Using tea in a brine may sound odd but the science behind brining a turkey at Thanksgiving and tea brining a pork tenderloin remains the same. Leaner meats such as turkey, chicken, pork tenderloin or pork loin benefit from a brine because the brine helps to retain moisture in the meat. Tea Brined Grilled Pork Tenderloin & Hot Honey Drizzle takes the brine well and pairs amazing with the hot honey.

I thought salt dehydrates things…..

You are probably saying, I thought that salt dehydrates things. Well, yes it can, an example of this is if you were to make salt cod. You would completely coat the cod with salt and let it sit for 48 hours. During that time the salt would extract the water from the fish essentially curing the fish.

(If you are not familiar with the process of salt curing fish consult experts on the process because if done incorrectly it could lead to potential health risks)

Brining Brings the Magic

Brining with salt is a different process than covering something with salt and letting it slowly dehydrate. Because the salt is dissolved in the liquid, it allows the diffusion process begin. Because the salt concentration is higher in the brine than in the pork, the salt moves from a higher area of concentration to a lower concentration area.

In the process, the salt also relaxes or unwinds protein strands allowing flavors to enter the meat. The meat retains the moisture, salt and seasonings in the brine. This is why brining leaner meats gives a moister cooked meat than one not brined.

Play with Ingredients of a Brine to Impart Flavors

In the brining process there is usually a liquid such as water, apple juice or beer, or a combination of some of them. Salt, usually roughly a ratio of 4 cups of water to 4 tablespoons of salt makes a standard brine. Adding sugar and/or other seasonings boosts the flavor of the brine.

In this recipe, because it only calls for one pork tenderloin and I wanted the flavor of the tea to be prominent I used significantly less salt than the standard ratio. But the process still worked. See recipe below.

How long should I brine a pork tenderloin?

Standard rule is to brine one hour for each pound of meat. Since this recipe does not call for 4 tablespoons of salt to the 4 cups of water, it works well to brine the pork longer. This allows a longer time for the tea to infuse flavors into the meat.

Why did you use the Happy Heart Tea from Mystic Valley Farm

Happy Heart Tea has a blend of Chamomile, Dandelion, Hawthorne and Cinnamon and if you are a tea drinker may not be familiar ingredients.

Breakfast tea, Earl Grey or other traditional teas may be ones you are accustomed to using but the teas from Mystic Valley Farm are herbal blends that are made to assist with ailments we all deal with.

So you may still be asking, why did you decide to use this tea for the brine?

I have enjoyed this tea hot and it is a nice blend of flavors with a cinnamon finish that isn’t overpowering. Trinity the owner of Mystic Valley Farm had a sample of the tea done as a sun tea at a recent growers market and it got my creativity going.

I had ideas of brining with the tea and doing some elaborate rub and possibly a sauce with it. I thought the cinnamon with the other herbs that make the tea so flavorful would go well with a pork tenderloin.

Sometimes Simple is Better

I made a simple brine with water, salt, honey and the tea. It brined for about 16 hours and instead of doing an elaborate rub I stuck with salt & pepper to allow for the flavor of the tea to come through.

I had some Hot Honey from Joey’s Hot Sauce and I thought the honey with the spice would pair well with the tea infused pork with the cinnamon and herbal notes.

Enjoy the Flavors

After grilling and plating the pork I drizzled about a tablespoon of Hot Honey over the slices. The grilled pork tenderloin was infused with the flavors of the tea with a subtle cinnamon finish just like drinking hte tea.

Because the honey in the brine gives sweetness to the pork, pairing Joey’s Hot Honey with the pork gave additional sweetness with a kick of heat. It was delicious!

Enjoy the Tea Brined Grilled Pork Tenderloin & Hot Honey Drizzle!

Find other great pork recipes here.