This smoked pork loin doesn’t taste like most smoked pork loin or tenderloin. Instead, it tastes more like deli meat. Its production process is very similar to ready-to-eat smoked bacon and backboard bacon. After being dry-cured for two weeks and then slowly smoked at a low temperature, it is cooked to 154F inside and then chilled. It has a very smooth texture and is easy to cut very thinly. Its perfect for serving as an appetizer or for making sandwiches. For a healthier take on bacon, you can fry it with eggs and use it in soups instead of ham. Or make beans with it.
You can make smoked pork loin in several ways. In North America, pork loins are typically smoked at 225F and above. In Poland, meats, just like kielbasa, are smoked at temperatures of 125F – 140F. This is somewhere between what we know as hot smoking and cold smoking. It results in a less grainy, much smoother meat texture. The meat smoked at this temperature retains more liquid too. This is my favorite way to make smoked pork loin.
When meat is smoked at temperatures below 225F, it needs to be cured in pink salt, also known as Cure #1 or Prague Powder #1. Pink salt contains a small amount of sodium nitrite, which prevents harmful bacteria from growing. It also gives the meat its nice pink color and enhances the flavor.
This smoked pork loin can be wet cured, which I have done many times. I did try both wet-cured and dry-cured smoked pork loins, though, and the dry-cured version always had a better texture. When I smoked wet-cured pork loin, I thought it would be more moist, but that wasn’t the case. Both had relatively similar levels of moisture in the final product.
Dry-curing is very straightforward. Simply apply the salt, curing salt, and the seasonings, vacuum seal the meat, and refrigerate for 2 weeks. After that, scrape off the excess seasonings from the meat, dry the surface, and smoke. With this method where you add only the required amount of salt, its impossible to oversalt the meat. It always comes out perfectly salted and seasoned.
Before applying the smoke, make sure that the meat is dry. Let it sit at room temperature for an hour before transferring it to the smoker or the smokehouse. After putting the meat in the smoker, let it warm up for another 30 to 45 minutes at 110F to 120F. Once the meat feels dry to the touch, begin applying smoke.
The smoke flavor is a personal thing, but oak, cherry, or pecan should suit many tastes. How long you want to smoke your pork loins depends on how much smokiness and color you want. I typically smoke pork loins for about 4-5 hours.
Curing pork loin at home is a satisfying way to create delicious charcuterie. With some simple ingredients and a bit of patience, you can make cured pork loin like lonzino, smoked pork loin, or even bacon from pork loin. Here is a comprehensive guide to curing pork loin yourself.
Why Cure Pork Loin?
Curing pork intensifes the flavor and changes the texture, resulting in complex cured meats like ham, lonzino, bacon, and more. Here are some of the benefits of curing pork loin at home:
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Enhanced flavor – Curing adds salty, savory flavors to pork through the use of salts, spices, and other ingredients. This makes the pork more complex and delicious.
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Tender texture – The curing process helps break down connective tissues in the pork resulting in a tender final product.
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Longer shelf life – Cured meats last longer than fresh meats due to the preservative qualities of salt and curing agents.
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Fun project – Curing meats is a hands-on process that lets you learn an ancient preservation technique.
Choosing the Pork
For the best results, choose high-quality pork loin with good marbling. Heritage breed pork or pasture-raised pork have excellent flavor and fat content for curing. Avoid commercial pork loin as it is very lean with mild flavor. Pork loin is sold bone-in or boneless. Either will work fine for curing.
Dry Cured Pork Loin
Dry curing involves rubbing a dry cure mix directly onto the meat. It’s easy and requires no special equipment. Here’s how to dry cure pork loin:
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Mix the cure – Use 2.5% salt by weight of the pork loin along with 0.25% curing salt #1 or Prague Powder #1. Add any other desired seasonings like garlic, pepper, thyme, etc.
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Apply the cure – Rub the cure mix all over the pork loin. Place in a bag and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks, flipping regularly.
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Rinse and rest – Rinse off cure mix, pat dry. Let rest uncovered in fridge for 2-3 hours to form pellicle.
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Cold smoke – Cold smoke for 4-12 hours until desired color is reached.
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Cook – Roast, grill, or poach loin to 155°F internal temperature.
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Rest – Cool completely before slicing thinly and enjoying.
Dry cured pork loin can be enjoyed right away or aged for several weeks to intensify flavor. It makes fabulous lonzino, smoked pork loin, or bacon.
Wet Cured Pork Loin
Wet curing fully submerges the pork in a water-based brine solution. It requires daily monitoring but produces very evenly cured meats. Here’s how to wet cure pork loin:
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Make the brine – Dissolve salt, curing salt, sugar, and spices into water. Use 2.5-3% salt by weight.
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Submerge and cure – Place loin in brine, making sure it’s fully submerged. Cure for 5-7 days refrigerated.
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Rinse and rest – Rinse pork, pat dry. Let rest uncovered in fridge for 2-3 hours.
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Cold smoke – Cold smoke 4-12 hours until desired color develops.
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Cook and rest – Roast, grill, or poach to 155°F internal temperature. Cool completely before slicing.
Wet cured pork loin makes wonderfully evenly cured meats like Canadian bacon, smoked loin, or ready-to-eat lonzino.
Tips for Curing Pork Loin
Follow these tips for the best results when curing pork loin at home:
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Use fresh, high-quality pork – Avoid old, pale pork.
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Weigh precisely – Accurate weights ensure proper curing.
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Cure for the full time – Don’t under-cure or it may be unsafe.
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Rinse well after curing – Removes excess surface salt.
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Use the right salt – Use canning/kosher salt, not table salt.
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Cold smoke below 90°F – For food safety and proper texture.
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Cook to 155°F internal temp – Kills bacteria and tenderizes meat.
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Chill completely before slicing – Makes slicing easier.
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Slice thinly – Usually under 1/8 inch for best texture.
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Store properly – Wrap tightly in butcher paper or vacuum seal.
Recipes for Cured Pork Loin
Here are some delicious recipes to try after curing pork loin:
Lonzino
- Dry cure pork loin with salt, curing salt #2, black pepper, garlic, cloves, onion powder, thyme.
- Cold smoke for 4-6 hours.
- Roast to 155°F internal temperature.
- Chill completely then slice thinly to serve.
Smoked Pork Loin
- Wet cure pork loin 5 days in a brine with salt, curing salt #1, brown sugar, garlic, bay leaves.
- Cold smoke for 5 hours with applewood.
- Roast to 155°F internal temperature.
- Cool completely before slicing into rounds.
Canadian Bacon
- Wet cure pork loin for 7 days in a maple syrup brine with salt, cure #1, brown sugar, maple syrup, garlic, and spices.
- Hot smoke to 140° internal temperature.
- Cool, slice, pan fry, and enjoy on breakfast sandwiches.
Curing pork loin at home lets you create amazing charcuterie like lonzino, bacon, and smoked pork loin. With some basic curing knowledge and the right techniques, you can cure pork loin with excellent results. Pay close attention to food safety and proper curing times. Then enjoy the delicious payoff of your own homemade cured pork loin creations.
‘Baking’ smoked pork loin
After being smoked, the meat is usually baked in a smoker or smokehouse at 167F to 185F until it reaches 154F on the inside. This will bring the meat to a safe-to-eat internal temperature. The baking stage may take up to 2. 5 – 3 hours or even longer, depending on humidity, ambient temperature, airflow, and other factors.
Another easy way to get smoked meat to the right temperature is to poach it in water that is 167F to 176F. Higher water temperature would be ideal in colder months, while lower would be best for hot summer days.
Poaching softens the crust formed during smoking, not to mention that it takes much less time than baking. To keep all the color and flavor of the smoked pork loins, you can also vacuum-seal them or put them in a plastic bag before poaching. There isn’t much difference between the two ways to poach smoked sausage, but I think meat poached in bags keeps its color and smoke flavor better. The crust on the pork loins that have been vacuum-sealed won’t be as soft as the crust on the pork loins that have been poached in water.
Drying improves the texture of smoked meats and intensifies their flavor. I dry most of my smoked meats for about 5 days at 55F and 70-75 Rh. Another thing I used to do is dry smoke pork loins. But I’ve stopped doing that because I like pork loin just the way it is. Drying make makes its texture slightly grainier and less enjoyable. Though, it does improve the meats shelf life.
Unlike oven-cooked pork loin or BBQ smoked pork loin, this smoked pork loin is best consumed cold and thinly sliced. After poaching, let it could down then refrigerate overnight before slicing and enjoying.
This smoked pork loin will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Just make sure to wrap it in unglazed butcher paper. For longer storage, three months plus, vacuum seal the meat and freeze it.
This post was updated on November 4, 2022.
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