Thread: Brining meats

Chemiker <[email protected]> wrote:

>Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
>ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
>She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
>dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
>because they brined the meat first, and later
>reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.

>He also said that brining is not as well known
>here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
>use it.

>ANybody have any experience on brining
>meats before cooking?

For sure. I fairly routinely brine pork chops (the
free-range sort). I do not return brining liquid to the
dish though, that is a bit gross plus it is too salty.

Googling might reveal a prior post from me with the
exact procedure for doing this.

Steve

On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:06:31 -0600, Chemiker wrote:

> Wife was shopping at our fave package store and ran into a fellow who
> was a chef, trained in Europe. She mentioned how she enjoyed certain
> meat dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob. because they brined
> the meat first, and later reincorporated some of the brine into the
> sauces.
>
> He also said that brining is not as well known here in the US, but I
> know some BBQ-types use it.
>
> ANybody have any experience on brining meats before cooking?
>
> Chemiker, who's never used it.

Nor have I. But here's a short instructional video by a French(-
sounding) woman showing how to brine a turkey.

http://video.about.com/bbq/How-to-Brine-Turkey.htm

I didn't realize it would take that long.

Chemiker wrote:

> Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
> ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
> She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
> dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
> because they brined the meat first, and later
> reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.
>
> He also said that brining is not as well known
> here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> use it.
>
> ANybody have any experience on brining
> meats before cooking?
>
> Chemiker, who's never used it.

I brine bone-in chicken parts before grilling. It adds moisture and
allows you to get seasoning all the way down to the bone.

Catch this article:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/59566.html

The other dark meat is racoon, brined.

HAB

Chemiker <[email protected]> wrote:

> He also said that brining is not as well known
> here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> use it.

It seems to be gaining a certain amount of trendy
status lately. I've brined hams, pork chops, and
chicken within recent weeks. Wet cure for ham and
bacon (which I've done for several years) is
essentially brining.

> ANybody have any experience on brining
> meats before cooking?

It worked well for some pork chops I made last
week. Put "brining meat" into your favorite
search engine and you'll get hundreds of links.
I posted a link here recently in a thread about
dry breasts.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

Catch this article:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/59566.html

The other dark meat is racoon, brined.

HAB

> Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
> ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
> She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
> dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
> because they brined the meat first, and later
> reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.
>
> He also said that brining is not as well known
> here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> use it.
>
> ANybody have any experience on brining
> meats before cooking?
>
> Chemiker, who's never used it.

Here's a method from Pastorio... I know he tweaked it many times.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Basic Meat Brine

Recipe By :Bob Pastorio
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Marinade

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Quart water
4 tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons oregano
4 bay leaves -- crumbled
4 cloves garlic -- smashed
2 tablespoons vinegar


This much brine will take care of a 3 or 4 pound piece of pork loin,
a
chicken (or chicken pieces), a 3 or 4 pound beef, lamb or veal roast.
How long to leave the meats in the brine? Depends. For poultry, at
least 24 hours. Up to about 36 hours. Roasts benefit from 3 days or more.

Heat the water and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a low
simmer, stir a few times and remove from the heat. Let cool.
That's the brine. How to use it? One very easy way is a gallon
freezer bag. Put the meat in the bag and pour the cooled brine over
it. Squeeze out much of the air, put the bag in a container and
refrigerate. Just in case of leaks.
Source:
"Food Wine List"

Chris Marksberry said...

>
> Here's a method from Pastorio... I know he tweaked it many times.
>
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Basic Meat Brine
>
> Recipe By :Bob Pastorio

<snipped for brevity>


Oooh! Another Pastorio gem!

Thanks. Now I'll have to try brining something.

Is brining the finishing touch before cooking or do you season after
brining as well?

Andy
[RIP Pastorio]

Chris Marksberry <[email protected]> wrote:

> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Basic Meat Brine
>
>Recipe By :Bob Pastorio
>Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
>Categories : Marinade
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
>-------- ------------ --------------------------------
> 1 Quart water
> 4 tablespoons sugar
> 3 Tablespoons kosher salt
> 1 tablespoon black pepper
> 1 teaspoon thyme
> 2 teaspoons oregano
> 4 bay leaves -- crumbled
> 4 cloves garlic -- smashed
> 2 tablespoons vinegar

I would say this is not a brine, it is a marinade. There is not
enough salt in it to be a brine, plus there is vinegar -- brines
are not acidic.

Spices are optional in a brine and sugar is not normally included.
These ingredients are more typical in marinades.

A basic brine is water and salt in a 12:1 ratio by volume.
I've seen recipes calling for 8:1 but I have not found that
level of salt necessary. I've seen 16:1 used in a recipe from Acme
chop house, San Francisco. The above recipe is about 21:1.
I would say the salt concentation is too low for brining action.

Steve

Andy <[email protected]> wrote:

>Is brining the finishing touch before cooking or do you season after
>brining as well?

In my experience, brining is the initial phase. I start
about 6 hours before I need to cook the meat and brine for
4 hours. I then rinse it and rinse it, then set it aside
at room temp for the remaining time before cooking. At
that point, after rinsing, I will add some black pepper.
This would be the time to add more seasoning -- if your
meat requires it.

Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
in its basic form.

A classic brined pork chop does not have all this seasoning
and spices added to the brine. Brined fish, however, normally
includes some spices -- usually in the cardamom/nutmeg/allspice
direction.

Steve

Steve Pope said...

> Andy <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Is brining the finishing touch before cooking or do you season after
>>brining as well?
>
> In my experience, brining is the initial phase. I start
> about 6 hours before I need to cook the meat and brine for
> 4 hours. I then rinse it and rinse it, then set it aside
> at room temp for the remaining time before cooking. At
> that point, after rinsing, I will add some black pepper.
> This would be the time to add more seasoning -- if your
> meat requires it.
>
> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
> piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
> in its basic form.
>
> A classic brined pork chop does not have all this seasoning
> and spices added to the brine. Brined fish, however, normally
> includes some spices -- usually in the cardamom/nutmeg/allspice
> direction.
>
> Steve


Steve,

Thanks for explaining!

Best,

Andy

Looks good. I think I'll try it. Maybe on flank
steak. I would think this would also work in
a vacuum marinator. I've got one of those
vacuum FoodSavers with a square vessel
that looks like a 8X8 casserole dish. I use
it and the larger jar canisters for marinating
jerky, and it really speeds up the process..

Chemiker

On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:46:55 -0600, "Chris Marksberry"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Here's a method from Pastorio... I know he tweaked it many times.
>
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Basic Meat Brine
>
>Recipe By :Bob Pastorio
>Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
>Categories : Marinade
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
>-------- ------------ --------------------------------
> 1 Quart water
> 4 tablespoons sugar
> 3 Tablespoons kosher salt
> 1 tablespoon black pepper
> 1 teaspoon thyme
> 2 teaspoons oregano
> 4 bay leaves -- crumbled
> 4 cloves garlic -- smashed
> 2 tablespoons vinegar
>
>
> This much brine will take care of a 3 or 4 pound piece of pork loin,
>a
>chicken (or chicken pieces), a 3 or 4 pound beef, lamb or veal roast.
>How long to leave the meats in the brine? Depends. For poultry, at
>least 24 hours. Up to about 36 hours. Roasts benefit from 3 days or more.
>
>Heat the water and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a low
>simmer, stir a few times and remove from the heat. Let cool.
> That's the brine. How to use it? One very easy way is a gallon
>freezer bag. Put the meat in the bag and pour the cooled brine over
>it. Squeeze out much of the air, put the bag in a container and
>refrigerate. Just in case of leaks.
> Source:
> "Food Wine List"
>
>

I brined last Thanksgiving for the first time. When I checked the
turkey's temperature, I THOUGHT the digital numbers said 117 degrees, so
back into the oven the bird went.

Half an hour later, I checked again---onlyTHIS time my friend also
looked at the digital numbers. "Still 117!" I said. "No,", he replied,
that says 177".

So, due to my loiusy vision and the weird way digital numbers look, the
poor bird was overcooked by damn near an hour. However, it tasted
sublime---very juicy, tender, no dryness in the breast, even...not at
all ruined as I feared it would be. Im SURE the brining is what saved
it. Imagine how DRY a turkey would be THAT overcoked, without the
miracle of extra moisture!

Lass

"Steve Pope" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
> piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
> in its basic form.

I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
or pork chop seem more tender. I've brined many a corned beef and until
properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.

Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:

>"Steve Pope" <[email protected]> wrote in message

>> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
>> piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
>> in its basic form.

>I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
>moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
>or pork chop seem more tender. I've brined many a corned beef and until
>properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.

Okay, thanks for this datapoint. So your thinking is it
will make like a pork chop seem more tender, because it
makes it moister, but it doesn't really tenderize the connective
tissue in any real way?

I'll believe this however the results can be pretty good,
in terms of faux-tenderizing.

Steve

In article <7tobl.25686$[email protected]>,
Kathleen <[email protected]> wrote:

> Chemiker wrote:
>
> > Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
> > ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
> > She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
> > dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
> > because they brined the meat first, and later
> > reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.
> >
> > He also said that brining is not as well known
> > here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> > use it.
> >
> > ANybody have any experience on brining
> > meats before cooking?
> >
> > Chemiker, who's never used it.
>
> I brine bone-in chicken parts before grilling. It adds moisture and
> allows you to get seasoning all the way down to the bone.

I don't brine, but I do marinate...
Question: What is brine but a very salty marinade? :-)
Is all that extra salt really necessary?
I have to keep to a low sodium diet.
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

Omelet <[email protected]> wrote:

>I don't brine, but I do marinate...
>Question: What is brine but a very salty marinade? :-)
>Is all that extra salt really necessary?
>I have to keep to a low sodium diet.

I do not know exactly how much salt ends up in the meat
after brining/rinsing, but it is significant. Taste wise
the brined meat is not to the leel of being too salty for
my taste, and I do object to over-salted food, but it
is fairly salty.

I would say one would not bother with brining unless one
believes it is doing something special to the texture of the meat.
(With fish, the equation is a bit different, and it can be part
of a preserving procedure -- brining followed by smoking.)

Steve

=?iso-2022-kr?q?=1B=24=29C=0E=22=3E=0F_Horry_=0E=22=3E=0F?=
<[email protected]> wrote in news:gkl42d$lg4$[email protected]:

> But here's a short instructional video by a French(-
> sounding) woman showing how to brine a turkey.
>

A French sounding woman named Natasha with a Roosian accent? LOL!

In article <9jpbl.13175$[email protected]>,
"Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Steve Pope" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
> > piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
> > in its basic form.
>
> I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
> moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
> or pork chop seem more tender. I've brined many a corned beef and until
> properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.

Then you are not cooking it long and slow enough...
I've never _eaten_ a tough brisket around here!
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous