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Brine for Pork

Checking around online, I seen a bunch of recommendations to brine pork before cooking it to help add in more moisture before grilling or roasting.  This is the basic recipe from various ones that I’ve read.  Any Brine basically boils down to 1 cup of Salt per Gallon of Water. The rest is just seasoning and flavor to add a little more gusto to the cut of meat.

Pork Chops
Pork Chops

Pork brines also are known to have a sweetener, whether it’s white or brown sugar even maple syrup. For the sweetener, a good general guide is 1/2 cup of sweetening to one gallon of water.   For the water you can use Fruit Juice like Apple or Orange, Beer, apple cider vinegar, stock, tea, or other liquids to replace some or all of the water. Or you can go with an Oriental flavoring by adding soy sauce and Japanese Mirin.  below is a basic recipe for a good brine without too many harsh flavors so that you can add your sauce and seasoning as you cook.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Gallon Water
  • 2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Salt
  • 1 Cup Sugar / Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Fresh Ground Black Pepepr
  • 1 Tbsp Rosemary
  • 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp BBQ / Pork Rub Seasoning
  • Ice Cubes

Directions:

  1. Add Pork to Zip Lock bag or Large bowl depending on it’s size.
  2. Add all ingredients along with pork, and allow to soak for 2-4 hours for thin cuts, 6-12 hours for large cuts. This is one of the few times where less is more.

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