Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Pork Loin

Is it necessary to brine a pork loin?  I'm going to try a stuffed loin tomorrow. 

Comments

  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    Amlucy2 said:
    Is it necessary to brine a pork loin?  I'm going to try a stuffed loin tomorrow. 
    Not at all. I usually perforate the loin, place in a sealed plastic bag with 1 regular bottle of teriyaki and pineapple juice marinade, a couple of hours prior to cook. Indirect until done, (about an hour and 10 minutes, depending on size) at around 325F. It always turns out great.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • bodski
    bodski Posts: 463
    Pork loin is one of my favorite bge entrees.  I've never brined. Sometimes I use a marinade - the one from @YukonRon sounds great. Sometimes I just rub. I usually pull it at around 140 internal temp. They're almost always moist and tender.

    Cincinnati

    LBGE, Weber Kettle

  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    edited July 2016
    Doubt it will be worth the hassle since you are stuffing it . . . BUT  . . I am BIG fan of brine pork tenderloin.  
    Next time you cook one "as is" try an easy brine (like THE SIMPLE BLONDER BRINE - link below) and I swear you will notice the difference.

    full article here: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/zen_of_brines.html

    basic copy/paste below:

    Ingredients

    1 cup hot water in a 2 cup measuring cup

    1/2 pound salt, any type (but you don't need a scale)

    1 cup table sugar

    1 gallon cold water

    About the salt. Any salt will do, table salt, Morton's kosher salt, "sea" salt. Step 1 below shows you how to get it right without a scale regardless of the type of salt you use. Click here for more about theScience of Salt.

    Scaling this recipe. To make smaller quantites, cut all the ingredients in proportion.

    Method

    1) Add one cup of hot water to a two cup measuring cup. Then pour in salt, any salt, until the water line reaches 1.5 cups. The water will swallow up almost exactly 1/2 pound regardless of whether you use table salt, kosher salt, pickling salt, or sea salt. Pour the slurry into a very clean non-reactive container large enough to hold the meat and 1 gallon of water. Then add the sugar. Chose your container carefully. It needs to be food grade, large enough to hold the meat and the brine with the meat submerged, and it cannot be made of aluminum, copper, or cast iron, all of which can react with the salt. Do not use garbage bags or a garbage can or a bucket from Home Depot. They are not food grade. Do not use a styrofoam cooler. It might give the meat an off flavor and you'll never get the cooler clean when you're done.

    Zipper bags work fine. For large cuts get Reynolds Brining Bags, Ziploc XL, and XXL bags. If you brine in a zipper bag, periodically grab the bag and squish things around and flip the meat so the brine can get in from all sides. Place the bag in a roasting pan to catch leaks. You can also use bowls, pots, and Tupperware.

    A 5 gallon drink cooler will handle turkeys and whole raw hams. If the cooler is larger, you may need to scale up the brine recipe to make sure the meat is submerged.

    The beauty of using a cooler is that you don't need to put it in the fridge. To keep the brine and the meat safe, toss in a gallon zipper bag filled with ice. Or two. The bags should be tight so that when the ice melts it doesn't dilute the brine. Don't use bags of ice from the store because they often have holes and leak and they are dirty. People often walk on them in the factory and on the delivery truck (I know, I worked in and ice factory in college - best job in Gainesville, FL).

    Another option is to fill a quart juice or soda bottle with water and freeze it. Then screw on the cap. Wait until after the bottle has frozen because water expands when it freezes and it can blow off the cap. Wash off the outside of the bottle thoroughly and toss it in the brine.

    2) Submerge the meat in the brine and refrigerate. Keep the brine under 40°F, adding more ice when necessary. If you can see unmelted ice, it is probably below 40°F. You may need to weight the meat down to submerge it. If you cannot submerge it, make sure you turn it periodically and extend it's time in the bath. All you need is 1 to 2 hours for meats 2" thick or less. For a piece of meat 3" thick or more, go 8 to 24 hours. Brine turkeys breast side down. Move the bird around and get the air bubble out of the cavity. Most of the brine will enter the meat through the cavity, since the skin is like a water-resistant jacket. But keep in mind, brines move very slowly at refrigerator temp. When you cook, they move fast if you cook low and slow.

    3) When it is time to cook, remove the meat, rinse with cold water to wash excess salt off the surface, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Patting dry is important or the surface might steam and not brown properly.


      
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • Amlucy2
    Amlucy2 Posts: 20
    Thanks for the responses and help. This forum is awesome! My loin turned out great :)  =)
  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    Amlucy2 said:
    Thanks for the responses and help. This forum is awesome! My loin turned out great :)  =)
    Looks awesome, congrats!
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • JohnnyTarheel
    JohnnyTarheel Posts: 6,533
    Wow.... That is a loin my friend !!!
    Charlotte, NC - Large BGE 2014, Maverick ET 733, Thermopen, Nest, Platesetter, Woo2 and Extender w/Grid, Kick Ash Basket, Pizza Stone, SS Smokeware Cap, Blackstone 36"