Pork Tenderloin in an Apple Maple Brine

I finally tried using a brine for my pork tenderloin before cooking it and I can't believe I waited so long. It made this pork so tender, juicy and flavorful. I let it sit in the brine for nearly 8 hours before rinsing it and patting it dry. I then seasoned the pork tenderloin with only freshly cracked pepper because I wanted to taste the flavors from the brine. There were subtle hints of salt, maple and apple...it was so good. My kids could not get enough of this delicious pork and my husband and I loved it as well. I look forward to trying different brine recipes in the future for chicken, pork, and turkey.

Pork Tenderloin in an Apple Maple Brine:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Adapted from RecipeZaar

• 3 1/2 cups of hot water
• 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cracked black peppercorns

Stir the hot water and salt together until the salt is dissolved. Add the apple juice, syrup, sugar and pepper. Pour brine into a large zip lock bag and seal. Place bag into a large bowl of ice water to cool down.

Trim any excess fat from the meat and remove the silver skin carefully. Once the brine is cool, submerge the pork in the brine, making sure the meat stays under the surface during curing (use a heavy plate to weigh it down if necessary). Refrigerate the pork in the brine for 6-8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Remove pork from brine and rinse then pat dry. Season with freshly cracked pepper. Add pork to the skillet, cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Place pan in the oven, and bake for 10-15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 155-160 degrees (medium) or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net