Brining pork loin?

[Macgyver1968]

Not to long ago, I discovered the wonders of brining my chicken for several hours before cooking. It really made a difference in the juiciness of the meat, especially the white meat.

I was going to cook a pork loin for Valentines Day, but that plan got delayed until tonight. Pork loin is so lean, it's super easy to dry out, I was wondering if brining will work with pork, and do the same thing it does for poultry?

Thanks,

Mac

 

[pacanis]

I recently brined a very thick pork chop for the grill and loved what brining did for the juiciness and texture.

 

[GB]

Brining works just as well for pork as it does for chicken. You can do it the same way or experiment with different flavors in your brine. Try some brown sugar in your pork brine for a start.

 

[CraigC]

I use a beer brine fir pork loin chops. No reason it won't work for a loin as well. Just gonna take a little more brining time.

I brine whole turkeys before smoking as well.

 

[Macgyver1968]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!! We decided to serve it for Sunday lunch (I'm trying to get Mom to invite some of her church friends..I like cooking for guests)..so I got a good 24 hours to work with!

 

[GB]

Make sure not to brine it for too long. It will negatively affect the texture of the meat.

 

[Macgyver1968]

Make sure not to brine it for too long. It will negatively affect the texture of the meat.

Oooo...didn't know that. Thanks...How long is too long?

Here's what I'm working with:

How long would you suggest? (Hehe...Mom sure knows how to shop...look at the deal she got on this puppy)

 

[GB]

It kind of depends on how salty your brine is, but I would say 6 hours should be good. That might be on the conservative side though. I would not go longer than 10-12. Better to under brine then over brine.

 

[Macgyver1968]

Thanks GB....I love this place!

 

[GB]

It is a great place for sure. Enjoy the pork. I am sure it will be delicious.

 

[Kayelle]

My son brined his Christmas pork loin for 12 hrs and it was outstanding.He added an entire bulb of smashed garlic cloves to the brine. Once you brine one it will make you a real believer.

 

[taxlady]

Oooo...didn't know that. Thanks...How long is too long?

Here's what I'm working with:

How long would you suggest? (Hehe...Mom sure knows how to shop...look at the deal she got on this puppy)

Look at those ingredients. I think it is already brined.

 

[jennyema]

Look at those ingredients. I think it is already brined.

Good catch. It's already been processed with sodium solution.

 

[GB]

Good eyes Taxlady.

 

[Andy M.]

Hmm. $2.00/Lb for salt water!

 

[taxlady]

Hmm. $2.00/Lb for salt water!

It says 12% water, etc., so that works out to $2.26/lb for the meat, if I did the math right. Still a good deal.

 

[pacanis]

I think it's a safe assumption that you did the math right ;^)

 

[Mad Cook]

Oooo...didn't know that. Thanks...How long is too long?

Here's what I'm working with:

How long would you suggest? (Hehe...Mom sure knows how to shop...look at the deal she got on this puppy)

If you read the label it would seem that it has already been brined.

EDIT: Durr! Taxlady has already said this (note to self - write out 100 times "I must read all posts before applying the send button")

 

[Zhizara]

I use a beer brine fir pork loin chops. No reason it won't work for a loin as well. Just gonna take a little more brining time.

I brine whole turkeys before smoking as well.

Thanks for the tip, Craig. I usually braise my pork loin in beer, but never thought about brining it first, especially easy since I'm already using the beer.

 

[Kayelle]

Thanks for the tip, Craig. I usually braise my pork loin in beer, but never thought about brining it first, especially easy since I'm already using the beer.

Z,I assume Craig uses the necessary salt in the beer brine. If that's the case, you wouldn't be able to use the same beer for the braise as it would be way too salty.