as I could. Everything was a little overdone at
the
end of an hour.

In my limited experience about 45-60 mins is optimal for ribs over
indirect heat...and I was taught well....see the pic I posted on a.b.f

Jim Rutkowski
Executive Chef - TrailerTrashAerospace
www.trailertrashaerospace.com

On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 21:33:37 GMT, Reg wrote:

Jim Rutkowski wrote:


Very cool indeed, and I just happen to have a center cut pork loin
segment about 8 inches long in the freezer. I won't get to it till
later in the week but I'm going to give it a try using your method.

I certainly will....be sure and check out webpage....We have a bunch
of new pics and videos coming soon....as soon as our webmaster gets
out of jail that is....glug glug varoom varoom..

My opinion: Rocketry and Q are a perfect combination. I can't
think of a better way to spend an afternoon! Keep us apprised
chef.

Jim Rutkowski
Executive Chef - TrailerTrashAerospace
www.trailertrashaerospace.com

Jim Rutkowski wrote in message . ..
Thanks Jim,

This is the kind of post that ought to be in the FAQ.

Now I understand, dry meat will accept the smoke flavor more readily.
Does mopping the meat prevent drying?

It retards it a lot. The basic idea is that you dry the surface and
trap the meat juices inside. Once the rub dries out it forms a skin on
the meat. You can add a little mop at any time afterwards. I use a
water pan, so the heat & smoke is kinda moist to begin with. It
depends on how much fat is in the meat as well. If you have fat
rendering out the meat will self baste to a point.
Thing about fat is that it can work against you. Have the stuff
dripping over the charcoal and you get flare ups...the cooker gets too
hot and you get burnt meat. Have the stuff drip into the water pan and
let it go dry, it's likely to start smoking on it's own when it gets
hot enough. That will definitely make for a crappy piece of 'Q.

The mop adding flavor? If you just use water, perhaps something like
an au jus drips off the meat. I flavor my mops, usually with a little
meat stock and booze. I generally add some rub to it as well. What I
do is filter it through a paper coffee filter, then put it into a
spray bottle. No fuss at the smoker, and I put on how much the meat
needs. Very little drips off if you do it right.


And doesn't
opening the smoker to mop the meat lower the temp enough, especially
if done regularly, to considerably lengthen the cook time? Which might
make things dryer?
Thanks again.
Jim Rutkowski
Executive Chef - TrailerTrashAerospace
www.trailertrashaerospace.com

To an extent, yes. Don't forget the ambient temp though. If it's 35
outside, it's gonna take longer for the heat to build back up than
say...90 and humid. Speaking of which, I just got done shovelling 8
inches of global warming from my driveway. It looks like it's gonna be
a while before I get my smoker up and running again.

Jim

On 17-Mar-2004, (Jim S.) wrote:
snip
Thing about fat is that it can work against you. Have the stuff
dripping over the charcoal and you get flare ups..
snip

What's with this flare ups. If you have the lid on for 'Q' there
isn't going to be any flare ups. And if you're using a water
pan and let it go dry, shame on you.
--
M&M ("The problem is that no matter what you do, there's
Sombody that won' t like it much") Tom Clancy

Jim S. wrote:
say...90 and humid. Speaking of which, I just got done shovelling 8
inches of global warming from my driveway. It looks like it's gonna be
a while before I get my smoker up and running again.

Jim

Jim we're having historic high temps here. Rather than focus on additional
heat, has the weather changed considerably from 15 years ago? The weather
patterns sure have changed around here. Normal variation? I dunno. Anyway,
been using the nice weather to good effect and grilling a lot.


D
--