Pork Tenderloin in an Apple Maple Brine
I finally tried brining a pork tenderloin before cooking it, and I can’t believe I waited so long. This easy pork tenderloin in an apple-maple brine made the meat tender, juicy, and flavorful. We all loved the pork, and my kids couldn’t get enough! This easy pork tenderloin recipe paired nicely with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted green beans.
Pork Tenderloin in an Apple Maple Brine
Ingredients:
- 3½ cups of hot water
- ¼ cup coarse sea salt
- 1 cup apple juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cracked black peppercorns
How to Make Pork Tenderloin in an Apple Maple Brine:
Stir the hot water and salt until the salt is dissolved. Add the apple juice, syrup, sugar, and pepper. Pour the brine into a large Ziploc bag and seal. Place the bag into a large bowl of ice water to cool.
Trim excess fat from the meat and remove the silver skin. Once the brine has cooled, submerge the pork in the brine, keeping the meat under the surface during curing (use a heavy plate to weigh it down if needed). Refrigerate the pork in the brine for 6-8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Heat a large ovenproof large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the large skillet with olive oil cooking spray.
Remove the pork from the brine, then rinse and pat very dry.
Season the pork with freshly cracked pepper, then add it to the HOT skillet and cook for 6 minutes, browning on all sides.
Place a large ovenproof skillet in the oven. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 155-160 degrees (medium) using a meat thermometer, or until the desired degree of doneness.
Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
Equipment
- Ovenproof Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 3½ cups of hot water
- ¼ cup coarse sea salt
- 1 cup apple juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cracked black peppercorns
Instructions
- Stir the hot water and salt until the salt is dissolved. Add the apple juice, syrup, sugar, and pepper. Pour the brine into a large Ziploc bag and seal. Place the bag into a large bowl of ice water to cool.
- Trim excess fat from the meat and remove the silver skin. Once the brine has cooled, submerge the pork in the brine, keeping the meat under the surface during curing (use a heavy plate to weigh it down if needed). Refrigerate the pork in the brine for 6-8 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Heat a large ovenproof large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the large skillet with olive oil cooking spray.
- Remove the pork from the brine, then rinse and pat very dry.
- Season the pork with freshly cracked pepper, then add it to the HOT skillet and cook for 6 minutes, browning on all sides.
- Place a large ovenproof skillet in the oven. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 155-160 degrees (medium) using a meat thermometer, or until the desired degree of doneness.
- Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
I enjoyed this tenderloin, and will make it again, but will use less salt as I could taste more of that flavor in the end, thinner sections that I would have liked. In my opinion, a tenderloin is usually tender enough to not need a brine, BUT, I like the idea of using one to interject the apple and maple flavor, therefore I don’t think less salt would hurt the end result. I also went with the current USDA recommendations and cooked till the internal temperature was 145, then let sit 3 minutes before slicing.
I wanted to add, I paired this tenderloin with this Roasted Maple Apple Sauce. http://paperdollparade.blogspot.de/2012/09/on-cooking-roasted-applesauce.html
I love that you paired these two – it sounds absolutely delicious. Look forward to trying it!
I brined 10 kg of pork tenderloin with this recipe today sectioned into 4 equal sized roasts. They were in the brine for about 5 hours, washed, dried then seasoned with a Greek seasoning mix, pepper and garlic powder. I started them at 500F for 20 minutes then dropped the temperature to 350. I added a bit of water to each pan to create some liquid around the roasts. They roasted for 1 1/2 hours and the internal temperature was 145. I shut the ovens off and covered them with foil to rest. We carved them an hour later and the meat was done to perfection and moist. The juices from the roasts made a delicious broth for the meat and we also served applesauce. Oh my! It was terrific and we had 40 very happy diners! Thanks for the brine recipe!