PT on the Q

Beautiful sauce cannot hide poorly cooked pork. Part two on the tenderloin... Yesterday’s rhubarb sauce compliments tender, juicy pork tenderloin, like a splash of lemon freshens a grilled salmon. A little bright acidity works magic with succulent roasted meat flavors. But pigs nowadays are so skinny! Although pork tenderloin is a fabulous cut for the fat conscious, it can be a difficult cut to keep moist, especially on the grill. So some years back I started experimenting with brining, the soaking of meat in a salt water solution, to keep it moist and tasty during dry heat methods of cooking. Pork tenderloin is a perfect candidate for the salt water spa treatment, since it is so lean, and small enough to brine in a hurry. Brining not only keeps pork moist during cooking, but the salt and other ingredients added to the brine help to flavor it. I’ve experimented with all sorts of additions to brines, from herbs, to sweeteners, to spices, and alcohol- and I’ve had great success with them all. Where water is an ingredient, one can always substitute other flavored liquids, like wine, tea, herbal infusions, liquors, maple syrup, and extracts. Here is the basic recipe I use for pork brines:

Basic Brine for Pork

1 cup very hot or boiling water
¼ cup kosher salt (much less if using table salt)
¼ cup brown sugar (for pork, the sugar adds good flavor)
Ice cubes
Cold water to make the total liquid equal 4 ½ cups

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the boiling water. Add ice cubes to cool the liquid. Then add cold water to make a total of 4 ½ cups of liquid. Taste the liquid and adjust the ratio. If it seems too salty to you, add a bit more cold water. I find this ratio works well but it’s a matter of personal taste. Add the brine to a gallon sized Ziploc baggie and put the pork inside. Place the bag on a pie plate or baking dish and refrigerate for about 3 hours.

Delicious Additions to Flavor Brines

1 teaspoon vanilla
Maple syrup instead of brown sugar
Bourbon, triple sec, or dark rum
Fruity white wine
Spices- fennel, black pepper, allspice- this one’s up to you!
Citrus Zest
The possibilities are limitless…just taste the brine BEFORE adding the raw pork.

* For yesterday's rhubarb pork, I added vanilla and triple sec to the brine. I also rubbed the pork with black pepper.

I find that 3 hours or so is a good amount of time for the pork tenderloin to brine. If you plan on brining longer, use a less concentrated solution and the opposite if you have less time. This is where experimentation comes in.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

2 pork tenderloins- about 1 ¾ to 2 pounds total, brined
Olive oil
Herbs and spices for rubbing on the pork, if desired.
Sage and fennel are both good as is rosemary and orange zest
Black pepper

Take the tenderloins out of the brine and set on a baking rack covered with a double layer of paper towels. Blot the meat dry. Leave the meat at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Preheat your grill on high. I use a gas grill. Coat the meat with olive oil and then rub any seasonings you might like onto the meat. Do not salt. When the grill reaches about 500 degrees, scrape it down and oil it. Place the tenderloins on the grill with the thickest parts over the hotter sections of the grill. Cover and cook until nicely browned, about 5 or 6 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side too. You can brown all 4 sides if you prop the tenderloins against one another. Once the meat is browned, check it for doneness. Poke it with your finger. If it’s still squishy, turn off the center burners and use only the outside burners to continue the cooking but without using direct heat. (The grill I use has 4 knobs- I turn off the center two while leaving the outer two on medium to high, depending on the heat. It should stay around 350 to 400.) Check the meat with a meat thermometer and take it off when the meat registers about 130 to 135. It will continue to cook as it rests so don’t overcook it. This is key! Take the pork off of the grill and put it onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Tent with foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Pour any juices that accumulate into the sauce you’ve made or just dribble them over the sliced meat. Even skinny pigs make juicy tenderloin!

Serves about 4.

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