Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I haven't made pork loin in what seems like forever, so yesterday I did one SV. Best friggin' pork loin I've ever made.

I brined it in salt and sugar for about three hours and then cooked at 140 for about five hours. (It was a 3 lb. center cut.) I put pepper, leaf lard, garlic and thyme in the bag. Did a quick sear and made a pan sauce with shallots, some white wine, the contents of the bag (waiting for the fat to separate), country Dijon mustard, thyme and butter.

This was just an "on sale" pork loin from the local grocer, but it was as moist as anything heritage I've had.

For those of you who do SV, I highly recommend giving this a whirl. I think SV is pork's best friend. Although next time I'll go 137 instead of 140.

Amy

I've not done a full loin yet (it would require quite a bit of futzing around to find one), but did some tenderloins recently. So very porky and tasty and damn convenient to have a couple bagged and cooked in the freezer too. I think I'll have to visit the specialty butcher and pick up a full loin.

Paul, Costco near you doesn't carry it?

Wow, that sounds so good! I just "wet cured" one, similar setup but into the fridge for a few days. I used pepper and fresh rosemary. When I rinsed it off after 5 days, more time than it actually needed, I put it on the smoker with hickory for about the same time you mention and took it to 140F or maybe it was 145F (it finished at 5 a.m. - my memory is a bit blurry). I sliced off some last night and it was so tender!

It is amusing that such disparate processes end up with at least somewhat similar results.

Isn't 145 the new safe temp for pork?

You'd need quite a machine to hold a full loin...

Pete, 140 is perfectly safe. Paul, I didn't do a full loin, just about half a center cut. And yes Steve, there's always more than one way to skin a cat!

Amy

Thanks, Amy. That may be the answer to my pork issues.
Have any of you tried to SV a prime rib?
My family is split over tenderloin and prime rib for Christmas so I got one of each.
It's hard to monitor the prime rib when we all go to church prior to dinner so I'm thinking this might work. I can brown it
when I cook the tenderloin. TIA

I've not done prime rib, but have done rib steak. If you haven't done a fatty cut before, I'd suggest a trial run. SV does not render fat, it just softens it. For rib steaks, for example, I trim quite aggressively as a result. In addition, how you sear off matters more; I hit it with a super hot BBQ or with a torch until some of the fat renders. As a result, I tend to do it a little lower SV temp then I might otherwise. With such a tender cut, the only real advantage of SV is ease and the bullet proof nature (though I have done quite a few rib steaks this way, esp in the winter).

Just my $0.02

Like Paul I've found sous vide is ideal for lean cuts, e.g, the pork I did the other night. I've not done something as fatty as pork belly, although I plan to try it. I'd probably go for the tenderloin. I've done it before, and it works beautifully.

Amy

I have done individual tenderloin steaks before and they've turned out perfectly. We usually cook the whole ones at a high temp for 25-30 minutes and they usually turn out really well. Paul, do you think a torch is necessary or could I accomplish the sear with a 500 degree oven if I SV undercook a bit. Thanks, Deb