The new year is here and I’m looking forward to it! I’m also looking forward to making this whiskey dijon brined pork loin again! Whisky, maple syrup, dijon mustard, and spices subtly seasoned the pork loin and made it extremely moist.
Whiskey Dijon Brined Pork Loin Recipe
Pork loin is one of those cuts people are on the fence about. It can be overcooked and dry, especially since it does not have a lot of fat, but I found that brining works beautifully for this particular cut.
It was brined overnight. I’ve heard some horror stories of brines gone wrong.
It was too salty.
The meat was mushy.
The basic ratio for brining is 1 cup of salt to 1 gallon of water. Another important note is to make sure you are measuring the salt you use. Each brand of salt varies in weight. Morton and Diamond Crystal are the mainstream brands. I highly do not recommend bringing with table salt or even cooking with it. But if it is what you have on hand, make sure to weigh out the quantity.
To finish off the pork, you make a quick whiskey mustard glaze and you are off to a delicious meal!
Ingredient:
- 1 3lb boneless pork loin
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup whiskey
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 2/3 cups salt
- 2/3 cups brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard plus more for brushing pork loin
- 8 cups of ice
- 1/2 cup whiskey
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions:
- In a pan over medium heat, toast your coriander, black peppercorns, and yellow mustard seeds for a few minutes until they become fragrant. Add in your water, whiskey, garlic cloves, thyme, salt, sugar, and Dijon mustard. Bring to a boil and stir making sure the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and add the ice to chill down the brine.
- In a large zip-lock bag add your pork loin and the chilled brine. Place in a large bowl or pot and then into the refrigerator. Make sure the pork is fully submerged in the brining liquid. Bine for 6-8 hours.
- In a pot combine the whiskey, syrup, whole-grain mustard, and Dijon mustard. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 4 minutes then remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove pork from the brine and dry off with paper towels, bring to room temperature. Brush 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard on top and sides of pork loin. Place in oven for 25 mins. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 25 mins. Baste pork with glaze every 5-6 minutes. The pork’s internal temperature should be 135 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve with glaze. Enjoy!
