Smoked Pork Loin Draped in Bacon
I based the recipe for this smoked pork loin after a recipe in the Dr. BBQ Big Time BBQ Cookbook. He, in turn, based it off a recipe from the Hawgeyes BBQ team. I consider this my first official professional-level bbq attempt, and it turned out excellent. I did everything by the book, including the flavor injection, the sauce drench and the rub. Compound that with an overnight stay in the fridge and a coating of bacon on the smoker, you get the best BBQ pork loin that ever did exist.
One thing to mention here is that I have taken this recipe down from Dr. BBQ's original 10 pound pork loin to a family-sized 3 pounder. Not only is a giant pork loin very expensive, my family cannot eat 10 pounds of pork, no matter how badly they want to. For this loin, I used the Smokenator in a Weber Kettle Grill (aff)
Ingredients
- 3 pound pork loin roast.
- Sweet and Spicy BBQ Rub (click)
- Beer and Butter Injection (click)
- 1/2 cup store-bought BBQ Sauce
- 1/3 cup dijon mustard
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon
- Apple Juice
Prep The night before you plan to smoke the pork loin, make the Beer and Butter Injection. In a bowl, mix the rub with the cup of brown sugar. In another bowl, mix the BBQ sauce with the mustard.
Using a flavor-injection syringe, inject the Beer and Butter sauce into the pork loin all over. I must have injected it in nearly 50 places. After that, coat the loin with the sauce/mustard mixture. Then coat the loin with the Rub. Use all of it to cover every inch. Wrap the pork loin tightly in plastic and put in the fridge overnight.
Smoking Day Remove the loin from the fridge and let rest for 30 minutes. Prepare your smoker for smoking with your choice of smoking wood. I used mesquite. Place the loin in the smoker and drape with the bacon. This will help keep the loin moist and flavorful. Smoke the loin for about 4 hours at around 200 degrees. Baste every half-hour with the apple juice.
Remove from the smoker when the interior temperature of the loin reaches 145 degrees. Wrap tightly in foil and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour before slicing and serving.
