First attempt at Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin - Am I doing this right?

snyper77 · Dec 16, 2011

I have a 5lb. pork loin. I gave it a thin coat of mustard and wrapped it in bacon (fat cap totally covered).
To hold the bacon slices, I secured them with toothpicks, but my loin looks like an insect with legs now.

The problem I see happening is when I go to foil it during the 2nd half of the cook, those toothpicks are gonna pop right through all the foil, spilling all the juices.
Did I do this right? Can I simply remove the toothpicks prior to foiling?
Thanks!

NorthwestBBQ · Dec 16, 2011

Well, you're no cowgirl, but I'm sure it will be delicious! Love to see pics of the cook. :thumb:

D.F. Expat · Dec 16, 2011

I would recomend something more along the lines of THIS for a goood wrap.

snyper77 · Dec 16, 2011

Yes, that "bacon weave" is pretty and all, but I had ribs, whole chickens, pork loin, cleaning/prepping the pit, and 300 other things to get done tonight in preparation of my son's 12th bday tomorrow.
One day, I will do a 'weave'.......but is my current setup ok? Can I just cook it bare on the smoker to about 145, then remove the toothpicks and foil it to 165? Or will the bacon fall off if I try removing the picks? Thanks.

D.F. Expat · Dec 16, 2011

Yeah it will be fine, the bacon will shrink and pull back some but it will work just fine

captndan · Dec 17, 2011

Use butchers twine or a net.

El Ropo · Dec 17, 2011

You are cooking a pork LOIN, they are very lean, and IMO are the best when only cooked to 138ish, then rested for half hour or so. The internal temp will continue to climb and end up at around 145. Any higher and you risk drying out the pork.

So my suggestion would be to not worry about the toothpicks, skip the foil and take it off way earlier than you planned, loosely wrap in foil and let rest for 30+ minutes before slicing and serving.

If the loin is brined, it can handle higher final temps while staying moist, but I've never tried it, just rub and cook for me.

KingRanch450 · Dec 17, 2011

Looks great...thats definitely on my list of things to try

boatnut · Dec 17, 2011

El Ropo said:
You are cooking a pork LOIN, they are very lean, and IMO are the best when only cooked to 138ish, then rested for half hour or so. The internal temp will continue to climb and end up at around 145. Any higher and you risk drying out the pork.

So my suggestion would be to not worry about the toothpicks, skip the foil and take it off way earlier than you planned, loosely wrap in foil and let rest for 30+ minutes before slicing and serving.

If the loin is brined, it can handle higher final temps while staying moist, but I've never tried it, just rub and cook for me.

x 2 :thumb:

James Montigny · Dec 17, 2011

By the time the meat is cooked, the bacon will be sliding around in it's own juices.
You will get the flavor though.

I did this last week, it turned out pretty good.
I did one 5lbs log with bacon only and a second stuffed with pepper jack and brisket.

El Ropo · Dec 17, 2011

Yeah, since the loin will cook faster than the bacon, you run the risk of undercooking bacon. People have been known to par cook their bacon before wrapping, so it has a head start. This trick works good when using thick bacon on MOINKs too.

snyper77 · Dec 17, 2011

Sorry, I didn't get to read your posts until 8pm. I cooked this at noon. It was a success.....but, I accidentally cooked it bare on the grill too long. The internal temp was 162.... and I was scared it would be dry, so I foiled it with some apple juice for about an hour, then pulled it and let it rest.

It was very tender.....and still moist (while warm), but as you know, when it sits in the air for 10 minutes, it can get a little dry. I used some of the drippings in the foil to moisten in up. Very good, and "cut with your fork" tender.

I sliced it about 1/2" thick (I hear that helps preserve moisture).

Moving forward, I'll babysit the I.T. much closer and not let it get so high. Here's a pic. Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!!

El Ropo · Dec 17, 2011

I bet the bacon was off the hook good! :icon_blush:

snyper77 · Dec 17, 2011

El Ropo said:
I bet the bacon was off the hook good! :icon_blush:

It was!!!!! Very smokey and spicy! Just wish I hadn't overcooked the loin. But, as one person said, the loin DID cook faster than the bacon. By the time the bacon was done, the internal temp of the loin was 160.

Gosh, that really adds more work to semi-cook the bacon first, then wrap it on the loin. Then, you'll still have to guess how much to cook the bacon so that it finishes at the same time as the loin.

Can't SOMETHING be EASY when it comes to BBQ? LOL

D.F. Expat · Dec 17, 2011

I have had good success chilling the loin first to offset the differences.

just_al · Dec 18, 2011

Wow, that looks awesome!

The Cosmic Pig · Dec 18, 2011

^^^ What he said! I believe that's the first thing I'm going to cook on the WSM I BETTER be getting for Christmas! :heh:

First attempt at Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin - Am I doing this right?

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