Why does nobody talk about how pork loin can dry out even with a brine if you don't rest it long enough?

I tried a new brine recipe last week with a 4-pound pork loin from our shop. Used salt, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar, let it sit for 6 hours. I cooked it to 145 degrees exactly and it still came out drier than I expected. Then I remembered an old timer told me once that you have to rest pork for AT LEAST 20 minutes, not just 10. I let the next one rest for 25 minutes tented in foil and it was JUICY and perfect. Has anyone else noticed a huge difference with longer rest times on lean cuts?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomasgonzalez5d ago

@fiona_kim97 nailed it, I had the same thing with a pork loin last week where 20 minutes of rest made all the difference.

eva_moore4d ago

Resting is the whole secret honestly. I started setting a timer for at least 20 minutes on pork loin and it's night and day different from cutting into it after 10 minutes. It's like the juices finally settle back in or something.

fiona_kim975d ago

Yeah that tracks with a lot of cooking stuff actually. It's like how I let my cast iron pan cool down on the stove for a good 20 minutes before washing it, or how you're supposed to let a steak sit for half the cook time before slicing. Everything wants its little pause. Same with letting bread cool completely before cutting it or your slices turn into mush. People are always in a hurry to get to the eating part but that last bit of waiting is usually what makes the difference between okay and really good.