Tested whole muscle brining vs dry curing on pork loins and the dry cure won for texture every time

I did a side by side last month with two 3lb loins, one soaked in a 5% salt brine for 48 hours and the other rubbed with the same salt ratio then vac sealed, and the dry cured one held way better moisture after smoking without that weird spongy bite the brined one had, has anyone else noticed the difference in how the fibers feel when you slice them cold?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela_harris6d ago

Hard disagree on this one. Your dry cure might be fine for texture but wet brine does something to the fat rendering that dry just can't match. That "spongy bite" you mention is actually just even moisture distribution across the whole muscle, not a bad thing if you ask me. Rubbed the same ratio and vac sealed will always leave the outer edge saltier than the center, that's basic physics of contact time versus full submersion. Slice a wet brined loin cold and the fat cap stays translucent and buttery instead of that waxy layer you get from dry curing. Also, 48 hours is way too short for a whole loin in either method, you need at least 5-7 days to see the real difference between the two.

the_jake6d ago

Is it that serious though, it's just bacon.

ray3565d ago

Oh man, I gotta say I'm on the other side of this one. I've done wet brine for years and honestly the texture thing is real - that spongy bite isn't evenly distributed moisture, it's water weight that makes the meat feel almost rubbery when you chew it. Dry cured bacon has a snap to it when you bite that wet just can't do, and that waxy fat cap you're talking about? That's exactly what I want, it crisps up in the pan like nothing else. Maybe it's just me but 48 hours is plenty if you're using a good salt ratio, any longer and you're just pulling more moisture out and making it too salty.