Brine

Horn Dog

I am finally going to try to brine some meat. I have a simple recipe for brine...it is: 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of Kosher salt and water. Is this a good enough simple brine? If not, let me know of some simple recipes. Also, how long do I brine and do I just brine pork?[p]See ya,
Horn Dog

Mike in MN

Horn Dog,
Chicken and turkey are happy in the brine....overnight is good. [p]I don't go by much of a recipe...I just fill my container with water, add salt, brown sugar, and the seasonings that will compliment the meat, cover and refrigerate....It will be ready tomorrow.[p]Mike in MN

Unknown

Horn Dog,[p]I'de use 1/2 gallon of water for these salt/sugar measurements. Don't be afraid to experiment and toss in some garlic powder, onion powder, beer, pepper, basil, oregano, and any other spices you like. Also, you can substitute soy sauce for salt or honey for sugar.

SSDawg

Horn Dog,[p]I wouldn;t use much more than a quart of water if you are only going to use a 1/4 cup of salt. If you use any more water than that, the salt concentration may not be high enough to be very effective as a brine. I use 1/2 cup salt per quart if I am doing pork chops.

Love Handles

SSDawg,
I've never brined anything before, so I'm a little curious. Doesn't brining make your meat overly salty?, and what is the main purpose of brining? Is it similar to just marinating? Thanks for your help. See-Yaa

Unknown

Love Handles,
Here are some good resouces on brining. [p]http://www.bbq-porch.org/brining00.asp
http://www.cbbqa.com/notes/SaltBrining.html
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brining.html
http://cookshack.com/barbeque_guide/101/Brining101.htm [p]rj

SSDawg

Love Handles,[p]Short answers : No and no[p]Brining does not make you meat overly salty. Granted, you will not need to add additional salt prior to cooking, but it really just enhances the flavor of the meat.[p]Brining is not like marinading. Brining works by using the salinity of the water to impart more liquid into your target cut of meat via osmosis.

sprinter

Horn Dog,[p]Great responses so far. I'll see what I can add and not repeat things already written.[p]My basic brine is 3/4 cup salt, 1 cup sugar, and one gallon of water. Then whatever spices you want in the brine. Some advise that you need to boil the brine mixture, let it cool, then put the meat in. I've never boiled the mixture but it is important to add the meat to a COOL brine. No more than room temperature. [p]The salt in the brine actually opens up the pores of the meat and allows it to accept the spices that you put in the brine. I used to use a 1/1/1 method, one cup salt, one sugar, one gallon of water. This seemed to add a bit to much salt to the meat IMO. Thus the 3/4 cup salt. The sugar can be anything sweet, I use brown sugar, molasses, pure maple syrup, you name it. The spices are completely up to your imagination. I always try to use things that will compliment the rub I eventually plan to put on the meat when I cook it but its up to you. I typically brine for 24 hours on pork. Chicken and poultry can be less time but I usually also go overnight on those also.[p]Biggest hint I can give is to ensure that you add the meat to a COOL brine, never a warm brine as it will get REALLY salty at that point.[p]Troy

J Appledog

Horn Dog,[p]A favorite pork brine recipe:
2 T garlic, minced
1 C Kosher salt
1 C brown sugar
3 T toasted juniper berries, crushed
bay leaves
pepper[p]My favorite turkey, pheasant, quail, etc. brine recipe is as follows:

[ul][li]Cat's turkey brine recipe[/ul]