Techniques: Brining
Brining in it’s simplest form is just adding salt to meat and letting it sit. Salt has a tenderizing effect on muscle fibers, and helps meat retain moisture when cooked. This provides a bit of insurance in the case of overcooking, as the meat won’t end up as dried out and tough. Brining can be used on any cuts of meat to simultaneously season and help tenderize. Herbs, spices, or sugar are sometimes added to achieve different flavors.
Dry Brining just means rubbing salt over a piece of meat. Herbs, spices or sugar can be combined with the salt beforehand. As the meat sits, moisture from the interior is drawn to the salty surface, where the salt is then dissolved, before being drawn back into the meat, where the dissolved salt interacts with the muscle fibers. Dry brining takes longer than wet brining to tenderize meat, but it takes less time to put together. For a standard dry brine, use 1 Tsp. Kosher Salt per 1 lb of Meat. Rub the salt over the meat, then place in the fridge, uncovered, for 4 - 24 hours.
Wet Brining can be done either cold or boiled, but in either case you start by dissolving salt and/or sugar in a liquid. A basic brine ratio is 1 Tbls. Kosher Salt per 1 Cup of Water, Plan on About 2 Cups Brine for Every 1 lb of Meat. Herbs and other aromatics (garlic, pepper, onions, etc) can then be added. The brine can then be used as is, or it can be boiled briefly to bring out the flavors of the added ingredients. If boiled, the brine needs to be cooled down to room temperature before combining it with the meat. Submerge the meat in the wet brine and refrigerate for about 1 hour per pound of meat. Cuts less than one pound need only 30 minutes. Rinse meat before using. If you want to sear the meat, pat with a paper towel and allow to air dry for at least an hour before cooking.
Simple Wet Brine Recipe:
½ Cup Kosher Salt - 1 Tbls. Sugar - 1 Tbls. Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 Quarts Water
Dissolve salt and sugar in a small amount of warm water, then add remaining 2 quarts of cold water and vinegar to your brining container. Add your meat into the container and top off with more water, as needed, to completely submerge the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour per 1 lb of meat.
Basic Tips for Brining
Choose a nonreactive container like glass or stainless steal that is large enough to hold the meat and enough brine to completely submerge it.
Know your salt and how much to use. Kosher salt and table salt have different size crystals and therefore have different weights per volume. When using table salt, use about half what you would when using kosher salt. 1 Tbls. Kosher Salt = ½ Tbls. Table Salt
Use water as the primary liquid. If you want to use other liquids (beer, wine, apple or citrus juice, stock or vinegar) only replace about a quarter of the total liquid, with the rest kept as water.
Fully submerge the meat in the brine, using a plate if necessary. Plan on about 2 Cups of brine per pound of meat. An easy way to determine how much brine to make is to place the meat in the container and measure the water it takes to completely cover it. Then factor your ratio accordingly.
Add sweetness to balance out saltiness. Sugars (honey, maple syrup, fruit juices or ciders) are an optional ingredient that can be used to balance out the saltiness of the brine and to aid in browning during cooking. If used, aim for around 2 Tbls. Sugar per Quart of Water.
Rinse, then pat meat dry after brining. If searing, allow meat to dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
