Need your opinions for pork tenderloin skewers!

[marmalady]

Party Saturday night, and am going to do pork tenderloin skewers with the following BBQ sauce; my question is, should i brine or not? I'm tending towards not, for 2 reasons; first, tenderloin is, well - tender; and secondly, I won't be doing them on an outdoor grill, unfortunately, 'cause it looks like the weather is going to be a bit wet. Any strong opines, anyone?



MAPLE BOURBON BBQ SAUCE



3T butter
3T oil
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup bourbon
¾ cup ketchup
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup orange juice
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup dark molasses
2T Worchestershire
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ancho chile powder



Melt butter/oil over medium heat; add onions, saute til golden; add all else and stir; reduce heat to low and cook thick thickened, 30-45 mnutes.

 

[Michael in FtW]

I'm kind of leaning towards your way of thinking on the brining ... I don't see that it would really add anything. Maybe Raine will see this and comment?

 

[marmalady]

I have so much to do, lol if I can get around a step or two I'll take it! I'll probably do some sort of dry rub, then the cooking will be done on stovetop griddle.

 

[ironchef]

Don't brine.

 

[designerobsessed]

Don't bother brining-I don't think it's necessary with pork tenderloin. Your sauce sounds amazing!!

 

[Andy M.]

Brining holds moisture in meat and adds some flavor. Pork tenderloin is a very lean meat. As a result, it could end up dry without a lot of effort. Brining is a little insurance against overcooking in the "heat of the moment".

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Marmalady; The only thing I would change is to get rid of the orange juice. But that's jsut a personal taste kind of thing. I think the sourness of the orange would clash with the maple, maybe overpower it. Both are great flavors, but I don't know that I'd use them together.

Also, remember to cook the little chunks of pork until they are jsut done. Overcooking will indeed dry them out. Think high heat/short exposure. This will brown the meat without overcooking the insides. You might want to broil this dish, or even cheat and stir fry the pork cubes, then skewer with your other fruits and veggies.

Just a thought.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[marmalady]

Thanks, all! I'm gonna lose the brine; I've cooked lots of pork tenders, so am pretty confident re my ability to get 'em on and off the heat.

And I'm not going to do 'chunks', I'm butterflying the tenderloins, then cutting 'flat' pieces - like you would a chicken sate - more room for the sauce! So just a minute or so on each side on a hot griddle should do it. The sauce goes on after cooking.

Goodweed, the oj really just adds a little sweetness, too; using grade B maple syrup ensures a lot of maple! Actually, the 'biggest' taste in this sauce is the bourbon!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Ah. Thanks for clearing that up, Marmalady.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[marmalady]

Post party report - yawn! The pork was fantastic! I butterflied out the tenderloin, and pounded it, then cut and skewered it. Grilled on a stovetop (weather was horrible), with just salt,pepper, oil; then brushed with the sauce and finished in the oven. BTW, that sauce above was awesome!

 

[Tater Tot]

Look at the pork you are getting!!!!! Most of it has far more salt already then a salt lick!! Saline it a common pork additive to add weight, water, and tenderness to most pork..;look at the classifacations for hams to understand it more....

The Tot

 

[marmalady]

Um, sorry, Tater Tot, I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say?

 

[Raine]

I wouldn't brine either. Sometimes brining (pork) will give it a hammy taste.

 

[marmalady]

Now I KNOW I did the right thing! Tx, Raine!


PS - Give that sauce a try sometime - it's yummy.

 

[Robo410]

a few weeks ago I would have voted not to brine, but a recent grilling experiience showed me how valuable a tool it is to really bring the flavor of the meat out. even if you just "marinated the pork in olive oil salt and pepper, the flavor would be nicely enriched. Dry the meat before grilling.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Um, sorry, Tater Tot, I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say?

Maybe I can decypher his thoughts .... I think what he was trying to say was look at the package. Pork sold in the butcher counter (where they wrap and weigh it for you) and cuts that are shrink wrapped in a plastic boat are generally not messed with (no additives). But, if it comes in a cryovac package ... you have to read the label to see what you're getting. Like hams - many have added water and salt. If the ingredients include added water and salt - brining wouldn't accomplish much since it is already essentially brined.

 

[Tater Tot]

Maybe I can decypher his thoughts .... I think what he was trying to say was look at the package. Pork sold in the butcher counter (where they wrap and weigh it for you) and cuts that are shrink wrapped in a plastic boat are generally not messed with (no additives). But, if it comes in a cryovac package ... you have to read the label to see what you're getting. Like hams - many have added water and salt. If the ingredients include added water and salt - brining wouldn't accomplish much since it is already essentially brined.

Im sorry If I was too missleading.... That was not my intent..Just look at the meat you are cooking...MOST ALL pork now is pre brined to a point.. The same as most all chicken is bined with added chicken broth and sometimes pork fat added to add flavor.. Like Michael said Read the package...Look for the key words up to a ??% souloution added, and what the it is..

Sorry to confuse you...

The ToT

 

[Ishbel]

All my meat is organic, bought from a local butcher who also farms in the area. No added water, no additives to chickens - just organic, corn-fed birds. Steaks are great, lamb too. His bacon comes from Ayrshire and is IMO the finest in the land!

If I WANT flavours (broth added to a chicken before you buy?!!!) I'll add them!

 

[marmalady]

Now I get it - Tx, Michael and TaterTot - I've not noticed anything on packages of meat here, except for the ones that are cryovac'ed and already marinated.


I probably would have brined bigger pieces of pork, but these were tenderloins that I'd butterflied and then pounded out thin, and skewered (think chickan satay), so they were really on the grill only about 3 minutes total.