Mr. T's Pork Loin

 

The salesman and I have enjoyed cooking "together" since we were first married. Now, when I say together I need to clarify exactly what that means. There are some dishes that he does completely solo from me like homemade pizza crust with homemade pizza sauce...anything in the pizza world for that matter except for my BBQ Chicken. He also makes a great bowl of cereal completely solo. There are some dishes that he also takes total credit for because of his effort he added. For example, meatballs. I put all of the ingredients in a bowl, he mixes it together and forms them and then I cook them all...and he takes all of the credit. See how this works? Well, this past weekend we worked "together" on making a pork loin that was TO DIE FOR! You know how I feel about saying things are the best or insisting that you cook them, but read my words, THIS IS THE BEST PORK LOIN YOU WILL EVER HAVE AND YOU MUST MAKE THIS. Got it?!
I cooked for the Ronald McDonald house last week and made for them Roma's pork chops (Recipe on site). They are delicious and the RMDH gobbled them up. I didn't have all of the exact same ingredients on hand so I instructed the salesman on what all to grab out of the fridge in order to marinate our own pork loin. He dumped all of the stuff together in a large zip lock bag and we let it sit and get all cozy in the fridge overnight. He then cooked it to my specifications yesterday for Mother's Day...then took all of the credit for it. Again, see how this works? But, it was AMAZING! I have to state for the record that this is the best pork loin I have ever had and is exactly how a pork loin is suppose to taste. We even ate it cold last night on homemade cheddar biscuits which the salesman made all on his own. This was the ultimate treat for Mother's Day and is a great dish to make for an every day celebration! I was able to get my 3.5 lb pork loin (NOT TENDERLOIN) for 9.00 at the store on sale and it lasted two meals so you can't beat that.
Well, what are you waiting for?!? GET TO COOKIN'!!!

Mr. T's Pork Loin
1 3-4 lb pork loin (you can adjust your marinate to the size of your loin - the loin is what chops are cut from, it is thicker then a tenderloin and doesn't have a bone)
1/2 cup Kraft brand Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade
2 Tbsp coarse grain Dijon mustard (must have coarse!)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Dump all of this in a bag and marinade at least overnight but up to two days in advance. Before cooking, remove from bag and discard marinade.
Now, the way you cook this will make all of the difference. On your grill, you are going to want to cook it by using in-direct heat. So, on our grill we have 3 burners. We turned the far Left to HIGH, the Center to LOW and the far Right was OFF. Got that? Your loin will sit on the far RIGHT side but will cook in-directly by the heat of the other burners.
Preheat your grill to 400 degrees using the above method. If you only have 2 burners then leave one off and one on. Place your meat on the side that does not have any heat and close the lid. The pork loin will cook for approximately 1 hour, until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. You want the grill to stay at an even 400 degrees. You MUST have a meat thermometer for this because if you over cook it, you will have jerky. If you under cook it, you will die (just kidding!) Thermometers can be purchased for super cheap at the grocery store and are crucial for grilling. Stick the thermometer in the loin so that it reaches the center (but make sure your thermometer doesn't have any plastic or that baby will melt all over your pork and I will cry for you!) You are going to turn the loin a quarter of the way over every 15 minutes for one hour. It will get a nice crunchy bark on the outside and will have a beautiful light smoke ring on the inside. Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

 Notice the bark on the outside and the smoke ring on the inside?! So yummy!!

When your meat reaches 180 degrees, remove from the grill and place on a large platter. Leave it alone and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This will allow it to get all nice and juicy again. Using a sharp long thin blade, slice it in super thin slices and serve. Be sure you spoon up the juice that ran out on the platter over the meat, or sop it up with your bread.

Enjoy Y'all!