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I tried a dry brine on a whole pork loin and the salt pulled way more water than I expected
I dry brined a 6 pound pork loin overnight for a catering job in Denver last Friday, used about 1.5 percent salt by weight like I always do. When I pulled it out of the walk-in the next morning there was a full cup of liquid sitting in the pan, way more than I get from pork butt. I thought I messed up the ratio but the cook temp and time were the same, so I'm guessing it's just how lean loin behaves. The roast came out fine but the crust never set right because of all that surface moisture. Anyone else see this with lean cuts, or am I using too much salt for a loin specifically?
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nora_walker5719d ago
Seriously, a cup of liquid is nothing, just pat it dry and move on.
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charliestone19d ago
That's normal for a lean cut like loin. Less fat and less connective tissue means the salt has nowhere to go but pull water to the surface, and loin just has more free water to give up than a butt does. The butt has all that marbling and collagen holding things in place, so it hangs onto more of what's inside. A cup off a six pound loin is honestly not even that crazy. Next time try a shorter brine or leave it uncovered in the walk-in so the surface dries out a bit before it hits the heat, that'll help your crust set. Patting it dry helps but you're just fighting physics at that point.
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