Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin Sous Vide

[not on the rug]

The 20-30 mins in the oven won't overcook it.  If 30 seems to dry it out too much, try 20 next time.  Or try broiling the bacon to a crisp.  Just rotate every few minutes to crisp it all around.  The same thing could be done in a cast irom pan if the loin is a short piece.  

As for internal temp, I'd prefer 160-165 for grocery store pork.  I don't trust the processing of that stuff.  If done properly, it will still be perfectly juicy and moist and safe to eat.

If it was local, heritage breed hog (preferably Berkshire)  and I knew the farmer and butcher, I'd be content with it medium rare.  One of my favorite restaurants does a chop like that and it's out of this world.  It's perfectly safe, and eats more like beef than pork.  

Edited January 15, 2020 by not on the rug

[Lunatic]

10 minutes ago, Tarhunt said:

Turned out awesome. 

Let’s see a slice through the middle

looks good

[Lunatic]

20 minutes ago, Hitemnasty said:

He’s not boiling he’s giving it a hot tub soak at 145 degrees, water boils at like 212 I think. 

Ok, soaking it in hot water sound better 

212 is right

Edited January 15, 2020 by Lunatic

[Hitemnasty]

3 minutes ago, not on the rug said:

The 20-30 mins in the oven won't overcook it.  If 30 seems to dry it out too much, try 20 next time.  Or try broiling the bacon to a crisp.  Just rotate every few minutes to crisp it all around.  The same thing could be done in a cast irom pan if the loin is a short piece.  

As for internal temp, I'd prefer 160-165 for grocery store pork.  I don't trust the processing of that stuff.  If done properly, it will still be perfectly juicy and moist and safe to eat.

If it was local, heritage breed hog (preferably Berkshire)  and I knew the farmer and butcher, I'd be content with it medium rare.  One of my favorite restaurants does a chop like that and it's out of this world.  It's perfectly safe, and eats more like beef than pork.  

That’s the reason why pork loins and chops get a bad rap because it absolutely sucks and dry cooked that high! Same goes for venison, yea it can still be juicy and ok at 145 but that’s way overdone. What could go wrong with the processing of whole muscle? Contamination happens on the exterior and when’s the last time if ever you knew of someone getting sick from eating pork. People are doing it 135 degrees and less sometimes and I’m sure they’re all getting it from the grocery store. What makes the farmers process better? 

I can see the bacon helping protect the meat from cooking through more in this process but it still had to end up over 150. Pork loin cooks 25 min per lb at 350 degrees. Looks good and hope you enjoyed it! Get a torch though and that bacon would’ve came out looking like it was fried up in a pan. 

[Tarhunt]

It could of been pulled out about 30 mins earlier. But, it was nice and moist. This was my first time doing this. 

[Hitemnasty]

2 minutes ago, Tarhunt said:

It could of been pulled out about 30 mins earlier. But, it was nice and moist. This was my first time doing this. 

Pulling out of the Sous vide 30 minutes early probably wouldn’t change anything as the meat was most likely already up to temp after 2-2.5 hours. Next time set the water to 135-140 then bake or set to desired doneness and torch it! Every Sous vide cook should have a torch, it’s all about the torch! 

[not on the rug]

20 minutes ago, Hitemnasty said:

That’s the reason why pork loins and chops get a bad rap because it absolutely sucks and dry cooked that high! Same goes for venison, yea it can still be juicy and ok at 145 but that’s way overdone. What could go wrong with the processing of whole muscle? Contamination happens on the exterior and when’s the last time if ever you knew of someone getting sick from eating pork. People are doing it 135 degrees and less sometimes and I’m sure they’re all getting it from the grocery store. What makes the farmers process better? 

I can see the bacon helping protect the meat from cooking through more in this process but it still had to end up over 150. Pork loin cooks 25 min per lb at 350 degrees. Looks good and hope you enjoyed it! Get a torch though and that bacon would’ve came out looking like it was fried up in a pan. 

Not true.  You can cook pork to temperature and have it be moist and juicy.  It's 100% technique.  I can do the same with a chicken breast and that's even leaner than pork.  

I almost never buy grocery store meat anymore anyway.  I don't believe in factory farming or mass slaughter house nonsense.  Not only is it cruel and unusual, it's plain disgusting.  Poor conditions lead to diseased animals.   That's why they have to pump them full of steroids and antibiotics. It's not just surface contamination that is a problem.  Pork is riddled with parasites when raised in that manner.  

The difference is that where I buy my meat, he raises about 15 Berkshire hogs at a time, then has them slaughtered and processed individually.   The animals are allowed to roam and forage and eat the way hogs are supposed to eat.  Any food that is supplemented is organic and a product of the farm.  Eggs from the pastured hens.  Organic feed. Etc.  The difference in the raising and processing of the animal is night and day from the poor tortured hogs raised on factory farms in the midwest

[Hitemnasty]

Rug, not going to disagree with you on the way meat is raised and how the animals are treated and that’s one of the reasons I think a lot of us hunt for our food. I wish I had easier access to farm raised meats! The way pork is raised now though isn’t how it use to be and if the nanny state says it can be cooked much lower than what was once deemed unacceptable and nobody is having a problem I tend to believe it’s safe. 

I love to cook and been doing it since I was a kid so I’ve used every technique under the sun and no technique changes the fact how meats texture, moisture and flavor changes from rare to well. So yeah, can you make a hunk of pork edible at med well/well? Sure you can but that same hunk of meat cooked lower is no doubt going to taste better and have more moisture. It’s one of the reasons I believe those cuts are so cheap, years and years of people overcooking (justifiably) and not really enjoying them and in turn not buying. 

I’m not denying pork has it’s problems and should be handled correctly just that they aren’t as bad as it once use to be. Most hunters mix their chop meat with pork fat or pork shoulder and don’t think twice about making med rare done burgers. That’s even worse than a whole muscle because of the high percentage of surface area to whole muscle. It’s why I mix all mine with beef fat. 

[Hitemnasty]

24 minutes ago, not on the rug said:

 

 

[not on the rug]

12 minutes ago, Hitemnasty said:

Rug, not going to disagree with you on the way meat is raised and how the animals are treated and that’s one of the reasons I think a lot of us hunt for our food. I wish I had easier access to farm raised meats! The way pork is raised now though isn’t how it use to be and if the nanny state says it can be cooked much lower than what was once deemed unacceptable and nobody is having a problem I tend to believe it’s safe. 

I love to cook and been doing it since I was a kid so I’ve used every technique under the sun and no technique changes the fact how meats texture, moisture and flavor changes from rare to well. So yeah, can you make a hunk of pork edible at med well/well? Sure you can but that same hunk of meat cooked lower is no doubt going to taste better and have more moisture. It’s one of the reasons I believe those cuts are so cheap, years and years of people overcooking (justifiably) and not really enjoying them and in turn not buying. 

I’m not denying pork has it’s problems and should be handled correctly just that they aren’t as bad as it once use to be. Most hunters mix their chop meat with pork fat or pork shoulder and don’t think twice about making med rare done burgers. That’s even worse than a whole muscle because of the high percentage of surface area to whole muscle. It’s why I mix all mine with beef fat. 

The only thing I disagree with is that farmed pork like your buy in the store can be cooked through and still be juicy.  It's not easy, but it can be done.  Same for chicken.  

As for sourcing food, there are so many fantastic farms all over the state and in PA that are doing it right.  10 years ago, finding "real" meat was a challenge.  Not so difficult anymore.  I'll pm you

[Buck154]

Nice. I like my bacon cooked more than that but at least the flavor from it should have gotten in to the pork.  

[Tarhunt]

26 minutes ago, Buck154 said:

Nice. I like my bacon cooked more than that but at least the flavor from it should have gotten in to the pork.  

It was good. I'm fine tuning the recipe for next time. Again, it was my first time ever cooking it that way. 

[archer36]

John, you need to kill more deer. 

[Tarhunt]

7 minutes ago, archer36 said:

John, you need to kill more deer. 

I know. I've only shot two deer so far. One in Virginia and one in NJ. 

[Lunatic]

12 hours ago, Hitemnasty said:

That’s the reason why pork loins and chops get a bad rap because it absolutely sucks and dry cooked that high! Same goes for venison, yea it can still be juicy and ok at 145 but that’s way overdone. What could go wrong with the processing of whole muscle? Contamination happens on the exterior and when’s the last time if ever you knew of someone getting sick from eating pork. People are doing it 135 degrees and less sometimes and I’m sure they’re all getting it from the grocery store. What makes the farmers process better? 

I can see the bacon helping protect the meat from cooking through more in this process but it still had to end up over 150. Pork loin cooks 25 min per lb at 350 degrees. Looks good and hope you enjoyed it! Get a torch though and that bacon would’ve came out looking like it was fried up in a pan. 

NO one gets sick on pork anymore and 135 is fine. You don't need some heritage raised pork, whatever that means.