Dry Brined Rotisserie Pork Loin

Spit roasted pork - what's better?

Dry brining a pork sirloin is an easy way to ensure moist, flavourful meat. Spit roasting (preferably over charcoal) gives depth of flavour. Put them together for a killer pork roast. 

For this recipe I used a whole pork sirloin but it would be killer with a boneless pork shoulder. A little extra fat adds a lot of flavour. 

Serve it up with a bean recipe of your choice - pintos are nice - and a nice green salad and you have a dinner that screams summer time.


Recipe 

Dry brining

Dry brining, pioneered by Judy Rogers of Zuni Cafe fame is an easy way to add flavour and moisture without the drawback of odd texture promoted by wet brining. Simply sprinkle the meat with 1 Tbsp of kosher salt per 5 pounds of meat. Place meat in a large ziplock back (or just a couple grocery store bags if it doesn't fit) and refrigerate turning ever 12-24 hours for up to 4 days. I'm told salt will penetrate at a rate of about 1 inch per day so just look at how far the salt has to go at an inch per day and that's how long you need to dry brine. 

This technique is absolutely fantastic for your holiday turkey. Try it. You will be the Thanksgiving superstar. 

If you don't have time to dry brine just season the pork as you would normally as soon as you can. Don't worry too much - this is BBQ...

The grill setup

Setup for indirect heat over a drip pan

This is all about indirect heat. If you are using a gas grill you do not want direct heat coming up from below the pork. Some have a burner along the back of the grill. This is what you want to use. You will need to find a way to add some smoke flavour (otherwise you might as well use your oven) - chips in tinfoil is a good option. Place a drip pan under the meat or you'll have one wicked grease fire next time you fire up the grill.

If you are using a charcoal grill like a weber kettle set up your fire on either side of the kettle with the rotisserie running down the middle with a drip pan under the meat.

If you have a weber kettle and you don't have the rotisserie ring you are missing out on something wonderful. I've had mine for probably over 20 years. Lasts forever.

The pork

1 pork loin, preferable with as much fat as possible
Dry rub (recipe follows)  

If you don't like my dry rub use yours. Just make sure you don't use more salt. It will be well seasoned from the dry brine. If you didn't have time to dry brine use whatever you want. You are in control here!

When ready to cook set up your rotisserie for indirect heat with a drip pan below the meat as described above. Regulate the heat to 375- 400F.

Dry brine the pork loin for 3 to 4 days using 1 Tbsp of kosher salt per 5 pounds of meat. Remove from refrigerator and rub liberally with the dry rub. Thread the rotisserie spit through the meat lengthwise and spit roast until the internal temperature of the pork loin reaches 135F (yes, 135F - google it - it's safe and so much tastier when it's not dry as dust). Remove from your BBQ and let rest 15 minutes. You can make a simple board sauce with the drippings if you like.


The dry rub

2 Tbsp butcher's pepper (medium coarse black pepper)
1 Tbsp pure mild chill powder (New Mexican or Ancho) 
2 tsp paprika

Do not add more salt. The dry brine salted your meat perfectly. Do not use "chill" powder from the grocery store spice aisle. That stuff is a mix of god knows what spices. You want a pure chili powder. You can get pure chill powders at Grace in the Kitchen on Hazeldean in Kanata. Great store for many harder to find ingredients.

Board sauce

This is a simple technique for grilled meat that gives you a little bit of sauce to serve and you can do it right on your cutting board. Simply mix the board drippings with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Depending on what you are roasting you can also add a bit of fresh lemon juice or some finely chopped herbs. Really, it's up to your imagination.

That's it. A bit more work than burgers for sure but so worth it.