Brined Sirloin Steaks with Orange and Rosemary
Yield: Serves 4
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes (excluding brining stage)
Ingredients
4 brined (optional) Canadian Pork sirloin steaks, boneless, about 1 1/2 lbs/750 g
1 medium orange
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh or dry rosemary
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced garlic
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each: salt and ground black pepper
BRINE
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) Kosher or sea salt
1 tbsp (15 mL) rosemary, fresh or dried
1 tbsp (15 mL) crushed black peppercorns
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Cooking Instructions
1. Grate zest from orange (you should have about 1 tbsp/15 mL). With a small, sharp knife cut peel from orange, then cut out segments from between the membranes and set aside. Combine rosemary, olive oil, garlic, orange zest, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Remove chops from brine, discarding brine. Rinse to remove excess salt and wipe dry. Rub all the rosemary paste into chops.
3. Pre-heat grill to medium. Grill, turning once for about 10 minutes, or until steaks are just cooked; or pan-fry in a skillet over medium heat in a small amount of vegetable oil.
Serve chops with orange segments as a garnish.
BRINE
Place sugar and salt in a large plastic container or bowl. Pour in 1 cup (250 mL) hot water and stir to dissolve salt and sugar; add rosemary, peppercorns, garlic and 3 cups (750 mL) cold water. Cover and refrigerate until completely cooled. Add sirloin chops, cover and refrigerate for two hours.
Tip: You can brine any low fat pork cut - that is, all cuts from the leg and loin. Leave larger cuts and roasts in the brine for up to 24 hours.
In a hurry? Omit the brining stage. Instead, marinate the sirloin steaks in ½ cup (125 ml) commercial balsamic or red wine salad dressing.
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