Brined Pork Loin with Molasses Glaze
Molasses-Mustard Glaze (for pork):
1/4 cup Dijon
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup molasses
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pork:
5 cups water
1 container apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Spanish onion, peeled and quartered
10 black peppercorns
10 mustard seeds
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 shallots, finely chopped
For the glaze:
Whisk all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl.

For the pork:
Bring the water, apple juice, salt, sugar, onion, peppercorns, mustard seeds, thyme and bay leaves to a simmer in a large stock pot and cook until the sugar and salt is dissolved. Let cool completely. Submerge the roast in the brine by placing a plate on top, cover with plastic and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the pork from the brine, rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Season the pork on both sides with salt and pepper and cook on both sides until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet, brush with some of the glaze and finish cooking in the oven until cooked to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 to 40 minutes, brushing with the glaze every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let rest loosely tented with foil for 10 minutes.

Slice the rack into chops and place on a large plate. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

My notes: Seth and I aren't big fans of ham so I thought I decided to do a pork loin along with ham for Easter. We make pork quite a bit, but this is the first time that I tried a brine. I think it definitely made a difference and I'll make it again sometime.