By David Tanis
- Total Time
- 5 days’ brining, plus 1 hour for prep and cooking
- Rating
- 4(94)
- Notes
- Read community notes
My version of Southern biscuits and ham exposes me as a Yankee impostor, since it’s not made with real country ham. It is, instead, a much smaller brine-cured pork tenderloin, easy to cure and cook (though it does take some advance planning). Serve with tender, hot biscuits, sweet butter and mustard.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 pounds cured pork tenderloin, about 24 servings
- 1cup kosher salt
- 1cup sugar
- 12cups boiling water
- 1teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½teaspoon allspice berries
- ½teaspoon cloves
- ½teaspoon dried thyme
- 2bay leaves
- 1teaspoon curing salt (sel rose)
- 1cup dry white wine for brine, plus ½ cup for cooking
- 4pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
- 2medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1small bunch fresh thyme
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
132 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 517 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Put salt and sugar in a large nonreactive bowl (stainless steel or glass). Add boiling water and stir well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice berries, cloves, thyme and bay leaves. Allow to cool completely.
Step
2
Add curing salt and 1 cup white wine to cooled brine. Submerge pork tenderloins in brine. Place plate directly on top of pork to keep it submerged if necessary. Cover container and refrigerate for 5 days.
Step
3
Remove pork from brine and pat dry. Discard brine. Spread onions and thyme sprigs on bottom of a large shallow baking dish. Add brined tenderloins in one layer, then add ½ cup wine. Heat oven to 350 degrees; as it heats, bring meat to room temperature. Cover dish and bake for 45 minutes or until pork registers 135 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven (meat will continue to cook and reach 140 degrees as it rests). Let cool before cutting into thin slices. Serve with buttermilk biscuits. May be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 1 week.
Ratings
4
out of 5
94
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Lou Malzone
Cut way back on the Kosher Salt. One cup is too much. One-half is probably plenty. Also, rinse the pork well after the brine, much like rinsing salmon after the brine and before smoking.
Craig M.
I tried four variattions. Divided the brine in half and used pink curing salt (Prague powder/sel rose) for half-1/2 tsp, and 1 tsp celery juice powder in the other half to cure.Second, I roasted one of each per the recipe and smoked the other two at 225 in hickory smoke. All were good, but both smoked were exceptional. The pink salt amplifies the kosher salt taste, and the celery powder cure makes the meat exterior gray in color. My fave was celery powder cure on the smoker. Delicious.
Always have this on hand!
I always have a couple of these in the freezer - great for lunch, snacks and it works really well in pressed sandwiches - use the same ingredients as for Cuban, swap out the ham.
WahooU
Y’all—salt cured (vs sugar cured) country ham IS salty! So I’m going to take the comments about too much salt with a grain…of…..well….
Andy
About the salt. I used half as suggested and I found the finished product to be lacking in salt. I wonder what salt exactly people have been using. I could see this being way too salty if made with table salt, but using only a half cup of kosher salt just didn't do it for me. I plan to make this again as it's a delicious and easy recipe, but next time I'll use a full cup of my go-to salt, Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
Kelly
If you can’t find curing salt, try hitting your local butcher shop. Mine was happy to give me a teaspoon and wouldn’t take any money, but I bought one of their delicious sandwiches, so we both won.
MelissaJane
Next time I'd smoke this. Be careful with seasonings - it really takes the flavors strongly.
Craig M.
I tried four variattions. Divided the brine in half and used pink curing salt (Prague powder/sel rose) for half-1/2 tsp, and 1 tsp celery juice powder in the other half to cure.Second, I roasted one of each per the recipe and smoked the other two at 225 in hickory smoke. All were good, but both smoked were exceptional. The pink salt amplifies the kosher salt taste, and the celery powder cure makes the meat exterior gray in color. My fave was celery powder cure on the smoker. Delicious.
Rachel M
I halved the recipe without issue and also halved the salt, per other notes. I thought it came out perfectly tasty and much better than store-bought. You could definitely experiment by swapping out the onion and time for other aromatics and I plan to do so!
Alanna
This was a fun quarantine project for Easter. I halved the recipe with no issues. My only change would be to cook it over something besides onions next time. I am not a big fan of onion and found the flavor much stronger then expected.
Dallas
The curing salt is sold in the Mexican store's I shop at Like Fiesta in their spice section. Easy to spot - the salt is pink. IIRC you can buy it in 4 oz containers.
David W.
A pound of pink curing salt costs less than $10 and has an indefinite shelf life in a sealed container. Once you have it, you will use it a couple of times a year. Try curing your own corned beef or pastrami!
Tracy Breyfogle
Delicious idea, just a tad too salty. Will definitely make this again, but will cut back on the kosher salt.
ME
I would love to make this, can you please ask David Tanis to answer my question about curing salt. I can't find it anywhere near me and really don't want to order a large amount online for this one recipe attemptThanks
John
I was able to buy a pack of Prague Powder #1 from Amazon for about $10. Not such a huge quantity and commitment. I'm pretty sure it's a requirement.
ME
Can you make without curing salt? Or is there a substitute?
tender and tasty
Based on some comments I saw, I used a half a cup of salt and I smoked it at 225 degrees in my smoker, great flavor and very tender. I will definitely do this again, but with a pork loin.
pennijj
I would love to do this with a single, large (3-4 lb.) tenderloin...how should I adjust the brining and cooking times?
Always have this on hand!
I always have a couple of these in the freezer - great for lunch, snacks and it works really well in pressed sandwiches - use the same ingredients as for Cuban, swap out the ham.
Pops
Do you freeze the brined uncooked pork or do you cook then freeze?
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