I finally broke down and tried Pop's brine method on some pork loin. I added a tablespoon of maple sugar concentrate to the brine and injected throughout the loin. 14 days in the brine then injected with some "special farm whiskey", then rolled in maple sugar before going into the fridge for 24 hours to form the pelicille, lastly into mes 40 for 14 hours hickory smoke with the AMNPS tray. No pictures from the smoke itself but here are the final results:
And the obligatory fry shot using the ends and smaller pieces
In conclusion, rolling the loin in maple sugar may have been a mistake as it created a bark on the outside that was rather dry. There was enough maple flavor from the concentrate already. The whiskey was strong enough to add a nice unique flavor. 14 hours was a little too much smoke, but this was the first time using the AMNPS tray so I just left it to completely burn. Next time I will try 10 hours or use a different wood blend with less hickory.
And the obligatory fry shot using the ends and smaller pieces
In conclusion, rolling the loin in maple sugar may have been a mistake as it created a bark on the outside that was rather dry. There was enough maple flavor from the concentrate already. The whiskey was strong enough to add a nice unique flavor. 14 hours was a little too much smoke, but this was the first time using the AMNPS tray so I just left it to completely burn. Next time I will try 10 hours or use a different wood blend with less hickory.
