Brine your pork

That brined pork tenderloin we made the other day was really something. We finished up the last of the leftovers in sandwiches (yum!) and I bet we will make this again soon. Pork tenderloin is really the only cut of pork I like anymore. Chops and all that are just too dry, not like the pork chops I remember my parents buying when I was little. When pig breeders started altering pigs so they would grow faster and be leaner (which is just so very WRONG, WRONG, WRONG on about 11 million levels) they got rid of the flavor too. I do not buy chops anymore, but if I had any in the freezer (which is a possibility) I would try them too in this brine.

Soy Orange Brine from The Complete Book of Pork

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tb freshly ground or chopped ginger root
2 - 2 inch strips of orange zest (i just hacked some off an orange - no measuring)
1 1/4 cup orange juice
2 tb salt
2 tb brown sugar
1/2 tsp chinese 5 spice powder

1 cup ice cubes (i used about 1/2 cups)

Place the soy sauce, ginger and orange zest in a small pot on the stove. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the orange juice in a large bowl. Whisk (or stir) in the salt, sugar, and 5 spice, until all or most of the crystals have dissolved. Add in the soy-ginger-orange mixture, and stir well. Add in the ice cubes, and stir again. I let the brine sit until it was cold, then removed whatever ice had not melted.

Place your pork in the brine, or place the pork and brine in a plastic bag and seal, cover and refrigerate for 3-6 hours.

Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry. Grill, bake or whatever.

I rubbed my pork with a dry rub before grilling. I didn't follow a recipe, just mixed brown sugar, paprika, 5 spice and salt, then let it sit on the meat while the bbq heated up.

Enjoy!