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Miniature Home-Cured 'Ham'

My version of Southern biscuits and ham exposes me as a Yankee impostor, since it’s not made with real country ham. It is, instead, a much smaller brine-cured pork tenderloin, easy to cure and cook (though it does take some advance planning). Serve with tender, hot biscuits, sweet butter and mustard.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 12 cups boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon allspice berries
  • ½ teaspoon cloves
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon curing salt (sel rose)
  • 1 cup dry white wine for brine, plus 1/2 cup for cooking
  • 4 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 small bunch fresh thyme
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

      135 calories; 2 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 49 milligrams cholesterol; 1282 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

4 pounds cured pork tenderloin, about 24 servings

Preparation

  1. Put salt and sugar in a large nonreactive bowl (stainless steel or glass). Add boiling water and stir well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice berries, cloves, thyme and bay leaves. Allow to cool completely.
  2. Add curing salt and 1 cup white wine to cooled brine. Submerge pork tenderloins in brine. Place plate directly on top of pork to keep it submerged if necessary. Cover container and refrigerate for 5 days.
  3. Remove pork from brine and pat dry. Discard brine. Spread onions and thyme sprigs on bottom of a large shallow baking dish. Add brined tenderloins in one layer, then add 1/2 cup wine. Heat oven to 350 degrees; as it heats, bring meat to room temperature. Cover dish and bake for 45 minutes or until pork registers 135 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven (meat will continue to cook and reach 140 degrees as it rests). Let cool before cutting into thin slices. Serve with buttermilk biscuits. May be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 1 week.

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