This is from my Borniak pork-loin cook in October 2025. I use a dry brine, then paprika, garlic, mustard and thyme to build flavour without hiding the pork.
SERVES 6 · PREP 15 min · COOK 2–3 hr + rest
For this I use my Borniak UW-150 and an Inkbird Wi-Fi probe in the thickest part of the pork, away from any fat. Pork loin is much less forgiving than short ribs, so I follow the core temperature rather than letting the smoker run for hours just because the recipe gives a time.
Ingredients
- 1.2–1.5 kg boneless pork loin joint
- 1½ tsp fine salt (about 8–9 g), for dry brine
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed (or 1 tsp granules)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- Beech or apple wood chips
- Probe thermometer
Method
- I set up before lighting: check the smoker manual, ventilation, drip tray, clean racks, fuel, an independent rack-height thermometer and a sanitised meat probe. Keep raw food refrigerated until the smoker has stabilised. Record starting temperature and time.
- Day before, check the pork loin is evenly shaped and leave a thin layer of fat. Pat dry, sprinkle with 1½ tsp fine salt and refrigerate uncovered on a rack overnight for a simple dry brine. If you cannot do overnight, allow 2–4 hours in the fridge instead.
- Take it out while preheating the Borniak, but do not leave raw pork standing warm. Mix paprika, black pepper, thyme, mustard, garlic and oil into a paste. Spread thinly all over the pork.
- I preheat smoker to 110–120°C, within the rated limit in your specific UW150 manual. The original cook notes mention a cabinet around 120–125°C; stay within your model’s safe rated setting rather than copying a higher number blindly.
- I insert a clean meat probe into the thickest middle of the loin, avoiding the fat layer. Put on a rack with airspace all around and add a moderate beech or apple smoke for the first hour.
- Continue cooking, usually another 60–120 minutes depending on thickness, until the centre is fully cooked: 70°C held for 2 minutes or 75°C for 30 seconds is a useful FSA-equivalent safety endpoint.
- Lift the pork to a board and loosely tent with foil. Rest 15 minutes, keeping the resting juices. Slice across the grain into 1 cm thick slices, spoon over the juices and serve while hot.
- Write down the actual smoker-air temperature, centre temperature, total time, smoke duration and final texture. If the food is finished early, either keep it properly hot at 63°C or above under monitoring or chill it promptly; do not leave it sitting lukewarm in a turned-off smoker.
