Brining Pork Loin and Mexican Rub Advice


 
T

Tony Catencamp

TVWBB Member
I will be cutting pork loins to a 1/2" thickness so that I can stuff and roll them. I would like to brine them, but I am worried about over doing it. I would like to brine them for approximately 24 hours with Morton's Kosher salt, but I don't have a good handle on amounts of water to salt.

I would also like some ideas on a Mexican type rub. One of the loins will be stuffed with Greek styled goodies and the other I want to do a Mexican style log. I've got the Greek seasoning that I want to use, but I would like a Mexican type rub for the other.

Any assistance in any of these areas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tony
 
You should use a pre-made Brine. I used one I bought at Whole Foods called BBQ Bath. They have different flavored Brines and I used one for Pork Loin. Excellent result and so easy! You could go to their website at Sweetwater Spice Company and see their products.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tony Catencamp:
I will be cutting pork loins to a 1/2" thickness so that I can stuff and roll them. I would like to brine them, but I am worried about over doing it. I would like to brine them for approximately 24 hours with Morton's Kosher salt, but I don't have a good handle on amounts of water to salt.

I would also like some ideas on a Mexican type rub. One of the loins will be stuffed with Greek styled goodies and the other I want to do a Mexican style log. I've got the Greek seasoning that I want to use, but I would like a Mexican type rub for the other.

Any assistance in any of these areas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tony </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The brine rule of thumb is 1/4 cup of salt to 1 quart of water. I like to add white sugar when brining poulty and pork. Usually about a 2:1 salt to sugar ratio. 8-12 hours is sufficient time to brine a whole pork loin cut in half. If you butterfly before brining, it will take less than half the time.

I'd be willing to bet someone here has a good Mexican style rub recipe!
 
There is no need to brine for 24 hours. 3 hours is sufficient if you are cutting to 1/2-inch thickness. I usually use 1/4 c Morton kosher to 1 quart water.

Skipping most of the salt (not necessary if you are brining) I would rub after rolling, the outside of the roll only. Consider:

3 T ancho

2 T granulated onion

1.5 T granulated garlic

1 T Mexican oregano

2 t light brown sugar

2 t freshly ground black pepper

1 t rubbed sage

.75 t cumin

.75 t coriander

.25-.5 t chipotle or cayenne

.5 t powdered bay leaf or thyme

.5 t cinnamon

2 pinches salt

T = tablespoon t = teaspoon
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I brined them whole for 8 hours and I am going to use Kevin's rub recipe. I may have to sub something for the ancho, as I don't have time to run to Penzy's today.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I may have to sub something for the ancho, as I don't have time to run to Penzy's today. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The ancho is for nice chile flavor which is a base note to K's recipe. Not very much heat if any in an ancho. You can sub many flavorful chiles in its place; perhaps pasilla?. In Kevin's recipe; the heat comes from the cayenne or chipotle so if you sub, mind the scoville (heat) units on what you choose. Chipotle does add a nice smoky flavor, but the cayenne has virtually none IMO.

Paul
 
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