Description
Braided smoked pork loin from our video with Danielle Bennett.
Ingredients
- Boneless pork loin, 2.5–3 lb
- ~2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- ~2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- ~1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- ~1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2–4 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1.5 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4–1/3 C olive oil
- 1.5 lb regular-cut (not thick-cut) bacon
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the herb rub by combining the herbs, garlic, zest, mustard, salt, and oil. Whisk together into a loose paste, adjusting consistency by adding more oil if needed, or more mustard or herbs if too thin.
- Cut any silver skin from the loin with a sharp knife.
- Also using a sharp knife, cut about 1″ in from the edge of the meat down the length of the pork loin, starting about 2″ from one end, all the way to the other end. Make an identical cut 1″ from the other edge.
- Wrap each of the three legs you’ve just created in bacon. Also, wrap the 2″ chunk at the connecting end in bacon.
- Braid the loin by crossing the right leg over the center leg, then the left leg over the center, then the right leg again, etc.
- Secure the legs together at the end with a skewer.
- Rub the braided loin with the herb marinade. Stuff it into cracks and crannies. Don’t skimp.
- Place the loin in your smoker and cook. If you’re using a leave-in probe thermometer, like Smoke X2™, insert the probe and set your meat-channel high-temp alarm for 140–145°F (60–63°C).
- Cook until the internal temperature reaches 140–145°F (60–63°C), about 34–45 minutes.
- Verify the internal temperature with your Thermapen ONE.
- Remove from heat and allow the roast to rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice it up and pile it high on your plate! Enjoy!
