Sea Salt in Brine

soonerburrage · April 2009

Can sea salt be a substitute for table salt?

Thanks.

Unknown · April 2009

Yes, but why? Sea salt is more expensive.

Measurements wouldn't be the same. Use weight to measure.

You can use any un-iodized salt, though some people say un-iodized isn't necessary, though I think it gives a metallic taste to the meat.

soonerburrage · April 2009

The reason is I ran out of table salt and forgot to get some yesterday.

My wife has left for a baby shower and won't be back until tonight.

I have a 2 and a 3 year old so I am playing babysitter.

So, i dread the thought of dragging these two turds to the store.

Since I had some sea salt I thought I would use it.

Unknown · April 2009

Well, OK, that's as good a reason as any. :laugh:

Good luck with it.

thirdeye · April 2009

Sure it can, but like Foghorn mentioned, it's more expensive.....another downside is that some types of sea salt are "saltier" than others, so even after weighing out your amount, some experimentation may be in order. One upside for using sea salts in small batches of brines and in rubs is that some sea salts contain small amounts of nitrates, and can help a smoke ring. I use sea salt when I brine shrimp.

Give canning salt a try for brining other things. It is a fine grain like table salt, so weigh out your proportions...don't go by measuring cups. The big advantage with canning salt is that is will dissolve in cooler water than kosher. Because of this, I use it in all my injections.

stike · April 2009

salt is salt is salt....

only have o worry about volume. kosher salt has bigger grains, and if you used the same amount of fine table salt in place of kosher, you'd be far saltier. if you are going by a recipe that calls for table salt, but the sea salt grains are bigger and fluffier, you'd need to use more sea salt to compensate.

if you can weigh it out, that'd be better. equal weight of sea salt to the required amount of table salt.

Nicolas_Kershanko · April 2009

Chemically speaking all salts are the same. What makes sea salt and others taste different is the trace amounts of other minerals in the mix and the cost of course.

I would agree with Stike and measure the salt by weight.

thirdeye · April 2009

salt is salt is salt....

I should have mentioned that to the guy I bought the Bali salt smoked with kefir lime leaves from...Heheeee.

stike · April 2009

yes. smoked salt is decidedly not just salt. hahaha

but the claims to massive differences in taste amond fifferent types of salt are usually just that, claims. the smoked stuff is a flavored salt, though.

the tiny diofferences in the mineral contents of salts generally don't show up in flavor. but hell, even i agree sea salt is far nicer to use than morton's table salt.

have you smoked your own salt before?

stike · April 2009

put to a test, though, it's nearly impossible to tell apart salts by their trace mineral content. color may be different, but except for flavored salts (flavored with additives), the mineral content has virtually no impact on flavor. and it's used in such spare quantities, i can;'t imagine there's a person alive that could distinguish one salt from another in a recipe.

like bottled water... if it had sulfur in it, maybe. hahaha

thirdeye · April 2009

I've tried it a couple of times, I think it's a job better suited for my Big Chief as I've heard it needs no heat, only smoke.

Sea Salt in Brine

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