Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[reubenray]

My local grocer has both of these on sale.  The tenderloin is more per pound.  What are the differences between them?

[BigDave83]

tenderloin is the pig Fillet. They are usually only 1.5 to 2 pounds. They are very tender, I have been doing them SV and then quick sear in a pan. to give some browning.

The loin is just the big part of the pork chop usually up to 10 pounds, no where near as tender. They are nice to make boneless chops I like to cut them into 1.5" thick chops and sometimes will do them thinner 3/8" and make sandwiches out of them.

[reubenray]

I have smoked some pork loins wrapped in bacon and they have been fork tender.

[cookingjnj]

Brining thick cut pork loin chops prior to cooking can also keep them a little more moist as well.

[bucky919]

We do pork loins all the time when on sale, usually cut them in thirds and freeze some, wife life them slathered with a spicy brown mustard and heavy on the tatonka dust. 

[ICIdaho]

Pork tenderloins are softer and usually can be cut with a fork.  They are not a long low and slow cook though, they will dry out as they do not have much fat content.  Bacon wrapped is a tasty way to go with them.  I have done without bacon too and they were good.

[reubenray]

My grocer has these for about a $1 per pound more for the tenderloin.  I have smoked several pork loins, but not a tenderloin.  I was wondering if they tasted that much different.  Being my pork loins have been coming out so good I will stick with them.

[wyd]

I generally do whole pork loins as they're cheaper and I get a lot more meat to feed the family with.   

[reubenray]

I just noticed that the same grocer has beef tenderloin for $12.99 a pound.  I have not seen beef tenderloin before.  Is this a bad or good price and how would I smoke it?

[pmillen]

First, the difference between loin and tenderloin.

My meat-cutting experience is limited to beef, but I suspect that, in this regard, hogs are similar.

Reach around to the small of your back and feel for your spine.  The roll of muscle on each side of it is your loin.  It’s what you typically call your back muscle.  It’s the same on a hog.  The loin is on top of the animal alongside of the backbone.  It does some work so it’s lean and can be tough.

The tenderloin is found along the backbone but under it.  It’s not worked particularly hard so it’s tender, hence the name.

BTW, the Biblical phrase, “Gird up your loins” means cinch up your belt or tighten your pants.  All are a euphemisms for prepare for a dangerous situation.

Regarding:  Cooking beef tenderloin.

Look at this post.

And this one.

[SurfAndTurf]

We buy the pork loin when it is on sale and cut it up into breakfast chops.

We did a tenderloin following the Traeger recipe for maple mustard. I hope I've inserted the link correctly. It was so good and finished in 27 minutes. But our ambient temperature was 110' so sometimes I think my cooks are quicker.

https://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/pork/maple-glazed-pork-tenderloin