Ireland: Boiled Bacon and Cabbage
INGREDIENTS
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First of all, buy your pork. Irish cooks would get into endless arguments about which cut of pork / bacon is best,
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but many seem to prefer the "collar of bacon", which is the equivalent of a cut from the North American "shoulder butt" or "picnic shoulder".
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You could use a pork tenderloin for this recipe, but an Irish cook would likely think you were throwing too much money at what should be a simple dish.
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Whatever cut you choose, it should be rolled up and tied to make sure that the brining process does not proceed too quickly. This kind of brining (unlike the brines of past centuries) is not meant to preserve the meat: it's meant only to tenderize it
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For this recipe you need:
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2 1/2 pounds pork: "collar of bacon", shoulder butt or equivalent
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Once you have the pork, make your brine. This recipe makes a gallon, which should be more than enough to cover two and a half pounds of pork.
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You only need enough of this to cover the meat you're brining: throw out what you don't use.
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3/4 cup coarse kosher salt
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3/4 cup sugar
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1 cup boiling water
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1 gallon cold water
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1 tablespoon pepper
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1 bay leaf
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