Cilantro Garlic Smoked Pork Loin.

Seriously . . . not to be cocky . . . but I should have went to culinary school like I planned and never went to “seminary”.

Tonight’s dish was a variation of my previously mentioned smoked pork loin. Again GroupRecipes brings me the starting point and I modded it for our tastes. And I have even gone back in and modified the recipe again after we ate dinner so that you can avoid our mistakes. The only ones being that went a little heavy on the garlic & cilantro. But I’m a risk taker in the kitchen. What can I say?

Cilantro Garlic Smoked Pork Loin
Total Price: $15.00
Feeds 2

Ingredients:
1 lb pork loin (fresh stuff from the butcher and not the pre-packaged stuff; Whole Foods $7 a lb)
1 fresh garlic clove
1 tbsp tarragon
1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
Sprinkle of olive oil
6 strips of bacon (we used fresh bacon from the butcher but to cut cost you can use the packaged stuff)
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro

Directions:
1) Butterfly cut the pork loin down the middle
2) Chop (we use a little electric grinder) the garlic clove and fresh cilantro (pick the leaves off the stem and use those)
3) Sprinkle a little bit of olive oil in the butterfly cut. Then dump the garlic clove and cilantro in the butterfly cut. Be sure to spread it out evenly
4) Spread out the tarragon and Old Bay seasoning across the butterfly cut as well
5) Tie the pork loin back up with cooking string
6) Sprinkle the tarragon and Old Bay seasoning on top of the pork loin
7) Get the grill really hot and singe each side of the pork loin for about a minute or until light brown to lock in the juices. Then place it on a piece of tinfoil on one side of the grill and cook at a low heat (200 degrees) for 3 hours. Put strips of bacon on top of the pork loin to keep it moist and use any remaining cilantro on top of that.
Tips: Be sure not to place the pork loin butterfly side down on the grill as all the juices will drip out; Turn off all the burners except the left one and leave it at low. And place the pork loin on the tinfoil on the right hand side. Cook it this way for 2 hours before you bring up and adjust the other burners accordingly.

And now for the finished product.