When Grillin’ Fool Scott told me that the folks at Smithfield had asked us to try our foolishness on their line of marinated pork I wondered just what had those whippersnappers been up to. Sure, I marinated or brined pork all the time but these folks were doing it for this old dog. Well perhaps I could learn a new trick when new school meets old school out on the patio classroom with this Rotisserie Pork Sirloin Roast Recipe.
Besides, letting Smithfield marinate the pork saves me time buying ingredients for a marinade and remembering to put the meat in it the night before. I can buy one of these and put it on the grill as soon as I get home and know it will be loaded with flavor thanks to the marinade:
23 oz Smithfield Garlic and Herb Marinated Pork Sirloin Roast
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
2 oz chicken broth
Save the Juice
The first thing I did after opening the package was reserve any excess marinade to use as a basting liquid during the cooking process. The aroma was already pulling me in with grilling yet to begin:
Here it is, just a shade shy of a pound and a half (23 ounces). I’ve slivered some fresh garlic and sliced a shallot to be studded all around the surface of the pork sirloin roast. I chose to keep the slivers short as this is a smallish roast. I just couldn’t resist adding my own twist to this cook but then I think most backyard cooks have a tendency to tinker with recipes a bit, don’t you?
Now for the studdin’ ‘n pluggin’! First insert the blade of a sharp slender knife into the pork and then slide the sliver alongside the blade until hidden inside the meat. Hold the sliver in place with a finger and remove the knife. Repeat every inch or two all over the roast. I’ll show those whippersnappers!
Some of the slivers will want to work themselves out of the roast so just give ‘em a gentle poke back in. This may also happen during the grilling process:
Speaking of Russ, this is a stainless steel grill he made circa 1975. Indeed, I spent many sunny, summer, Sunday afternoons at his lakeside home smoking pork on this grill.
This newfangled marinated pork will be cooked on old school equipment:
This old grill I appropriately dubbed The Russ doesn’t have a thermometer like that ceramic kamado grill shown in the background so other means were used to control both temperature and air flow.
There are several small holes in the bottom to provide air intake in addition too the ‘air and temperature regulator’:
Let’s take a closer look at that ‘air and temperature regulator.’ Notice the different notches where the lid rested while adjusting for fire control. When the cooking was over that same doorstop shaped piece of wood was wedged between the lid and the cutting board to keep the grill lid closed tightly while cutting off the draft so he could save charcoal.
Russ would frequently state something was as ‘handy as a pocket on a shirt.’ He certainly was:
We’re at 130F degrees (I’m new school enough to use an instant read thermometer now) one hour into the cook and I’ve basted with the reserved liquid with the broth added. Olive or grape seed oil would work also in place of the broth.
I’m expecting an hour and a half cooking time but always cook to temperature not time.
When the pork is 145F-150F it should be pulled to rest.
This cut is very different than the pork butt/shoulder roasts that can be cooked to 195F-200F. This is a much leaner cut, in fact, it generally is lower in calories and saturated fat than beef tenderloin:
I pulled the rotisserie pork sirloin roast when it reached 140F. I realize it’s not quite done. How about a reverse sear after a rotisserie? Remember that blue kamado grill in the background of an earlier photo? It was set up for direct grilling (we had 3 grills working that day) so it was suggested we sear at the end adding to the flavor profile by caramelizing those proteins on the outside (this is essentially a reverse sear):
Did the added garlic and onion improve the flavor? I’m not sure about improve but intensify might be a better word choice. Did I need to add the garlic and shallots? Absolutely not, the pieces I tasted without the additions were moist and delicious and did not require additional salt or spices. Doing nothing extra to the marinated sirloin roast would result in delightful dining. Sliced thick would be fine for an entrée but with lean pork thinner slices provide maximum tenderness.
Additionally, the follow up sandwiches would be divine. Maybe, just maybe, those whippersnappers from Smithfield have taken me back to school.
And in the end, I saved a lot of time and feel good about serving this to my family because it was simply that good:
Full Disclosure ~ Smithfield provided the GrillinFools product and compensation to do this post. But as you know, we wouldn’t put anything on this site that isn’t really good and this pork roast was outstanding inside and out. Save yourself some time and add a bunch of flavor to your next barbecue and give one of these a try.
This is part of a series of posts we did for Smithfield. Check out the Hawaiian Pork Tenderloin Sliders Scott did with a couple Smithfield teriyaki pork tenderloins.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or send me an email.
Also, if you could leave us a great review with lots of stars that would be most appreciated!
23ozSmithfield Garlic and Herb Marinated Pork Sirloin Roast
1shallot
2clovegarlic
2ozchicken broth
Instructions
Slice the corner off of the pork sirloin roast package and pour the excess liquid into a cup or bowl and reserve for later
Slice the garlic and shallot into thin, short slivers
Using a long, slender knife, cut slits in the roast
While the knife is still imbedded in the meat, lean it back and slide a piece of shallot or garlic down the side of the blade and into the meat, holding it down with the tip of your finger while extracting the knife
Run the spit for the rotisserie through the center of the roast
Set up the grill for the flank grilling method with charcoal on either side and a drip pan in the middle
Target temperature inside the grill is 300
Place the spit on the grill and turn on the rotisserie motor
Combine the remaining marinade and the chicken broth
After about an hour on the grill, baste with the remaining marinade/broth a couple times
Once the meat reaches and internal temperature of 140 degrees, pull it from the grill and sear (optional)
If you choose not to sear, take the rotisserie pork sirloin roast up to 145 before removing from the spit
Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes, slice and serve
I like to make my own marinades too, but with three little kids at home and lots of other projects on my plate, I find myself going to the premade stuff more and more to save time. If I have a long weekend where I can sit back and grill for half the day, I’ll do that, but most of the time I’ll use something like this and still get all the flavor I want without losing so much time. And thanks for the compliment about the writing style. I appreciate it.
GrillinFools
2 comments
Mike
That pork roast looks good although I prefer to make my own marinades. Great post and I really enjoyed your style of writing. Thanks!
Scott Thomas
Mike,
I like to make my own marinades too, but with three little kids at home and lots of other projects on my plate, I find myself going to the premade stuff more and more to save time. If I have a long weekend where I can sit back and grill for half the day, I’ll do that, but most of the time I’ll use something like this and still get all the flavor I want without losing so much time. And thanks for the compliment about the writing style. I appreciate it.