Hints on getting a tender Pork Roast

[Mingo]

I'd like your opinions/hints on getting a tender (almost shred-able) Pork Roast for Carnita's.

What's your favorite cut of roast, how do your prep it and grill it.

I've done whole pork loins on the grill before and the marinade makes for a tasty loin, but a littel chewy at times... what temps should I aim for? Do you foil wrap at all?

I don't have the rotisserie on my grill, or smoker, so I'll have to make do other ways...what's your thoughts guys?

Thanks,
Migo

[Dave C.]

Hey, Mingo, welcome back! :)
I've had good luck with a Boston Butt or a shoulder roast. Try injecting the meat with apple juice or apple cider, maybe with a little brown sugar disolved in it (damn, now I gave away secret #43!). Give it a good heavy rub, inject one end of the roast untill the juice starts to run out, then put it in a zip-lock, inject the other end, seal the bag & put in fridge overnight. Don't worry about the juice washing off the rub, it will all mix together & soak in. If you think about it, turn the bag over a couple of times to let the whole thing "get happy".
Smoke 'till 190* or 195*, wrap in foil & put in a warm cooler for a couple of hours or longer. As long as the internal temp doesn't drop below 150* or so, you're cool. I've done a couple of them resting for over 4 hrs with good results.
Good luck, good eats, and let us know how it turns out. :D

[MikeSullivan]

I almost always use shoulder roast marinated in apple cider over night. I think that’s just enough time for it to absorb enough of the taste. Then I smoke it inside foil until the internal temp reaches 150.

[Mingo]

Thanks Guys!

Do you think I could try a pork loin with the injection of apple juice method? I've got three of them in the deep freeze.... there was a good sale on 'em, what can I say? :D

Would you double wrap them in heavy duty foil and set the Weber at low heat to get the smoked effect?

I can see that I need to get one of those wireless gizmos for tracking the temps too! I've got the old style meat thermometer that just doesn't cut it.

Mingo

[wnkt]

How do you get smoke in something thats wrapped in foil?

[Dave C.]

Hey, Mingo-
If you're using a gasser, put the meat on one side of the grill & use the burner on the other side so you get indirect heat. To get the smoke flavor, either use a cast-iron smoke box or put your wood ( chips or chunks) in a foil pouch, punch a few holes in the top of the pouch & put it (the pouch) on top of the lava rocks or flavorizer bars on the fire side of the grill. Keep the lid closed as much as possible & aim for a chamber temp of 210* to 250*.
Don't sweat the small stuff as pork loins are very forgiving, I usually buy 2 or 3 when Fareway has them on sale every couple of months. Good luck & let us know how it turns out. :mouthwate

[Mingo]

Thanks Dave...this sounds like the ticket...a combo of injecting the apple juice and the smoker chips...got them as we have a lil smoker cheif smoker...never even thought of using that for the pork...the roast might be too big..but I like your indirect heat/smoking chips idea. :mouthwate

[MikeSullivan]

I don't think you meant wrapping it in foil to smoke it or at least I hope that you didn't. I would love to hear how it turned out for you Mingo.

[Mingo]

Arrrgghhh! All these GREAT suggestions, and me being lazy...or just too darn tired!

We live up in the mountains and it's right smack dab in the middle of Elk season...lot's of big burly guys in camo around my place as we are the hot spot for their base camp! :rolleyes:

Guess who's chef, maid and head bottle washer?

I'm afraid if I start making all your delicious ideas they will never go home :D

Once things calm down....if ever, I'll be back into grilling mode!

Thanks Again guys!

Mingo

[Dave C.]

Lets see; Here we have a fella that wants to smoke things and we have elk season in the same place at the same time. Man,I wish that I had that problem :D . Smoked elk loins; smoked elk roasts or hams; smoke cured elk jerky; the list (& my imagination) goes on & on, yum, yum :D :D :D !
Dave

[luvr29]

Cooking Time : 3 Hours

Preparation Time : 15 - 20 mins.

Main Cooking Utensil : strong saucepan or ceramic pan with well - fitting lid

For 6 - 8 people you need :

6 large onions

6 large carrots

3 large turnips

2oz good dripping

seasoning

2 - 3 lb piece of boned top rib, rolled*

1 Peel the vegetables and leave them whole.

2 Melt the dripping in a large pan and fry the vegetables until a good brown colour then lift out the pan.

3 Fry the meat on all sides over a fierce heat to seal in the juices.

4 Return the vegetables to the pan, with just enough water to give approximately 1 ½ inch depth.

5 Season well and to liking

6 Put the meat on top of the vegetables and cover the pan. If you are unsure whether the lid fits tightly, put pieces of foil or a cloth under this

7 Reduce the heat so the liquid simmers very gently and allow 30 mins per lb. The vegetables should not be too small otherwise they break badly during the cooking.

30mins per lb.

1lb - 30 mins

2lb - 1 hour

3lb - 1hr 30 mins

4lb - 2 hours

5lb - 2 hrs 30 mins

To serve : Carve the meat as you would a roast (http://www.essortment.com/in/Recipes.Entrees.Beef/index.htm) joint. The liquid at the bottom of the pan makes delicious gravy. Serve the sliced meat with either the vegetables it has been cooked with or steam a variety of seasonal vegetables and potatoes to accompany the dish. If using a leg of lamb you may also do either minted new potatoes or accompany with a mint sauce.

To Vary : Large potatoes may be added.

To Store : The meat may be served cold if wished, so store in a cool place.

* Other pieces of meat which are excellent for pot roasting are fresh brisket, i.e. unsalted half leg of lamb etc.

[Dave C.]

I prefer to leave the peels on the veggies; they don't look as purty but have a lot more flavor to my way of thinkin'.
Dave

[karstdiver]

Maybe brining the pork would help make it more tender? See http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=70

And there is a difference between marinating and brining. See http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/meat/INT-what-makes-flavor.html

[Dave C.]

Maybe brining the pork would help make it more tender? See http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=70

And there is a difference between marinating and brining. See http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/meat/INT-what-makes-flavor.html

I've been playing with brining lately, turkey,pork butts, pork loin, etc, & have found that so far the flavor is better on the pork if I use apple juice in place of 1/2 the water. For even more sweetness, add some brown sugar to the A.J.(along with the salt) then heat until disolved. Then add cold water until you reach the volume you want. Heating will make the salt & sugar disolve quicker & adding cold water brings it down to room temp a lot faster :D .
Dave
p.s.- Is anyone on this forum thinking about attending the KCBS judging class on March 3,2007 in Des Moines, Iowa?

[StPeteBBQ]

Brining doesn't usually make meat more tender. It will make it more moist and flavorful. It creates flavor simply with the salt that is introduced into the meat.

Now if you put something that is acidic in your brine (vinegar, wine, pineapple juice) you're really not brining, but marinating.

Brine, in its simplest form is just water and salt. Usually sugar is added to cut back on the taste of the salt. Brine is used merely to create "osmosis" in the meat, moving moisture first out of the meat and then back into the meat.

Lots of folks add flavors to brines. Sometimes this works ok, sometimes it doesn't work so well. Experiment, but always remember what the purpose of the brine is.

[TomKattt]

Ok, again I am behind the times. A year old post. But I am going to reply anyway.

For Carnitas, use a pork butt, not a loin. Cook it low and slow until the internal temp is around 195. At this temp, the meat can be pulled into chunks, like you would a pulled pork.

So pull it or cut into pieces, add some oil to a baking pan and toss in the chunks. Cook in an oven another 20 minutes or so, then toss/turn the meat and bake another 20 minutes or so. This will crisp up the meat.