Pesto-Crusted Pork Loin Roast

Pork loin is the “prime rib” of the hog, the same muscle that runs through the ribeye. When people talk about eating high off the hog, this is the cut they mean. The problem with pork loin is that it is so lean that if you let your guard down and overcook it the tiniest bit, you get cottonmouth. It is also a relatively bland meat, so it can use a little pick-me-up. I like to inject it with a brine and coat it with an oil-based rub, in this case, pesto, which we make and freeze every August. The oil helps reduce evaporation slightly and adds a small amount of fat. Then I wrap it with parchment paper, which is porous and lets a little smoke through (do not use wax paper), and tie it with kitchen string.

Makes 8 servings

Takes 3¼ hours to make the injection and to rest the meat after injecting, and about 1 hour to cook

1. Prep. About 3 hours before cooking, trim off all fat and silverskin and inject the meat with the brine. Insert the needle into the top of one end, and walk your way from end to end, inserting the needle as deep as you can before pushing the plunger down. Gradually pull the needle out to distribute the brine as evenly as possible. Gently massage the meat to work the fluid around inside the meat. Some may squirt out. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

2. Mix the pesto with the oil and slather it all over the meat. (The pesto already has oil in it, but it is easier to apply and sticks better with a little extra.)

3. Wrap the meat in a single layer of parchment paper and tie it closed with butcher’s twine.

4. Fire up. Get your smoker up to 225°F or set up the grill for two-zone cooking and shoot for about 225°F on the indirect side. Add wood for smoke. You want heavy white smoke so that some will get through the parchment paper wrapper.

5. Cook. Place the meat on the indirect side and smoke it until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 135 to 140°F.

6. Serve. Cut the twine, unwrap the pork carefully, and cut it into ½-inch-thick slices to serve. If you have some Smoked Bone Broth in the freezer, you have the perfect gravy. You don’t need to do anything to it, just heat it and drizzle it over the meat, or mix in a little pesto if you like.