Help requested for my Friday barbecue.

[jrshaul]

I'm holding a barbecue this Friday, and I seem to have been a bit ambitious. The local supermegastore (sue me, I'm a college student) was having a sale on bone-in tenderloins, and I picked one up along with a huge heap of chicken thighs - a grand total of 7 pounds of meat for $12.50. This leaves me with two conundrums.

1. Apparently, I made a major mistake in forgetting to have the butcher separate the bones so that the roast could be cut into sections. How do I go about doing this?

2. How do I cook the tenderloin? I'm told that if I keep it at ~270 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the inside is roughly 155 degrees, it'll coast to 160 after removal and be absolutely fantastic. I figured I'd cut it down the middle and apply a paste of rosemary, garlic, thyme, and lots of olive oil, then tie it up, though I'd be up to suggestions on this - something suitably festive and full of limes would be welcome.

Another issue of note is that I'm told that brining the meat before cooking can do wonders for barbecuing leaner cuts of meat. Any suggestions for a pork brine? I'm half tempted to just soak it in a mix of lime juice, black pepper, garlic, and salt.

3. While I feel quite comfortable with chicken, I'm having a bit of trouble with Alton Brown's recipe.

# 3 1/2 ounces kosher salt, approximately 3/4 cup

# 1 tablespoon curry powder

# 1 tablespoon chili powder

# 2 teaspoons cocoa powder

# 1 teaspoon adobo powder, without pepper

# 1 teaspoon ground cumin

# 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika

Adobo, curry, and chili powders bear about as much semblance to each other as does a Maserati compare to a Mack truck, and the only adobo powder at el supermercado was full of MSG. Can anyone suggest a reformulation, preferably without the curry powder as well?

[Chris Hennes]

My first suggestion is that 160°F for pork tenderloin is quite high to my tastes, which are more like 140°F. If your guests aren't comfortable with pink pork, at least try to keep it under 150°F: do you have a thermometer?

Second: embrace the MSG, it tastes good. Stick with Alton's recipe, sounds tasty to me.

[ChrisTaylor]

You've bought the meat already? Why not sacrifice a piece of pork and a piece of bird and do a trial version?

[Alex]

I agree with Chris re the 140-150 for the tenderloin. What you described, though, sounds like more of a marinade or rub than a brine. If you're going to marinate, I'm not sure how a lime base would go with the rosemary/garlic/thyme paste. Lemon probably would work better.

[HungryC]

Cooking a pork loin (or tenderloin) is easy peasy; it's far easier to do a large piece of meat than individual pieces, as long as you have a meat thermometer and cook to temp, rather than time. How big is your grill? Gas or charcoal? If you can't fit everything at the same time, then do the loin first. It will be fine with an hour's rest, and those bone-in thighs will be better hot off the grill.

To many cooks, BBQ rubs are like turkish carpets: the busier, the better. For chicken thighs, I'm stuck on ga nuong, and Andrea Nguyen's recipe (here, in the WashPo) is hard to beat.

[BadRabbit]

For chicken thighs I use the following rub and glaze:

Rub

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (I use the xtra hot Indian Chili powder)

Glaze

6 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

From a recipe from Cooking Light. It's got rather pedestrian ingredients but it always gets as big a reaction as my more involved recipes from more venerable sources. It has just the right amount of sweet heat. You do have to watch it closely after applying the glaze though.

Edited to add: I always grill this instead of broiling like the recipe calls for. I just wait until the last 10 minutes to start applying the glaze.

Edited May 25, 2011 by BadRabbit (log)

[ScoopKW]

1. Apparently, I made a major mistake in forgetting to have the butcher separate the bones so that the roast could be cut into sections. How do I go about doing this?

You can take the meat back to the megamart in the morning or early afternoon when there's a live body in the meat department and ask him or her to run the roast through the band saw.

But bones equals flavor, so I'd leave them in. Just cut between the bones when the meat has rested and everyone gets some tenderloin and a little bonus of rib.

2. How do I cook the tenderloin? I'm told that if I keep it at ~270 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the inside is roughly 155 degrees,

This is an ideal time to learn about indirect heat grilling.

1) Go buy a probe thermometer -- one you can leave in the roast while it is cooking. They don't cost much, your megamart SHOULD carry one, and it's one of those things you really need to have.

2) 155f is too high -- no use killing the pig twice. 145f is my personal maximum.

3) Gas or charcoal, doesn't matter -- get some heat going on one side of the grill, and place the pork on the other side. If you can put a disposable tray of juice/beer/wine and herbs under the pork, all the better. Your roast is done when the thermometer reads 140f. Carryover (aka "coasting") will take it to 145f.

4) Wrap the roast in foil while it is resting. It can rest quite a long time -- up to an hour. That gives you plenty of time to cook the birds.

Another issue of note is that I'm told that brining the meat before cooking can do wonders for barbecuing leaner cuts of meat. Any suggestions for a pork brine? I'm half tempted to just soak it in a mix of lime juice, black pepper, garlic, and salt.

A brine technically has salt and some sort of sugar. I like a pineapple juice based brine for pork -- the enzymes in the juice tenderize the meat. But you can go with table salt, water and white sugar and it will be an improvement. Toss whatever herbs you have into the brine. It makes a difference.

3. While I feel quite comfortable with chicken, I'm having a bit of trouble with Alton Brown's recipe.

Then ditch the recipe. Use whatever spices you have. No use buying a laundry list of spices to make a curry rub, and then letting them sit on a shelf in your dorm until next semester. As long as the meat is skillfully cooked, your guests will be happy. Salt and pepper is all you really need. Anything else is a bonus.

I made it through college with salt, pepper, Montreal Steak seasoning, poultry rub and the "flavor packets" from ramen noodles.

[Alex]

My first suggestion is that 160°F for pork tenderloin is quite high to my tastes, which are more like 140°F. If your guests aren't comfortable with pink pork, at least try to keep it under 150°F: do you have a thermometer?

Second: embrace the MSG, it tastes good. Stick with Alton's recipe, sounds tasty to me.

And the USDA finally gets on board, more or less.

[kitchensqueen]

I know you specifically asked for advice on what to do with the meat dishes, but have you thought of which sides you'll serve with them? Or are you asking your guests to bring a side dish to pass?

[jrshaul]

I know you specifically asked for advice on what to do with the meat dishes, but have you thought of which sides you'll serve with them? Or are you asking your guests to bring a side dish to pass?

Pretty much. Trying to organize a collection of side dishes that aren't "Snickers salad" (don't ask) out of a motely group of college students is not unlike herding cats, though I think I've managed to finagle it.

Incidentally, any suggestions on a brine/marinade for the roast? Maybe just put it in some red wine, salt, and honey?

[HowardLi]

It's Friday tomorrow now. Good luck.

[kayb]

I cook supermarket pork loin fairly often on the grill. My tried-and-true method is to coat it heavily in Rendezvous barbecue seasoning (or, if you're not in the part of the world that sells Rendezvous seasoning in the grocery, make up a rub of salt, black pepper, ancho chile powder, lots of paprika, garlic powder, and a little coriander), wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours. I cook it on a barrel grill, piles of coals on both ends, loin in the middle, to 150 degrees, pull it and tent it with foil for at least 30 minutes. I don't brine mine ahead of time. I serve it with a tomato-based barbecue sauce (here is one of my favorites). My sides of choice are roasted corn from the grill, potato salad, vinegar-based cole slaw (mayo-based slaw is an abomination, IMHO), and baked beans.

And beer. Lots and lots o'beer.

[kitchensqueen]

I know you specifically asked for advice on what to do with the meat dishes, but have you thought of which sides you'll serve with them? Or are you asking your guests to bring a side dish to pass?

Pretty much. Trying to organize a collection of side dishes that aren't "Snickers salad" (don't ask) out of a motely group of college students is not unlike herding cats, though I think I've managed to finagle it.

Incidentally, any suggestions on a brine/marinade for the roast? Maybe just put it in some red wine, salt, and honey?

Snickers salad... yeah, not going to ask. If I were doing a marinade on a tenderloin, I'd use a little Chinese 5 spice power, brown sugar and either cider vinegar or a splash of soy. Tasty.

[Alex]

For pork loin (or tenderloin), Richard McPeake, in Backyard BBQ (a great self-published book), offers an Orange-Soy-Hoisin marinade. For 2# of meat: 1/2 c each soy sauce and fresh orange juice; 4 T rice wine vinegar; 2 T each hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and minced fresh garlic; 1 T brown sugar; 2 t minced fresh ginger. He says to marinate at least 12 hours.

Edited May 26, 2011 by Alex (log)

[jrshaul]

The barbecue was fantastic. I didn't even get a chance to barbecue the chicken (half done with the Cooking Light recipe above, half with the ga nuong,), but the pork roast was fantastic. The combination of the flavor, moisture, and not massively overcooking the meat (hooray for instant thermometers!) was superb.

Here's the recipe I used. Pardon the shorthand - it needs to be rewritten.

2.75 pound pork loin roast with bones

2.5 cups water

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup salt (may want to reduce slightly)

1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar (may want to increase slightly)

1 big sprig fresh rosemary

1 Bay leaf

1 gram coarsely ground pepper + more pepper for rubbing

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp freezedried shallots

10 grams of garlic (measured before peeling), peeled and minced

Instructions:

1. Mix brown sugar with water and salt and bring to a boil.

2. Stir until dissolved and add everything but the wine.

3. Lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

5. Add wine.

6. Put the meat in a Ziploc bag with the brine. Just dump on in all the bits and pieces.

7. Put the bag in the fridge for 12-16 hours.

8. Wash pork really well under water to keep outside from being too salty. Don't wash off all the herbs and spices, though - they seem to stick pretty well.

9. Grind up more pepper, and rub it in to the outside. If you're not sure if you've used enough, add more pepper.

10. Let pork return to room temperature, then put in oven at about 290 degrees. Allow to cook for ~1 ½ hour, or until inside hits 140 degrees - and no higher!

11. Wrap in tinfoil and a towel or, if you're in a hurry, a UPS box (herp de derp.) Allow to coast to 145 - at least 30 minutes.