Pork Loin x 2 - Brine review also

sprinter

Hey all,[p]I did a lot of cooking on the egg this weekend, but none of it for myself. I cooked/smoked some trout for MY parents Saturday morning(see post below) and on Saturday afternoon I cooked two pork loins for my in-laws who were having a dinner soirre'.[p]The loins came out wonderfully, even though I didn't get to eat them I still tasted them when I brought them over to my mother in law.[p]I brined both of them in a sweet and spicy brine. 3/4 cup of salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup molasses, 1/4 cup honey, then about a quarter cup of Tony Chacheres Herb Blend (green/blue container). Both loins were brined together for about 36 hours. I made a fresh rosemary pesto for one of them. I cut the loin flat (jellyroll) and spread the pesto inside, then tied it back up. Oiled the outside and it was ready. The other loin I olive oiled and simply used a smoky chipolte spice my wife found somewhere. It was great on the pork, first time using it but I'll do it again. With this smoky chipolte loin I made a Mango Chutney that was a nice addition to the spicy pork. This recipe was taken straight out of the New Basics Cookbook but I can get it if anyone doesnt have access to that one. Mine is so dog eared and food stained that I'm thinking of replacing it. Great book with a LOT of great basic simple recipes.[p]Both of the loins were cooked direct at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours. I used the grill extender to raise them above the heat a bit, then for the last 20 minutes I take that out and put them on the main grill. Used Hickory smoke and cooked until they were 140 internal.[p]I tasted them when I brought them to the in-laws house and they were pretty good. The rosemary pesto loin was a bit saltier than I like but it may have just been the piece that I took. The smoky chipolte loin with the mango chutney was awesome. Both got rave reviews from what my mother in law said. Everyone thought both were "out-of-this-world" good. Don't know about that but I'm glad they liked them.[p]I've taken to not using as much salt in my brines as one cup seems to make them too salty. My general rule of thumb WAS 1 cup salt, one cup sugar (of any kind) and a gallon of water. This has been reduced to at a maximum 3/4 cup of salt per gallon and I think the results are equally as good with no salty flavor leftover. Just my opinion. I think the spices tend to add a bit of a salty flavor as they penetrate the meat so I cut back on the salt and let the flavor of the spices and herbs come through a bit.[p]Hope everyone had a great weekend, looks like spring has finally sprung on us here in the midwest. Time to plant the garden. Tomatoes and peppers already started inside about 3 weeks ago.[p]Troy