Enhanced pork loin

SiFumar · March 03, 2012, 03:23:03 PM

I picked up a half pork loin this morning for CB. Was happy to find a sale for $1.79lb. Didn't really pay attention to reading it until I got home...when I read it "was up to 12% enhanced". Now my question is, will it make to salty of CB? I've never had enhanced pork loins. Should I just make chops and a roast out of this? I usually do the dry cure method.

Keymaster · March 03, 2012, 05:58:45 PM

Hmmm, looks like it has already taken on a lot of red color. Wish I new more but I think you may have to wait for Habs to come along. He is usually on line about 2AM :)

viper125 · March 03, 2012, 07:29:48 PM

Should say whats in the enhancement. Does it contain cure? salt? What else does it have

Habanero Smoker · March 04, 2012, 02:35:59 AM

What is the solution it is injected with? I'm seeing more and more meat products being injected with just water.

If it is enhanced I will not buy it. In my area the local markets and supermarket advertise that the pork they sell is not enhanced. I feel enhanced pork is way too salty, and if they add sodium phosphate that adds a metallic taste. I'm beginning to see pork with seasoning added and they call it marinated, but often sodium phosphate is on the label.

Whether it is just salt or sodium phosphate, they act the same when it comes to brining or curing. As for myself I would not attempt to cure it. Unless you know the percentage of salt or sodium phosphate that is in the solution, the curing process will be either extremely slow or not occur at all. If you place it in a cure solution with a lower salinity then the meat, reverse osmosis may occur. If the cure is of a higher salinity, osmosis will be very slow (if it occurs at all).

You could experiment to see if it will cure. Prepare it as you would normally cure Canadian Bacon, but if it does cure, I feel it would be way too salty. If it doesn't cure, you can handle it as fresh pork loin, but again I feel it would be way too salty.

Keymaster;

I don't get up that early. :) I log on at around 4AM; I have seen that sometimes when it is posted there is often 3 hours difference; Pacific Time. My local time is set correctly, so I may send Brian a PM. I also just learned my "insert quote" doesn't work. The time seems to be posting right at this time.

Keymaster · March 04, 2012, 05:14:52 AM

Quote from: Habanero Smoker on March 04, 2012, 02:35:59 AM

Keymaster;

I don't get up that early. :) I log on at around 4AM; I have seen that sometimes when it is posted there is often 3 hours difference; Pacific Time. My local time is set correctly, so I may send Brian a PM. I also just learned my "insert quote" doesn't work. The time seems to be posting right at this time.

Ok I see how it works now, I went to "look and layout " in my profile and put a 3 hour time difference in and it changed the time that you posted above from something like 2:39 to 5:39AM So basically were up about the same time :)

SiFumar · March 04, 2012, 08:01:26 AM

Thanks guys! It is "enhanced" with water and salt. I normally read every pkg I pick up...but was in a hurry. And it surprised me to find pork enhanced. So I will just make a couple of small roasts out of it for smoking. Why bother trying it for CB when more than likely it will be to salty. Lesson learned. Thanks again!

Habanero Smoker · March 04, 2012, 01:10:02 PM

A good deal of pork loin, tender loin, and ribs are enhanced; especially the Tyson brand.

SiFumar · March 04, 2012, 02:02:06 PM

Good to know Hab...never bought Tyson before!

viper125 · March 04, 2012, 03:17:14 PM

I think if I should get one I'd try it. Actually I have one in the freezer and I don't know if it's enhanced or not. I will have to look and try an experiment if I do. Maybe cut salt by percentage of enhancement.

SiFumar · March 04, 2012, 04:18:15 PM

You know Viper I was thinking of that...but it says "up to 12%" so can't say for sure the percentage to cut on the salt. Maybe I'll sacrifice a 1 1/2lb to experiment. It wasn't to pricey.

viper125 · March 04, 2012, 04:48:56 PM

I assume that's not 12% salt but mix. Id think cutting salt in brine by 8-10 % can always poke a knife in and turn to see if cure is all the way thru. Maybe Hab would would know better. But I like experimenting when I can eat my failures. Lol

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La Quinta · March 04, 2012, 11:55:23 PM

I use those all of the time...you won't have an issue for Canadian bacon...honest...I follow Habs recipe and I am rather salt intolerant...I like it but try to stay away from it...after all...all bacon is salty anyway...I cut it up into three pieces and do asian with one, bacon with the second and boneless chops with the third...going to make some ground pork balls coated in sushi rice this weekend...steamed...

Going to try some Asian tea eggs too...sounds interesting to me...

Habanero Smoker · March 05, 2012, 02:07:01 AM

La Quinta

With it already being enhanced, I wasn't sure if osmosis would occur. It would be like brining an already enhanced chicken. It is the action of osmosis that helps carries the cure through the meat. So if the loin has a high salinity, it would be difficult for the cure to work it's way through the cell walls.

But as I mentioned above, it depends on the salinity of the solution it was injected with. When it say 12%, that is the weight of the solution being injected, not the concentration of salt. Therefore if Tyson uses a brine that has a low degree of salt, then as from your experience it will cure.

Viper;
Without knowing the salinity of the brine the meat was injected with, lowering the salt in a dry or wet brine cure, would most likely make the curing process slower, or not happen at all. But again, with this type of cut, you can experiment at a low cost, and without any safety issues.

But again, I avoid enhance pork. Not only because of it's altered taste, but I like to know what I am working with when curing.

viper125 · March 05, 2012, 06:48:14 AM

Well I realize the brine isnt just salt. But thought that physically checking you could keep an eye on the curing process if it needed less or more time. Also being loin if it didn't brine it would still be good just not bacon. Like you said it was a cheaper cut. Just thinking some day the way its going we will have to learn how if we buy store bought meat. As it seems they are all doing it these days. I don 't know but that's the lines i was thing along.

KyNola · March 05, 2012, 07:07:59 AM

Si,
I wouldn't hesitate one second to use that pork loin for CB. I can certainly appreciate individual's logic, reasoning and concern for not using it but I have made a fair amount of CB and am reasonably certain that some of the loins were enhanced. I just don't pay that much attention to it. I think sometimes we over analyze things instead of just enjoying what we do. I'm not aiming that at anyone as I too am guilty of over analyzing lots of things.