Beer Brined Pork Recipe

This is a simple beer brine for most cuts of pork.  The flavors will compliment the natural sweetness of the pork and add some complexity with the beer used, garlic, bay leaves and lemons. 


For Brine:

1Cup Kosher Salt
1/2    Cup Sugar, Organic
2TBSP      White Peppercorns, ground
8Each       Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced
8EachBay Leaves
1/4   Cup  Sage Leaves, chopped
2EachMeyer Lemons, halved
1/4   Gallon     Water
1/2   Gallon      Beer*

To Finish:

Pork of Choice: Pork Shoulder, Loin, Tenderloin, Roast or Butt

Directions:

In a large pot, add the salt, sugar, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, sage, lemons and water.  Turn heat to medium, stir occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil.  Turn off heat and let sit, to infuse the flavors, and cool to room temp.  Add cold beer and mix well.  Make sure the brine is below 45°, as you want to keep the pork cold.  Add the brine to a large container that will hold both the brine and displacement of the pork.  Add the pork, placing a plate of other heavy water proof item to weigh the pork down so that it is completely submerged in the brine and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.  The general rule of thumb is to brine 12 hours per 1 pound of pork.  If you brine longer than that, you can risk having an over salty piece of pork. 

Remove the pork at least 12 – 24 hours before cooking.  This will help the meat dry, continue to distribute the added flavor, and not over brine the meat.

My favorite way to cook pork is low and slow.  The pork can be cooked with or without smoke.  If the choice of meat was a Shoulder or Butt, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.  Place a roasting rack (or a piece of aluminum foil that has been rolled into a tube and spun into a spiral) onto the aluminum foil.  Add the pork onto the center and place in the center of the oven.  Cook for 6-8 hours, depending on the size of the roast.  The meat will be nicely browned, tender, juicy and will pull apart easily with a fork. 

Try this with the Stout BBQ Sauce.


*For the beer choice, I would recommend a brew that is more malty than hoppy, such as a Oktoberfest, German Bock, Brown Ale, ESB, or stout.