Grilled Apple Cider Brined Pork Tenderloin or Chops Recipe

 This is another of our favorite recipes. I have no idea where I first got it, so I'm sorry I can't give credit, but I've been making it for years and it never fails to impress. If you've never brined pork chops before, you will likely never go back to un-brined pork chops. They are so much less flavorful and prone to drying out. Brining does wonders for lean cuts of meat like tenderloin and loin chops.

You could really use this brine for any cut of pork. We usually either do tenderloin, as pictured here, or pork chops. I supposed you could use it for a larger full loin too or even a shoulder butt.

As with brining anything, the time you leave the meat in the brine will have a large impact on the end result. For smaller cuts like a tenderloin or individual chops, overnight is usually fine. If you let them go too long they start to get more of a firm ham-like feel to them, which is still good in its own way. But you definitely want it at least over night (8-12 hours or so) to let the flavors and salt penetrate the meat deeply.

​One other note, the amount of brine this recipe makes is enough to make at least 2 or even 3 whole tenderloins or several chops (probably 4-6 or so depending on their size).

Ingredients:
4 cups good apple cider (I like Martinelli's unfiltered cider)
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper (start with whole peppercorns and just briefly grind them in a coffee grinder or crush them with the back of a cast iron skillet)
2 tsp dried rubbed sage
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5-3 lbs pork tenderloin or chops
Olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and Provençal herbs of your choice for cooking

1. The day before cooking, mix the cider, salt, sugar, pepper, sage, and cinnamon together in a large pot. Heat while stirring to get all the salt and sugar dissolved. Just before it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. When cool, add the pork and cover with a small plate to keep it submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight or longer for larger cuts of pork.

2. Several hours before cooking, remove the pork from the brine, pat dry, set on a tray or plate and let sit uncovered in the fridge for at least a couple hours. Take out and let come to room temperature as you are getting your grill ready.

3. Get grill ready for direct heat cooking. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the pork and rub to coat lightly all over. You do not need to season with additional salt, as the brine already provides quite a bit of saltiness. You can cook it as is but I sometimes like to add a bit of spice and herbs to the surface to develop a bit more of a crust. You can coat with a bit of freshly ground black pepper and any assortment of Provençal herbs you'd like (there is already sage in the brine so you could add some of that or some thyme, rosemary, marjoram, or others in any combination you like, to taste).

4. Grill the pork over direct heat until just beyond medium rare. The brine helps maintain moisture and the texture of the meat, so the cooking is pretty forgiving unless you far over cooking until it is a hockey puck. At high direct heat, tenderloins and chops generally cook pretty quickly, a few minutes or so on each side until they get good grill marks. If you are doing a bigger cut of meat, like a whole loin, you might want to do it over indirect heat and cook for longer until the internal temperature indicates it is cooked through.

5. Remove from grill and cover in foil to allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve chops whole or slice tenderloin into medallions to serve. Serve alongside whatever you'd like but this is good with rice, succotash, grilled veggies, baked or mashed potatoes, etc.

Optional note: Sometimes with larger tenderloins or loins that cook a bit longer I like to baste it part way through. This isn't so much to maintain moisture, the brine does that, but rather to develop a nice glaze on the surface. Mix up a mixture of apple cider, a splash of herb wine vinegar, and brown sugar, to taste (you want it a bit tangy, but noticeably sweet) and use this to baste the meat periodically as it cooks. It will darken and thicken as it cooks, building up a glazed outer coating that both looks good and tastes delicious.

Enjoy!
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