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in article , Barbtail at
wrote on 11/8/04 1:00 PM:

> I was cleaning out my freezer and found this 5 lb pork loin I bought about a
> year or so ago-- it's a little freezer burned (I'll trim off that part), but
> from everything I've been able to read online, the meat itself should still be
> still edible...?
>
> Because the *quality* of the meat may have suffered from prolonged freezing, I
> was planning to brine the meat for 24 hours or so before cooking it.
>
> The brine recipe I plan to use is:
>
> 1 qt apple cider
> 1 qt water
> 2/3 c kosher salt
> 1/3 c brown suger
> couple TBs of some grape molasses I bought for a special recipe
> some cloves, allspice berries, couple juniper berries, a bay leaf, small
> cinnamon stick, last few TBs of maple syrup in the bottle, pinch of celery
> seed, peppercorns, 1 tiny broken piece of star anise, dash of poultry
> seasoning
>
> kitchen sink won't fit in the pot
>
>
> I'd love any comments or suggestions.
>
> Thanks
>
> Barb

I just saw the original post.
I'm personally not fond of juniper and star anise, but if you like those
flavors, the rest of the brine seems fine to me. I don't think I'd use the
poultry seasoning with all those "sweet" spices, but that's just me. Spices
are a very personal thing. If you like that mixture, go for it.

The technique seems ok to me. Brining it would plump up the fibers a bit,
might not be a bad idea after being in the freezer so long.

Will you roast it after the brining, or are you planning to braise it? I
think of shoulder as a braising cut, the loin, to me, is more tender and
should be roasted.