Brine Pork Tenderloin: Salt Ratio and Time

Brine a 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) pork tenderloin in 40.5 g (1.43 oz) of salt dissolved in 0.75 quart (0.71 L) of water, a 5.71% brine, for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Do not go past 2 hours.

Tenderloin is a small, lean cut, so the brine acts quickly and the window is short. The calculator covers 0.75 to 3 lb (0.34 to 1.36 kg) of tenderloin.

Brine strength

Pork tenderloin has one strength in the calculator. The percentage is of the water's weight, so 5.71% means 5.71 g of salt per 100 g of water.

The standard strength comes from Cook the Story: 4 cups of water with 3 Tbsp of table salt, or 6 Tbsp Diamond Crystal, or 4 1/2 Tbsp Morton kosher, for pork tenderloin 1 to 2 hours. The Kitchn's quick-brine page uses the same 3 Tbsp of table salt per quart of water, but it names chicken breasts and pork chops, not tenderloin.

Recipes differ here, so here is what each source says:

• Only Cook the Story names pork tenderloin at 5.71%, with 1 to 2 hours.
• Amazing Ribs' brine recipe page gives 1 to 2 hours for meat 2 inches (5 cm) thick or less, and also about 4 hours for meat 2 inches thick.
• The Kitchn's pork tenderloin page says an hour or two and a maximum of 24 hours, with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of water and no salt type, so the calculator does not pair it with a strength.

The calculator uses the shorter maximum of 2 hours.

Salt type changes the volume you measure. The same spoonful of table salt, Morton kosher and Diamond Crystal weighs a different amount, and that is the main reason recipes disagree on tablespoons. The kosher salt versus table salt guide covers the differences, and the brine percentages explained guide shows how to read a percentage.

Salt and time by weight

Weigh the tenderloin before it goes in the brine. The table uses the calculator's default of 0.5 quart of water per pound.

If you brine more than one tenderloin, add their weights together and use enough water to cover them all.

Weighing the salt is the reliable way to measure. The volume columns help when you have no scale, but a cup of one salt is not a cup of another.

How to brine pork tenderloin

1. Check the label. The Kitchn says to check that the tenderloin is not labeled enhanced, which means it was already injected with a brining solution. Do not brine enhanced pork.
2. Weigh the meat and the salt. Use the table above or the calculator.
3. Dissolve the salt in the water until no crystals remain.
4. Chill the brine. Keep it at 40°F (4°C) or below, adding ice as needed. Amazing Ribs notes that visible unmelted ice means the brine is probably below 40°F (4°C).
5. Submerge the tenderloin fully in a food-safe container or brining bag, and put it in the refrigerator. USDA FSIS says the refrigerator should be at 40°F or below and to always marinate meat and poultry in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
6. Set a timer for 1 to 2 hours.
7. Rinse and dry. Amazing Ribs says to rinse the meat with cold water to wash excess salt off the surface and then pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels.
8. Cook. FoodSafety.gov lists 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest for pork steaks, roasts and chops. Its chart does not name tenderloin separately. Season lightly, since the meat already carries salt.

What happens if you brine too long

Salt breaks muscle proteins apart so they can bind water, according to Amazing Ribs. The limit is saltiness.

Amazing Ribs says that salt levels of 1.5% to 2% inside the meat are much too salty to eat. The longer the meat sits in a 5.71% brine, the more salt it takes up.

The can you over-brine meat guide gives the maximum brine times for several foods and the saltiness limit behind them. If you want to salt a tenderloin without water, the wet versus dry brine guide compares the methods. Larger pork cuts have their own times, listed in the pork brine time chart, and the guide to brining pork loin covers the bigger roast, which takes hours rather than minutes. The guide to brining pork chops covers a cut that is also lean and quick.

Safety

The food safety guide for brining covers refrigeration, brine reuse, time limits and what the calculator does not cover.

Practical problems

The tenderloin tastes too salty. Check the salt type, the time and the label. A recipe that lists tablespoons for table salt makes a weaker brine if you use Diamond Crystal in the same volume, and a stronger one if you swap the other way.

The meat feels soft or spongy. Check the label for enhanced pork and the time in the brine, and keep the brine to 2 hours or less.

The tenderloins are not covered. Use enough water to cover them completely. The salt follows the water, so enter the new water amount in the calculator.

The surface is wet. Pat the meat thoroughly dry with paper towels after the rinse, as Amazing Ribs advises.

You have more than 3 lb (1.36 kg). The calculator clamps weights above 3 lb and warns, because the sources do not cover larger amounts.