Recipe for smoked pork tenderloin
Finally, I got to try cold-smoking a pork tenderloin, and what a beauty it turned out to be!
Both my wife, our 3-year-old daughter, and I are big fans of bacon, so a lot of pork gets brined and smoked in our household.
When I brine meat, it’s typically a process that takes a couple of days, usually using equal parts curing salt, coarse salt, and sugar. I also add some crushed peppercorns. The cold-smoking itself typically lasts over 1-3 consecutive nights, and thereafter, I give the meat 1-6 weeks in the aging cabinet.
Of course, not everyone has both an aging cabinet and a smoker, so this time I tried to keep it as “down to earth” as possible! That means I didn’t use either the aging cabinet or the smoker. This way, more people can try it out.
I had a chat with Kim from Meatlovers Delight. Kim primarily deals with dry aging bags, which are special vacuum bags for dry aging meat. The moisture can evaporate out through the bags, allowing the meat to dry age inside. It’s smart! Additionally, these bags can both dry age the meat and absorb smoke, so it was a no-brainer to try them out. Kim has also repeatedly mentioned the ingenious smoke n’ dry bags 🙂
What can you use the smoked meat for?
In the past, smoking meat was an essential preservation method to prevent us from getting sick from eating “old” meat. Today, we use smoking to get that fantastic and delightful smoked flavor!
We can either cold smoke, hot smoke, or smoke at “half heat,” and this time I chose to cold smoke. That means at 15 – 25 degrees Celsius. It’s therefore best done during the night, but you can also do it during the day in the colder months.
The smoked meat is generally really wonderful on a lunch or tapas table! Preferably on a slice of really good rye bread.
Smoked Pork Tenderloin Recipe
Smoked Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 pcs. Pork Tenderloin
- 180 gram Coarse salt
- 60 gram Nitrite Salt can be omitted and replaced with regular coarse salt.
- 85 gram Sugar
- Pepper
Instructions
- Combine curing salt, coarse salt, sugar, and crushed peppercorns in a bowl and mix well. Personally, I don't think it makes a big difference whether I use a brine or a dry cure, so I typically use a dry cure.
- Place the tenderloin in the bowl and massage the meat with the dry mixture.
- Vacuum-seal the tenderloin in a bag. It's not necessary to vacuum seal the bag, but I prefer to avoid any meat juices leaking in my fridge. Additionally, this eliminates the need to turn the bag a few times a day as would otherwise be necessary.
- Place the bag in the refrigerator and let it sit for 2-3 days. The longer it sits, the saltier and firmer the tenderloin will be in the end.
- Remove the tenderloin from the bag after the 2-3 days have passed.
- Rinse the meat well under running cold water to remove the salt.
- Pat the meat dry to remove any excess water.
- Place the meat in a smoke 'n' dry bag. If you don't have these bags, you can of course do it without placing them in a bag.
- Place an aluminum tray at the bottom of the grill and pour wood chips in a high and thick layer in a U-shape in the tray. The wood chips must first be dried in the oven at 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) for 1-2 hours. This way, you avoid the risk of the wood chips going out during smoking.
- Now pour a teaspoon of alcohol at one end of the wood chips / U-shape.
- Light the alcohol and let it burn for 30-60 seconds, then blow out the flame.
- Place the grate on top of the aluminum tray and lay the meat on the grate.
- Then put the lid on the grill. I usually smoke for 1-3 consecutive nights. I set it up before I go to bed, and in the morning I put the meat in the fridge (still in the bag). If it's cold outside, for example in the winter months, I usually smoke during the day. If you have a smoker, you should of course use it, and you can also use smoke pins.
- Once the smoking is done, place the meat in the refrigerator for 1-4 weeks. This is where it dries/ages. The longer you let it sit, the firmer it will become. Again, if you don't have the bags or an aging cabinet, find a dry, cool, and preferably airy place to hang your meat.
- Enjoy!