Sunday, October 14, 2007

More Good Eats

Fellow Traveler has been battling a bug for the past two days, so I assumed the role of cook and bottle washer this weekend. Sunday dinner is something of a sancrosanct household ritual for us; today it consisted of roasted, cider/maple brined pork loin topped with thyme and sage leaves from my herb planter, roasted butternut squash, homemade baked beans and stir-fried green beans with garlic. The m.o. is to have lots of leftovers to nosh on for the next couple of days.

Cider/Maple Brine For Pork
7 cups hot water
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 TBS cracked black peppercorns

Combine all ingredients in pot; bring to boil; simmer for maybe 10-15 minutes. Cool. Use on pork roasts or chops. I brined our large roast overnight; chops, maybe 4 to 6 hours would do.

Note: I poured maybe a half cup of apple cider in the bottom of the roaster before placing the pork loin in it, and also brushed a little more maple syrup on the roast just before it was ready to come out of the oven; and I served the pork with a few spoonfuls of tasty pan juices over it.

2 comments:

Jody Harrington said...

Sounds yummy! Is brining similar to marinating?

LutheranChik said...

It's just like marinating, although usually you drain and discard the brine before you further prepare the meat -- the brine's flavoring work at that point is done.

The first time I tried brining I was convinced that the meat would wind up as salty as, say, ham or bacon...but it really doesn't.