brining meat

Cooking Instructions

Trials By Fire: How to Brine by Kat Kinsman Brining is the technique of accentuating the taste, texture and moisture level of leaner cuts of meat such as chicken and pork through prolonged immersion in salted liquid. It doesn’t take much effort, and you’ve probably already got everything you need on hand. For the most basic brining, you’ll need: -- A plastic, glass, ceramic or stainless steel (no aluminum) vessel large enough to your meat, and enough brine to cover it -- Salt (either table or kosher) -- Sugar -- Water To figure out how much brine you’ll need, place the meat in the container, and pour in plain water. Measure the water. For every quart, you’ll need to add 1/4 cup kosher salt (or 1/8 cup table salt) and 2 tbsp sugar. Pour the brine over the meat, place a heavy plate or bowl atop the meat to keep it submerged, and place in the refrigerator or a cooler below 40°F. Different types and sizes of meat will take more or less time. Start at the lower end of the scale, and turn the meat halfway through. You can always brine more, but you can’t unbrine. Chicken (whole) 3-8 hours Chicken Pieces 1-2 hours Game Hens 1-2 hours Pork Chops 2-6 hours Pork Tenderloin 2-8 hours Whole Turkey 6-24 hours Some recipes call for rinsing the meat afterward, and some don’t. Either way, make sure to pat it dry before grilling so you're not just steaming the meat. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you can start experimenting with sweeteners (like molasses, honey and syrup), spices, herbs, liquor, peppers, garlic, onions, etc. -- wherever your culinary creativity takes you. And now go get salty!