Pork Loin

Here's a little dish I made the other night.  I brined a pork loin and then roasted it.  The purpose of brining in this situation was not to completely preserve the meat, but rather to change the molecular structure of the meat just slightly, resulting in a more flavorful and juicy cut of meat.  Pork loin is one of the most oft over-cooked cuts, surpassed only by pork chops.  This is an easy way to ensure that you have a juicy pork loin that'll win you awards, make you a millionaire and make you irresistible to whoever your love interest is.  Results may vary, but you always end up with tasty pork, which is a plus.

Brine

2 cups of salt
4 tablespoons ground Szechuan peppercorns (black peppercorns will work)
2 tablespoons ground ginger
6 cups of water, or enough to completely submerge your pork loin
2 dried bird chiles, whole (chiles de arbol or any other small dried chile will work)
1/2 cup sake

Brine for 12 hrs.  Remove from brine and rinse.

Sesame Pork Loin

3-4 lb pork loin, rolled and tied
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons chile oil (chile infused oil, make it yourself or look for it in Asian markets)

Dress the loin with the oils and then roll the loin in the sesame seeds and ground pepper and allow it to sit and absorb some of the flavors for a couple hours.  Drink a beer(s) to kill the time.  Preheat oven to 400.  Place loin in and roast at high temperature until it has seared a bit on the top (about 15 min).  Turn the oven down to 350 and cook for another 20 min per pound.  The internal temperature should reach 155-160.  Serve on a bed of rice noodles dressed lightly in tahini with fresh cilantro and ginger for garnish.  I would probably pair this with a nice wine from Savennieres, a rich full expression of Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley.