Description
This is the chop we cut when we get to the back end of the loin and the tenderloin is still attached. Same Berkshire cross hogs from Lockhart, broken down whole in the shop. You get the firmer loin muscle and the softer tenderloin either side of a T bone, exactly like a beef porterhouse. There are only a handful per carcass so this comes and goes through the week.
The two muscles cook at slightly different rates, so keep the tenderloin side away from the hottest part of the pan or the edge of the grill. Sear the loin side first, turn once, then move the whole chop to indirect heat. A thermometer into the loin side, not the tenderloin, is the honest reading.
Specification
- Breed: Berkshire cross, Lockhart, Central Texas
- Cut: rib end loin with tenderloin attached, T bone
- Thickness: 1.25 to 1.5 in
- Trim: fat cap squared, chine bone removed
- Sold by: the pound, limited count per carcass
Cooking
Grill over a two zone fire, four minutes hot on the loin side, then indirect with the lid down until 145F in the loin. Rest eight minutes before cutting either muscle off the bone.
Storage
Three days in the fridge on a rack so air gets underneath. Freezes for two months, though we would rather you ate it fresh, the tenderloin side loses a little in the freezer.
Priya Raman (verified owner) –
Did not know pork porterhouse was a thing. Two muscles, two textures, one bone. Grilled it two zone as described and it came out right the first time.
H. Whitfield (verified owner) –
Meat was good but mine was closer to an inch than an inch and a half, so it cooked faster than I expected and the tenderloin side went a bit past. Partly my fault. Would order again and watch the thermometer.
Ben Castillo (verified owner) –
Great cut and a fair price on the sale band. Only complaint is that it sells out by Friday afternoon most weeks so I have to plan ahead.