Brined and Barbecued Pork Loin Sandwiches
Brining lean pork loin bolsters it’s moisture content yielding meat that’s juicer when barbecued, sliced and stuffed in buns to make these tasty sandwiches.
Recipe - Quality Foods
Brined and Barbecued Pork Loin Sandwiches
Prep Time30 Minutes
Servings6
Cook Time50 Minutes
Ingredients
1 cup water
3 Tbsp kosher or pickling salt
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 cups unsweetened apple juice or beer
24 whole black peppercorns
6 (about 6-inch long) sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme sprigs, or mix of both (see Note)
3 bay leaves, each broken in half
1 (1 kilogram/2.2 pound) boneless pork loin roast (see Note)
1 tsp each ground cumin
chili powder
smoked paprika
and dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup of your favourite barbecue sauce, warmed, or to taste
6 hamburger buns, split and warmed
mayonnaise, to taste
6 leaf lettuce leaves
thinly sliced raw onions, or fried onions, to taste
sliced dill pickles or Yum Yum pickles, to taste
Directions
- Put water, salt and sugar in a pot, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Whisk to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from the heat. Add juice (or beer), peppercorns, rosemary (or thyme) and bay leaves. Now let this brine cool to room temperature.
- Poke pork roast all over with a fork, which will help the brine permeate the meat. Set roast in a large zip-lock bag, pour in brine, and then seal the bag, removing excess air in it when you do. Refrigerate and brine pork 12 hours.
- Preheat your barbecue to medium-high, about 400 F in the chamber. Combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano and garlic powder in a small bowl. Remove pork from the brine, pat dry with paper towel, set on a plate, and then sprinkle and rub with the spice mixture.
- Grill pork 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until exterior is nicely coloured. Move pork to one side of the barbecue. Turn heat off on that side of the barbecue; leave other side at medium-high. Close barbecue lid and cook 40 to 50 minutes, or until centre of the roast reaches 150 F on an instant read meat thermometer (see Note). Transfer roast to a cutting board, tent with foil and rest 10 minutes. During resting the pork will continue to cook and rise to the recommended doneness of 160 F.
- Spread bottom buns with mayonnaise. Set a lettuce leaf on each bottom bun. Thinly slice the pork and mound some on each bottom bun. Drizzle pork with barbecue sauce, top with onions, pickles and top buns, and serve.
Note: Fresh herbs are sold in boxes or bundles in our Produce Department. If cutting the roast from a whole pork loin you purchased, a 1-kilogram roast will be about 8-inches long. Pork roasts vary in thickness and that effects cooking, why it’s important to use a meat thermometer when gauging doneness.
30 minutes
Prep Time
50 minutes
Cook Time
6
Servings
Shop Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
Aquafina - Water, 591 Millilitre
$2.69$0.46/100ml
Windsor - Windsor Kosher Salt, 1.36 Kilogram
$6.69 was $6.99$0.49/100g
Rogers - Dark Brown Sugar, 1kg, 1 Kilogram
$4.39$0.44/100g
Western Family - Apple Juice Unsweetened, 1 Litre
$2.29 was $2.49$0.23/100ml
Simply Organic - Black Peppercorns, 75 Gram
$8.49$11.32/100g
Western Family - Fresh Rosemary, 20 Gram
$2.69$13.45/100g
Western Family - Bay Leaves, 22 Gram
$4.59$20.86/100g
Quality Foods - Pork Loin Roast Sirloin End Boneless, 1 Pound
$5.99/lb$1.32/100g
Western Family - Cumin - Ground, 97 Gram
$5.49$5.66/100g
Western Family - Chili Powder, 155 Gram
$5.99$3.86/100g
Mccormick - Smoked Paprika, 40 Gram
$5.89 was $6.19$14.73/100g
Club House - Organic Oregano Leaves, 11 Gram
$3.69$33.55/100g
Western Family - Garlic Powder, 155 Gram
$8.59$5.54/100g
Jack Daniel's - Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce, 473 Millilitre
$8.49$1.79/100ml
Dempsters - Deluxe Gold Bun, 8 Each
$4.99 was $5.49$0.62 each
Western Family - Real Mayonnaise, 475 Millilitre
$4.39$0.92/100ml
Lettuce - Green Leaf, Fresh, 1 Each
$3.29
Onions - Red, Unpeeled, 335 Gram
$2.21 avg/ea$0.66/100g
Bick's - Dill Pickles - No Garlic, 1 Litre
$6.99$0.70/100ml
Directions
- Put water, salt and sugar in a pot, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Whisk to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from the heat. Add juice (or beer), peppercorns, rosemary (or thyme) and bay leaves. Now let this brine cool to room temperature.
- Poke pork roast all over with a fork, which will help the brine permeate the meat. Set roast in a large zip-lock bag, pour in brine, and then seal the bag, removing excess air in it when you do. Refrigerate and brine pork 12 hours.
- Preheat your barbecue to medium-high, about 400 F in the chamber. Combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano and garlic powder in a small bowl. Remove pork from the brine, pat dry with paper towel, set on a plate, and then sprinkle and rub with the spice mixture.
- Grill pork 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until exterior is nicely coloured. Move pork to one side of the barbecue. Turn heat off on that side of the barbecue; leave other side at medium-high. Close barbecue lid and cook 40 to 50 minutes, or until centre of the roast reaches 150 F on an instant read meat thermometer (see Note). Transfer roast to a cutting board, tent with foil and rest 10 minutes. During resting the pork will continue to cook and rise to the recommended doneness of 160 F.
- Spread bottom buns with mayonnaise. Set a lettuce leaf on each bottom bun. Thinly slice the pork and mound some on each bottom bun. Drizzle pork with barbecue sauce, top with onions, pickles and top buns, and serve.
Note: Fresh herbs are sold in boxes or bundles in our Produce Department. If cutting the roast from a whole pork loin you purchased, a 1-kilogram roast will be about 8-inches long. Pork roasts vary in thickness and that effects cooking, why it’s important to use a meat thermometer when gauging doneness.