Danny told me recently: “We need to brine all our pork from now on.”
He has been working on a brine recipe for pork, based on the basic ratio he knows and the flavors he likes. He’d like you to know that all pork — no matter what the cut — is more tender with some time in the brine. (And you can let it sit overnight, while you sleep, so there is really no work involved.)
Here is Danny’s template of the moment:
½ cup brown sugar
10 bay leaves
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
½ bunch fresh thyme
½ bunch fresh Italian parsley
½ cup garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons peppercorns
1 cup kosher salt
5 quarts water
Put all the ingredients into a large stockpot over high heat. Stir the liquid until the salt has completely dissolved. Turn off the heat. Allow the brine to cool to room temperature.
Plunge the pork into the brine and let it sit in the brine, in the refrigerator, for at least 8 hours.
Let us know what you think after you have brined your first pair of pork chops or pork loin.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
That sounds wonderful. I love the additions of herbs to your brine.
Would it work just as well to heat and dissolve the brine in 2 quarts water (or so) then add the remaining amount of water (cold) so you can begin brining sooner?
Brining is a leisurely process to be sure, but I like speed up where I can.
This looks great. I’m going to try it this weekend. Suzanne Goin has a great brine recipe as well. She brines a pork shoulder, then confits it and then slices and bbq’s it. It’s quite yummy. Maybe you’ve already tried it? Anyway, I love this blog!
Hi Shanua, how much does one cup of kosher salt weigh? I have had trouble with brine recipes before because Australian ‘cooking’ salt is so different from American kosher salt - and I would love to try this recipe. Thanks!
I did do that brine on the weekend. It was awesome. I’ve never used brown sugar before. I did it with a shoulder roast and then slow barbecued it. Yummy. Thanks for the recipe.