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This article was co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano. Ollie George Cigliano is a Private Chef, Food Educator, and Owner of Ollie George Cooks, based in Long Beach, California. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in utilizing fresh, fun ingredients and mixing traditional and innovative cooking techniques. Ollie George holds a BA in Comparative Literature from The University of California, Berkeley, and a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from eCornell University.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Brining meat before cooking yields a juicy and flavorful result. It's especially important for cooking white meats, which cannot be cooked to temperature (unlike red meats, which can be served rarer for a juicier result).
Ingredients
- Meat
- Salt
- Sugar
- Water
- Optional flavorings: Citrus juice, dried herbs, spices, red wine vinegar, dried mint, flavored Butter , cracked black pepper, cloves, star anise, bay leaf, mustard seed, coriander seed, Cajun seasoning. Whatever flavor you add to brine will permeate the meat.
Steps
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Prepare a mixture of three parts salt and one part sugar. The salt may be kosher or sea salt. The sugar can be any white crystal sugar, but not 10X or confectioner's sugar.[1]
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Dissolve the sugar/salt mixture in water. Brining is all about ratio, and the salt to water ratio should be 1:16—for every gallon of water you should have a cup of salt (50-60 grams of salt per litre water).[2] Make enough of the mixture to comfortably cover the meat you wish to brine.Advertisement
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Add any flavorings you wish. Sharp liquids (vinegars and citrus juices), whole seeds, and dried herbs and spices work especially well. Thicker liquids such as honey, oil and some sauces will impart fewer flavors unless boiled (see step 4, substep 1). This is also the case with fresh herbs.[3]
- Fruits, both acidic or sweet, can add a special layer of flavor to the brine. Try adding pineapple or apple for a nice taste.
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Submerge the meat in brine.[4]
- Heating the brine solution and then letting it cool before pouring it over the meat helps to get more flavor from the spices.
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Store it in a refrigerator or other cooler space. Cuts of pork, wild game, and larger poultry, such as turkey, can be brined anywhere from 4-12 hours; smaller cuts and birds should be brined for 30 minutes to 2 hours.[5]
- If your brine is extensively flavored, or if you do not plan to brine the meat for long, consider bringing the mixture to a fast boil and cooling before starting the brine. This is especially effective for chicken and smaller poultry because brining them for too long will cause the meat to break down.
Community Q&A
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QuestionShould I brine a country ham?
Community AnswerNo, a country ham contains a great deal of salt, brining would not be a good idea. -
QuestionCan I use some of the brine to cook with?
Community AnswerNever cook with the brine solution -- only use it soak the meat. The brine must then be must be discarded for food safety. -
QuestionThe salt locks the water moisture into the protein in the meat and the sugar is there to balance the flavor out so that it doesn't become overwhelmingly salty. Is this accurate?
Community AnswerYes. The salt locks the moisture of the meat and the sugar tones down the salt when you cook it.
Video
Tips
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You should not rinse raw poultry under that tap as the bacteria then becomes airborne, spreads around the kitchen and can be inhaled. Cooking the meat properly kills all the bacteria.[6]Thanks
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The best flavored brines are often the simplest. Citrus juice and dried mint will add a nice Mediterranean flavor to chicken, while cracked black pepper and red wine vinegar provide a rich French flair.Thanks
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Replace all, or part of the sugar with honey or brown sugar.Thanks
Warnings
- Make sure to completely cool your heated brine before using.Thanks
- Watch your food closely while cooking it, especially if barbecuing or grilling it. Brining adds sugar to the meat and can cause it to burn prematurely.Thanks
Things You'll Need
- Refrigerator
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about recipes, check out our in-depth interview with Ollie George Cigliano.
References
- ↑ https://cookthestory.com/how-to-brine/
- ↑ https://www.smoking-meat.com/brining-meat.html
- ↑ https://www.food.com/recipe/basic-all-purpose-brine-for-meats-chicken-and-turkey-105141
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/use-a-quick-brine-to-make-any-cut-more-tender-47879
- ↑ https://www.finecooking.com/article/why-brining-keeps-turkey-and-other-meat-so-moist
- ↑ https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/washing-food-does-it-promote-food
- https://cookshack.com/blogs/recipes/brining-101
About This Article
To brine meat, start by mixing 3 parts salt and 1 part sugar. Then, dissolve the salt and sugar mixture in some water and add your seasonings, like vinegar, oil, and dried herbs. Next, pour the mixture into a container and submerge the meat in it. Once the meat is completely submerged in the mixture, just put it in the fridge for a few hours and you're done! If you want to learn how long to leave certain kinds of meat in your brine, keep reading the article!
