I have become an evangelistic enthusiast of brining in about the last year. I am amazed by how much more tender, juicy and flavorful plain cuts of poultry and pork can be with as little as 30 minutes of brining.Try your own test sometime, brining some of your meat, leaving some unbrined, and cooking all in your traditional way (baked, grilled, pan fried, etc.). I challenge you not to taste the huge positive difference it makes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt or 2 heaping tsp regular table salt
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 clove peeled, smashed garlic
Instructions
- This base recipe is for each cup of brine. You should use enough to cover your meat in a bowl or ziplock bag. Recommendations on the time for brining really vary, but there is no question that there is a point at which longer is not better as extended brining can result in overly salty meat. After some experimentation and reading, I have included my recommendations for brining times below. Recommendations also vary about rinsing brined meat prior to cooking. I have found it unnecessary but this is something you can decide for yourself. To rinse or not to rinse being a personal decision, patting meat dry before cooking is a non-negotiable. You always want meat mostly dry before cooking.For brine, combine ingredients and stir until salt and sugar dissolves. Cover meat with brine.Brining timesChicken breasts: 30 min – 2 hoursPork chops (1in): 1-3 hoursWhole pork loin: 3-4 hoursPork tenderloin: 1-2 hoursNOTES:You all may ask, what about beef or fish? In general, wet brine is generally not recommended for beef. Instead, for beef consider a dry brine (liberally apply salt and seasoning and leave out at room temperature before cooking). As for fish, I still have that to experiment with, watch for future updates on this article.One final note for those of you that like to use a sous vide cooking method. After my research and own experiments I find that you don't need BOTH brine and sous vide cooking. If you are cooking in the sous vide, feel free to skip the brining step. You will still end up with tender, juicy meat.HAPPY EATING!!
