When last the weather was warm enough to barbecue, I decided to innovate several methods for preparing a boneless pork loin, besides roasting it for Sunday dinner to produce crackling. While making a pork loin crackle without drying out the meat is no easy task, a lean cut of pork with a well developed layer of fat has uses beyond roasting.

Why? During one of my weekly shopping trips, I overhead two gentlemen arguing over a refrigerated display. "Hey! Look at this. Isn't a buck forty nine a good price for pork", said one gentlemen to the other. "Yeah, but we don't need that much meat. What are we going to do with something that big?" As they left empty-handed, I wandered over to find halved boneless pork loins. I fetched one and thought to myself, "Plenty!"

Firstly, let's start with the obvious. What are some of the most prized pork chops at the butcher's counter? That would be "center cut" loin chops (routinely: $2.99/lb). Centre cut loin chops are almost completely composed of one muscle. As such, they cook evenly under high heat, lending themselves well to grilling or pan roasting. Guess what? A halved pork loin, with or without the sirloin portion, is nothing more than unsliced boneless pork loin chops. Even better, you can cut them as thickly or as thinly as you like. Thicker chops lend nicely to being stuffed. Just start slicing at the end where the lighter loin muscle is largest.

I sliced mine on average 2-3 cm (3/4") thick. Since they were destined to be grilled, I applied a dry rub and let them sit in the fridge for an hour to draw out some juices. This way, the chops browned nicely on the flame. On the flame, I turned them every 2 minutes, until they reached an internal temperature of 140°F.

Sliced Loin Chops with Dry Rub

Loin Chops after an hour with the Rub

Loin Chops Grilled to an Internal Temp of 140°F

Loin Chops Served

Here's the dry rub I use:

• 8 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

It borrows from Alton Brown's 8:3:1:1 dry rub, which he used it to season ribs for braising.

Secondly, usually a halved pork loin has a portion of sirloin on board. This is the darker coloured muscle. I find this muscle takes longer to cook, so I excised it into individual roasts. Besides, why not carve out a piece of sirloin, leaving the fat layer intact, and try to make some crackling.

For the individual sirloin roasts, I seasoned them with kosher salt and pepper and drizzled them with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar. Then, I tossed them on the grill. I also cooked them to an internal temperature of 140°F, turning often.

Marinating Sirloin Roasts

Marinated Sirloin Roasts

Sirloin Roasts Grilled to an Internal Temp of 140°F

BTW, the crackling didn't work and the fat run off started some unnecessary grease flame-ups. Here's what turned out:

Failed Crackling

Lastly, a pork loin can easily be cut into strips for stringing onto a skewer. This can be done with either the loin or sirloin portion.

For me, I sliced out strips of sirloin and marinated them in President's Choice Korean Barbecue sauce for an hour. I then skewered the strips and tossed them on the grill. They were the last on and the quickest to come off. They make great appetizers or can be served on rice or cous cous for an entrée.

Sirloin Strips Marinating

Sirloin Strips Grilled

And skewers allow for great service options!

Skewered Sirloin Strips Served

Skewered Sirloin Strips Top Angle

Skewered Sirloin Strips Side Angle
If sticky sweet Korean Barbecue sauce doesn't suit your fancy, think coconut flavoured spicy satay!

As has been demonstrated, a single halved pork loin easily produces three dishes.

My advice: pickup a pork loin when they're on sale ($1.49-$1.99 are steals), slice it up into manageable portions, and freeze the portions you don't need. Pork loin is a very versatile cut.

Heck, I've been known to just cut one up into thick strips and make Chinese Barbecued Pork or Char-Siu. Cheers!



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