Smoked Pork Loin

[hotwine]

Couldn't agree more on the need for flexibility in pairings, IK. Have only smoked pork twice in the last three years, and paired an M-S-R Riesling Kabinett from Schmitt-Sohn once and a cheapo PN (Maison Nicolas VdP d'Oc) the other. Both worked OK.

Auburn, I use oak logs exclusively, even for grilling burgers. Don't even own a gas grill. But from what I've heard, you can place wood chips in an aluminum pan over a burner and get them to produce smoke that way. Just make sure the wood is seasoned (dried); that's especially important with a fruitwood like cherry. And even if it is dried, if the wood was cut at the wrong time of year - spring or summer - it could be full of dried sap, which will liquify under high heat, vaporize in the smoke, and condense on the interior surfaces of your grill, producing the damnedest gunk you've ever seen. Oak is simple, manageable, and monosyllabic.

[This message has been edited by hotwine (edited 09-04-2003).]