If a recipe says to brine a pork loin for 4-5 days, will 2-3 be okay or could not brining it enough cause it to dry out? Any general tips?

This is the recipe I want to use:
4 – 5 pound pork loin roast (but I have a 2 1/2 pound loin)
6 cups water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Bay leaves
1 handful of peppercorns
4 sprigs of Thyme
2 sprigs of Rosemary

rldougherty
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4 Comments

hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour November 3, 2011
I can't imagine it needing 4 to 5 days to brine! I'm guessing the longer duration is to allow the seasoning to penetrate better. I'd think about simmering the seasoning in some of the water to bloom it's flavor, then cool and brine. The purpose of the brine is two-fold - the salt will interact with the protein of the meat allowing it to retain more moisture when cooked. It also seasons the meat. The sugar will add flavor and promote a nice browning of the exterior of the meat.
 
rldougherty
rldougherty November 3, 2011
I think I will start the brine tonight. I am more concerned about retaining moisture than flavor as I am serving it with a sauce, and I chose a recipe that will work well with the sauce. Thanks for the help! I just discovered "The Hotline" today and I am pretty excited. What a great way to solve my cooking dilemmas!
 

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wssmom
wssmom November 3, 2011
Wow, I think that brining something (anything!) for 4-5 days could make it quite mushy, 2-3 days should be more than enough!
 
rldougherty
rldougherty November 3, 2011
Yeah, the 4-5 days thing was from an Alice Waters recipe. It sounded excessive to me too. This is for a roast on Saturday and after reading about brining I was thinking "Wow, better start this now!"
 
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