Brine Marinade An Excellent Tenderizer For Pork Tenderloin

While it may be true that “too many cooks spoil the broth,” I recently prepared a fantastic recipe where it certainly was not the case that “too many cooks spoiled the pork tenderloin.”

It all began at a collaborative birthday dinner at the Beard House in New York for Raji Jallepalli of Restaurant Raji in Memphis, Tenn. Preparing the menu were three great chefs: Emeril Lagasse of Emeril’s in New Orleans, Charlie Trotter of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and Norman Van Aiken of Norman’s in Coral Gables, Fla.

They were assisted by a skeleton crew of staffers, wives and friends, including me. Helping in the kitchen meant getting to taste almost everything on the menu. I developed such an addiction to Van Aiken’s pork tenderloin in mole sauce that I knew I was going to have to have it again in the very near future - even if it meant making it myself.

The recipe arrived in short order, and I began preparing for a special dinner party for friends. I was not in the slightest put off by the 24 ingredients, but was certain that the mole would never taste the same without his special blend of dried chilies. Fortunately, a friend was going to Van Aiken’s restaurant the following week and brought back some of the chili mixture for me.

To ensure a juicy tenderloin, I brined it, using a technique given to me by Bruce Aidells from his upcoming book, “Good Meat: Flavorful Cooking With Today’s Leaner Meats.”

Brined pork tenderloin, rubbed with a spice mixture and grilled or broiled, is superbly flavorful and juicy on its own, even without the magnificent mole, and couldn’t be simpler to prepare.

Tender and Flavorful Pork Loin

4 pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds)

1/2 cup coarse salt (see note)

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups boiling water

6 cups cold water

Ice cubes

2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns

2 teaspoons vanilla

Grilling rub (see note)

At least 6 or up to 12 hours ahead, brine the meat: Dissolve salt and sugar in boiling water in a 4-quart bowl. Stir in cold water. Add a few ice cubes. When water is cold, add meat, peppercorns and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours, turning meat after 3 hours.

Rub seasonings on both sides of meat and grill over direct heat 3 minutes, turning it 3 or 4 times during grilling. Move meat away from coals and grill over indirect heat 5 to 7 minutes longer until meat thermometer reaches 140 degrees at thickest part for pink meat throughout (temperature will rise at least 5 degrees after meat is removed from grill.)

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 272 calories, 7.7 grams fat (25 percent fat calories), 48 grams protein, no carbohydrate, 148 milligrams cholesterol.

Note: Leaving meat in brine longer than 12 hours will make it mushy. If not ready to cook, remove meat from brine, rinse and dry it. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until 1 hour before ready to grill.

Use sea salt or kosher salt (Morton brand). If using Diamond, you will need 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons as it is fluffed up and occupies more volume for the same weight.

You can use a prepared spice rub, or try the following Cambridge Dry Rub from “John Willingham’s World Champion Bar-B-Q” (William Morrow).

Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2-1/2 tablespoons salt, 2-1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper, 2-1/2 tablespoons chili powder, 1-1/2 tablespoons cumin, 1-1/2 tablespoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional), 1 teaspoon lemon pepper (optional).