3 Little Pigs in a Blanket
Why I Love This Recipe
The inspiration of this recipe comes from a combination of cooking channel shows and experimentation. It's a great conversation piece (prior to going into the smoker) and it was show cased recently during my carpool's "1st Annual Carpool Camp Out" at the lake!
Submitted by: "Brad Dye"
Ingredients You'll Need
10 lbs. Pork Loin
2 lbs. Spicy Italian Sausage
4 lbs. Bacon
1 Cup of Kirklands Sweet Mesquite Rub (Costco)
1 Cup of Dark Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
1/2 gallon of Apple Juice
Directions
1. Mix equal portions of Sweet Mesquite Rub with the Dark Brown Sugar to create your "rub".
2. Trim the majority of fat from the outside of the Pork Loin.
3. Butterfly the Pork Loin.
4. Apply a liberal coating of "rub" to the inside of the Pork Loin.
5. Stuff the inside of the Pork Loin with the Spicy Italian Sausage, being sure to apply equal portions throughout the loin.
6. Close the loin around the spicy italian sausage.
7. Tuck full strips of bacon in a cross hatch pattern around and under the loin (the weight of the loin will keep the bacon secured).
8. Apply mustard to the outside of the loin (acts as a bonding agent).
9. Apply "rub" over the mustard.
10. Cut the remainder of your bacon strips in half.
11. Cover the top of the loin with overlapping half strips of bacon (blanketing the entire top).
12. You now have 3 Little Pigs in a Blanket!
13. Place a heat tolerant tray/container at the door of your smoker's firebox.
14. Pour 1/2 gallon of Apple Juice into the tray/container - the purpose of this step is to provide long-lasting moisture inside the smoker.
15. Take the previously trimmed pork fat and place it in the tray as well.
16. Place the 3 Little Pigs into your smoker rack.
17. Apply additional "rub" over the 'blanket' of bacon.
18. Pour the remainder of the "rub" into the tray.
19. Slow smoke at 225 degrees for approximately 6 1/2 hours - or until the pork loin reads 180 degrees.
20. Remove the 3 Little Pigs from the smoker.
21. Wrap in foil for 10-15 minutes (allows it to rest)
22. Open the foil, cut, and serve with your favorite sides!
