How To Brine Raw Pork

Tired of dry overcooked pork? Brining is the secret to moist succulent pork everytime. When you are learning how to brine start with something simple like brining a couple pork chops. Plan ahead and brine them overnight. Then rinse them, pat dry and allow to completely air dry in the refrigerator for a few hours. I promise you will taste the difference.

Just remember, brining takes planning, you can't just decide at 3:30 in the afternoon that you're going to make brined pork chops, for dinner that same night.

However, the benefits more than outweigh the inconvenience because the meat always comes out moist, tender and juicy which is the whole point of brining in the first place.

Brining pork in a saltwater mixture before you cook adds moisture and flavor to the meat while tenderizing it.

When you add your pork to the brine solution, the brine should be below 40° F / 4° C. In other words, below the minimum temperature for the danger zone, 40° - 140° F / 4° - 60° C.

The same chops after 24 hours in the brine, and 72 hours of dry aging. Look at how beautiful they are, really nice fat layer with a little marbling, just perfect.

How To Brine For Melt In Your Mouth Delicious Pork.

• This brine recipe will brine about a 4 pound / 2 kilogram pork roast.
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Brining time: varies up to 24 hours

Ingredients

• 20 cups / 4.5 liters water, divided
• 8 ounces / 227 grams / 1-1/4 cups Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup / 3.1 ounces / 90 grams brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp /.25 ounces / 7 grams whole black peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp / .20 ounces / 6 grams whole allspice
• 15 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 to 5 fresh sage leaves
• 1 large orange, washed and sliced in half

Method

1. Prepare an ice bath in your sink, see notes.
2. Add half of the water to a 12 quart stock pot. Bring to a full boil and add the salt and sugar, stir to dissolve, and return to a boil.
3. Remove from heat and place in the ice bath. Add the rest of the water with the remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally to dissipate the heat. Add more ice to the bath as needed to bring the temperature to 40° F / 4° C.
4. Immerse the pork in the brine. Weigh it down by placing a plate on top if necessary.
5. Transfer to your refrigerator and brine for 24 hours.
6. When you're ready to cook the pork, remove it from the brine and rinse it thoroughly under cold running water.
7. Blot the pork thoroughly with paper towels until dry. 
8. Place it on a cooling rack and allow to air dry in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.
9. About an hour before it goes in the oven place the pork on the counter and allow it to come to room temperature.

Notes

1. Fill your sink about a quarter of the way with cold tap water. Place your pot in the water and fill the sink up with ice.
2. The length of time your meat needs to get to room temperature will vary based on the size of the piece of meat. A 5-pound roast is going to take much longer to come to room temperature than, say, a thin cut pork chop.

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