Grilled Pork Loin Roast and Foil Broccoli

This is a simple dish that I did recently and I thought I would share it with everyone. Most people would feel nervous cooking a full pork loin roast on a webber grill but its really easy and is very tasty! It follows a few simple principles and requires just a little planning.

Start by lighting the coals. I use a chimney starter with Kingsford briquets and newspaper for the starter. Once the chimney is started, prepare the pork loin (which should already be at room temperature) by trussing it. There are a few ways you can do this but I keep it simple and take my butcher’s twine and and simply tie it every inch or so on the roast. This should give you a nice cylindrical shaped pice of meat. The reason trussing is important is two fold; you want to keep the roast the same shape and thickness from one end to the other for even cooking and the other is that sometimes they can come apart while they’re cooking and thats not good either. Once the loin is trussed its time to season. I keep it fairly simple and start with ample amounts of salt and pepper, followed by a sprinkling of granulated garlic and dried thyme. I use a good deal of salt and pepper to help form a crust on the meat. After seasoning I drizzle a little canola oil over the loin and rub it in with my hands, being careful not to rub off my seasoning.

By now the coals should be ready. Dump the coals on one end of the grill to form a hot zone for direct cooking. Now is the time to put any flavor enhancers on the coals. I’m fairly lucky, I have five hickory trees in my back yard so I simply found a small stick (about two inches in diameter) and threw it on the coals. Put the grate back on the grill, clean it with a wire brush, oil it using tongs and a paper towel soaked with canola oil and get the roast on directly over the coals. Sear all the way around the roast so its very browned and almost charred (about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the temperature of your coals). Then move it off the heat to the other side of the grill and put the lid on it. Close the top vents about halfway and let it cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check the temperature with a meat thermometer in the center of the roast. the desired temperature is 145F degrees. It should need more time so turn the meat over and cook covered for another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prep the broccoli by laying out a large square of heavy duty foil and place flowerets in the center. The flowerets should be fairly large so they wont break down to mush. I like to add red bell pepper strips to the broccoli and thinly sliced garlic cloves (2-4 cloves depending on your taste). Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Close up the foil from top to bottom and seal as tight as you can. Do the same with the left and right sides. When you think you have about 10 minutes of cooking time left on the roast put the foil pouch directly over the coals and cook for five minutes. You will hear the oil popping, after five minutes slide the packet over to the indirect side and cook for another 15 minutes.

Back to the roast, after the second side cooks for 25 minutes, begin checking the temperature every 5-10 minutes until 145F is obtained. When the meat reaches 145F pull it off the grill, cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. If you were able to time everything right, the meat should come off about the same time you’re moving the broccoli to the indirect side of the grill and the vegetables should finish cooking while the meat is resting. After the resting period, take the broccoli off the grill and bring it in and let it remain sealed while you slice the meat.

I served mine with corn on the cob, cooked in the microwave. This doesn’t sound too much like Turbocue but its a great way too cook corn on the cob and it’s dead easy. Simply put the corn (still in the husk) on a microwave safe plate and nuke it for 3 minutes per ear. So if your cooking four ears thats 12 minutes total cooking time. Let it sit for 5 minutes and you have perfectly cooked corn that tastes great ’cause it was cooked and steamed in its own flavor pouch, its husk.

So when those pork loins go on sale (don’t confuse the loins with the tenderloins, they’re two different cuts of meat) buy a couple and try this method, its really something special. By the way, if for some reason you don’t want to cook them outside, you can sear it in a large pan on top of the stove and place in the oven at 375F until the loin reaches 145F. Don’t forget to turn it about halfway through. Just remember the principles; sear the meat, roast with indirect heat and pay attention to the temperature of the meat and take it off at 145F. Always remember to let meat rest for at least ten minutes before slicing!