Fishing Michigan

Ok, this is so good and with all the clamoring by the neighbors I think I will share.  You know its bad when they start walking over because they can smell the stuff when they walk out of their houses A QUARTER OF A MILE AWAY.  Besides its fairly quick and easy to do, specially with a short cut I learned.

I wonder why it is, with all the rising food costs, Meijer is able to sell their big pork loins for around $1.59 a pound still?  I’m not arguing mind you because this sandwich really is the ultimate in BBQ.  So, as you guessed, first thing you need to do is go and get yourself a loin while it is on sale.

If its not, no worries, because by the time it is again, the sun will be shining and we will be in the 70 degree mark.  While you are there, have them slice it into 1/4 inch cuts.  That is the short cut I mentioned,  you can do it this way like me, or have them do it.  Its a free service at the meat counter,  I just have to remember to do it!  I kind of like doing it at home, but only for removing the fatty parts. Its really not hard to do when still partially frozen.

Next step is to take some foil sheets.  You want them big enough to be able to wrap four or five layers of pork slices overlapping.  Try to have a flap showing in the middle,  it makes it easier to maintain while cooking later.

Just repeat the process until all the meat has been wrapped.  if you are a little over in your slices, this is where its good to have a big ol dog like Bonnie around, she just loves those odds and ends.  If you don’t like feeding your dogs table food, even though its raw, just make your last sandwich just a lil bit bigger than the rest.  Its your secret.  There will be enough for a family of four to have seconds plus, or will serve somewhere between 10 and 12 people.

When it comes to BBQ sauce, its like my lures (see I did manage to get fishing worked in here),  I like to tinker, tweak and pull off a lil finesse.  Make the sauce your own,  have a lil pride in your work.  Its like that company with the motto, ” We didn’t invent the product, we just made it better.”  Start off with a bottle of your favorite flavored Open Pit.  My two choices would be the original or hickory.  What I have in the bowl already is some brown sugar, but honey works really well too.  Have some apple vinegar, and seasoning to throw in.  In this case some season all and garlic powder,  and I am sure I threw in a lil cayenne to spice it up, but somehow it missed the picture.  That’s up to you though. 

One more trick for the sauce.  Call it my Irish or German creeping in, or just call it a good way to clean out the bottle of Open Pit.  Call it a part of the man and BBQ relationship, but you gotta have beer.  Have you ever wanted to get every last drop of sauce out of the bottle,  but no matter how much you shook, pounded or jiggled, there was always a little bit left?  Take your “almost empty” bottle and fill it half way with beer.  Shake it up good, and simply pour into the sauce,  adds a lil something something to the mix, and your old bottle is clean as a whistle.

I skipped a step here with the pics, but not to worry  , its a small step.  I lay out all the foil wraps on the grill, with the flap on top.  It just makes easier to remember to keep turning on the same side as all the others.  This is the slow time in the process, go ahead and finish that beer off from the bottle cleaning, if you haven’t already that is.  After about 5 minutes between three or four flips, you should start seeing some juices coming out.  This is the sign telling you that its ok now to remove the foil wrapper.  No the layers will not fall apart on you,  they kind of bind in the process, and you will be able to keep flipping them as a whole.

Start applying the sauce kind of gently or you will break them up between the slices.  Repeat the process on a regular basis,  the loin is fairly lean and will dry out otherwise.  If you do it right, this is what your grill will look like eventually.  Those are some boiled potatoes that I finish up on the grill for a lil smoky flavor.  Its also a good thing, if you slice up some onions to steam on the grill during the cooking process.  The top rack is a good place for them so they do not burn.

Finally you will know you are ready to eat when all the sauce has been applied to the meat.  Get some of your favorite sesame or onion sandwich buns, and enjoy.