Source: www.sizzleonthegrill.com
Heres a basic brine for pork shoulders, butts and even poultry like turkey that is recommended by my friend and go-to expert on outdoor cooking, Mr. Jig. He originally posted a version of this recipe on the Users Forums in a conversation thread about brines for pork shoulder vs. pork butts.
My sincere advice is dont get caught up in a complex brine. I have been using brines for 40+ years and I can assure you that for a pork roast once you get much past salt and sugar you are (wasting your time and money on extra ingredients.) I have said here previously, referring to turkey brines, that many of the recommended brines cost MORE than the turkey but bring almost nothing to the flavor of the bird past salt and sugar. This is even more true with larger cuts of pork which are more resistant to taking the brine.
Try the following brine recipe as a start:
- 1 gallon water.
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar of choice, brown,white or turbinado.
Palm full of garlic powder -OR- couple three Tbsp of minced garlic. (from a jar is fine)
Brine Recipe Notes:
- Note that this can easily be mixed cold, add garlic powder after you see that stirring has dissolved the sugar and salt.
- Depending on the vessel you use you may need more brine but keep the proportions the same.
- A butt is easier to cover with brine due to its shape and a pasta pot will do.
- For a larger cut of pork or a turkey I use a big white plastic pail in an xtra refer.
- I brine 12-24 hours and then smoke/cook at 180F to 250F degrees till the pork is 200F degrees (internal temperature) tested at several spots. NOT 180F degree NOT 190F GO, to 200F degrees internal temperature for pulled pork!
- I see no difference with pork roasts brined between 12 and 24 hours.
- Cooking temp is not critical either and the range I suggest can be used to suit your timing.
- (When the pork roast hits the critical 200F degree internal temperature) I then foil the roast whole and put it in a small cooler (no ice!) with towels for additional insulation.
- The meat will remain hot and safe for hours if you need to hold it a while before pulling and serving.
Trying to infuse big pork chunks with subtle flavors thru a brine is not cost effective, nor likely to achieve the desired result. After resting in the cooler, when you pull your pork, THEN you can mix in whatever flavors you want.
For a printable version of this recipe -Mr. Jigs Perfect Pork & Poultry Brine
Happy Grilling!
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