We’re big fans of pork, but commercially available pork – that is pork found om supermarkets and most butchershops – is so lean that its flavor is almost nonexistant and it can be very tough when grilled or roasted. So, we brine it before we cook it – whether on the grill, in braises, or in the oven – to add a subtle hint of herby saltiness and to tenderize. I generally do about ½ cup each of salt and sugar along with whatever herbs compliment the finished dish – or if I am just roasting or grilling, whatever herbs I have on hand in addition to a bay leaf or two. Here are some photos of a bone-in pork roast that you see being brined and then ready to be roasted coated with olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper, herbs tucked in between the bones, and wrapped in the last garlic scapes of the season. By the time the roast was ready the scapes had disintegrated but left a definite sweet garlic flavor to the meat.
(If you aren’t familiar with garlic scapes they are simply “flower stalks” of hardneck garlic plants. Scapes are generally cut off of the growing plant early in the season as they pull energy from the developing bulb. Until recently, the scapes went into the garbage heap or the compost, even though they are delicious and quite edible. Both farmer and consumer awareness has brought them to the market – although usually only to farmers markets or roadside stands).
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