Brining Pork


 
Hello:

Question to you all; I have a 10 Lbs. center portion, pork loin roast - rib section (I hope that sounds right). It's basically a rack of baby backs with all the loin meat still attached. Has anyone tried brining this, and is it as good as brining poultry? Any recipe ideas for the brine? How long should it brine?

Any ideas would be appreciated. This is for the Indy 500 Sunday. I'm thinking of smoking it on the WSM first for about 6 hours at 200-225, letting it rest for 2 hours, and then blasting it on the kettle to form a nice crust for 15 minutes. I saw this method on Alton Brown's show, Good Eats. He did it for a standing beef rib roast, but I think it would work on my roast too.

Thanks,
 
Dave, here are my two favorite Pork brines. I've never used them on a whole roast, but I've used them often on pork chops and pork tenderloin. Both are based on recipes from Cook's Illustrated magazine.

Simple Pork Brine I use this version when I'm going to use a spice rub or other seasonings on the pork after I'm done brining:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>1/2 cup kosher salt
<LI>3/4 cup sugar
<LI>2 cups hot water
<LI>4 cups cold water

[/list]
Complex Pork Brine It makes excellent pork chops - you brine 'em and put 'em on the grill, no other seasonings necessary:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>1/2 cup kosher salt
<LI>3/4 cup brown sugar
<LI>10 garlic cloves, crushed
<LI>4 bay leaves, crumbled
<LI>8 whole cloves
<LI>3 tablespoons whole black pepper-
corns, crushed
<LI>2 cups hot water
<LI>4 cups cold water

[/list]
Directions:Stir salt and sugar in hot water until dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then add other ingredients, cold water, and pork. For pork chops and pork tenderloins, I brine in the refrigerator for an hour or two. For the 'simple' brine, I usually rinse it off, pat the pork dry with paper towels, then apply a spice rub or herb paste. For the 'complex' version, I just pull it out of the brine and use it as is.

Also, if I'm in a hurry, I skip the 'hot and cold' water part. I just dissolve as much of the salt and sugar in all of the cold water as I can, and make an effort to turn the ziploc bag with the brining meat often. I think you get better results when you get completely dissolved salt and sugar, but it works OK even if there's some salt left undissolved.

I'd guess that four hours to overnight would be about right for your loin roast - it's a lot thicker than what I brine. Also, if the people you're feeding are sensitive to salt, you might want to cut back a bit (down to 1/4 cup) if you're going to brine overnight. (I have to deal with that sometimes - most of my family would be happy if we put a salt lick in the middle of the table, but there are a couple of them who get turned off if the food tastes 'too salty').

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out. The method AB used seems like it would work great with a pork roast.
 
Mike:

I really appreciate your post. What would you think if I combined doing the brining, and also using the BRITU rub? Too salty huh? I like the salt lick idea, but same as your family - there are some who can't take it.

I'll let you know how it turns out on Monday.

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.
 
Hi Dave!

I cook pork every week and have never brined. Just don't see the need. I do use high heat however, as I have found that smoking is very risky with these lean cuts of pork.

Follow the link to my recipe page. There you will find a plethora of pork recipes. Every one of them has been cooked by me and many have been created by me.

http://www.recipegoldmine.com/bbqguru/bbqguru.html

Have fun!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> What would you think if I combined doing the brining, and also using the BRITU rub? Too salty huh? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I've read a lot of posts recently complaining about BRITU being too salty on its own, so I would guess that it would be WAY too salty with brined meat.

What I've started doing since I became a brining convert is making my rubs without any salt. I like to make a big batch of rub to last me a few months, and I use it on a lot of different foods (chicken, pork, beef, sometimes even veggies). Then, when I use the rub, I can salt the meat if I didn't brine it.

So, I'd say to try the BRITU rub without the salt.

And darn it, I'm starting to get hungry from talking about this, and lunch isn't for another three hours...

PS: I meant to mention in my original post: I love what brining does to pork chops - I haven't cooked a dry one since I started brining them. (Even when I grill 'em longer than I should.)
 
Dave
I would suggest you inject and marinate rather than brine, go for 12 to 24 hours (stay away from fruit juice using that kind of time).
Pork is dense and brining would take a long time to get the results you are looking for.
Jim
 
Hey Guys:

Well, I bailed out on the brining all together. Instead I decided to try the BRITU rub, and it turned out awesome. I was even able to follow the directions Chris gave for doing ribs with the BRITU, except that this big roast took longer. I let it smoke at 245-260 for 6 hours until the temp was 170. Then I let it rest for 30 minutes under foil.

Some family members didn't even know it was pork, cause they'd never seen this cut before (neither had I). Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions. And again, I wish everyone a safe Memorial Day holiday.
 

 

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