Brining has been a longtime method used by some of the worlds top chefs to inject flavor and add moisture to meat. In a brine, the salt actually opens up the cells in the meat, allowing them to hold more water.
Unlike a marinade, which only imparts flavor to the outermost meat, a actually brine draws in the salt and other added flavorings all the way to the bone.
Here is the basic brine recipe:
1 gallon of water
1 cup of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
Make sure brine is cold before placing the meat in it. Brine for 3-36 hrs. in the refrigerator depending on the thickness of meat, keeping the meat fully submerged in the solution.
- Boneless Chicken Breasts, Pork Chops: 2 hrs.
- 2 lbs: 4-6 hrs.
- 3-4 lbs: 6-8 hrs.
- Whole Chicken: 12 hrs.
- Small Whole Turkey: 12-24 hrs.
- Large Whole Turkey: 24-36 hrs.
You can add flavors like herbs, chile, citrus and additional sugar to the basic brine recipe to achieve different results.
TIP: To adjust the salty flavor in the meat, change the brine time instead of altering the salt content in the recipe.
Here are some chicken drumsticks I brined and smoked last weekend. I added chile flake and garlic at some lemon to the basic brine recipe.
Unfortunately I missed the final product photos, but the drums turned out great and had plenty of moisture.
[...] loin is one of my favorite meals to cook on the grill. This Labor Day, I brined a portion of loin, rubbed it with olive oil and garlic and threw it on the grill over indirect [...]