Of Brine and BBQ

I've known about brining meats for quite a while now; however, I've never gotten around to trying it. Having come into the mother lode of cheap pork loins recently, I had the perfect opportunity to try out a new technique. I've always had problems with pork loins. They can be unforgiving on the BBQ. Before I got a probe-style thermometer I had more than my share of overcooked pork loins. I'd invariably get distracted and come back to the grill to find the loin at an internal temperature of 150 or 160. That's a disaster with most store-bought pork loins. They have so little fat, they turn to shoe leather very quickly when overcooked. I've found that I get the best results when I remove the loins from the heat when they reach 129-135, depending on the size of the loin. With the probe thermometer I can continuously monitor the internal temp. I am much more confident now that I can watch the temps continuously. Hell, the other day I turned the BBQ around so I could watch the thermometer from inside. I went in, opened the window in the bathroom and took a shower. All I had to do was peak out over the top of the shower door and I could see the thermometer. That's what I call BBQing in comfort.

So that brings me to the brining. I've been pig hunting lately and I need a good way to prep and cook the leaner wild pig meat (assuming I ever actually kill one). Brining should do the trick nicely. The unforgiving, lean pork loin is the perfect training ground for wild pigs. I was amazed at how moist and tender a brined loin can be. You also gain some latitude with the cooking temperature. I found that even letting them go to 150 still yields very good results.

From The Hollow Leg Diner - images

I like searing pork loins directly over the charcoal and then moving them off the heat for a nice long, slow cook. My new BBQ works well for this. It has an offset firebox that has it's own cast iron grates. I can sear the loins on the firebox grates or on the first grate next to the firebox, depending on the amount of charcoal I'm using.

I've been using hickory and apple wood chips a lot lately. I love the flavor that you get. Even the pork loins, which don't take all that long to cook, still get a nice smoke ring.

From The Hollow Leg Diner - images

There's nothing like a moist, tender pork loin with a beautiful smoke ring.