Brining: A Big Bang For Your Buck

Brining is a very simple and useful way of getting lots of flavor into meat. You know those award-winning pork ribs that you can’t quite duplicate at home, even though it should be straightforward? The secret may very well be that the ribs were brined. And for great roast chicken a quick brining is fantastic. The technique seems to work well with pork and poultry. Aside from corned beef I can’t think of any reason to brine any other meats. It just doesn’t seem…right. Of course tomorrow I will find a simply incredible recipe for brined porterhouse (I doubt it, but anything is possible).

I think that brining may reach its ultimate expression with big thick pork chops. A quick brine and then a sear on a very hot grill, followed by 10-15 minutes on a cooler grill with the lid closed is pretty much the best way to cook them. If they are really thick, and they should be, I will tip them up onto the bone for the slow part of the cooking.

I use an 8:1 ratio of water to salt and brown sugar, and usually toss in some fresh thyme if I have it and several grinds of pepper. But any flavor that can be extracted by water will get into the meat. So go to town! however, I limit the brining to several hours. Any more than that and the meat tends to get too salty, especially ribs.

As for why it works, or what it does? I could guess, but I would rather just enjoy those juicy pork chops that are grilling as I type this.

4 Replies to “Brining: A Big Bang For Your Buck”

  1. is that 8:1 salt and 8:1 sugar? weight, volume, combined, each? i’m confused.do you heat it to melt the sugar?best of luck with this, obviously your bliss.you’re on with the b’buster. but can you eat with it?any good bird idea’s? i’m on the spot for a special dinner.

  2. I was hoping that the people who actually are chefs would laugh and move on, but that is not to be! This is a total by volume. An equal mixture of salt and brown sugar dissolved in water for an 8:1 ratio of water to solids. I usually mix the solids with just enough hot water to dissolve them completely, and then add ice and cold water to top it off. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to put the meat in warm or hot water. It might work, but I would be concerned with bacteria growth. It’s just not worth the risk. As for the Ballbuster? Absolutely! I’ll bet it would go wonderfully with a crispy-skinned roast duck. In fact, I think I will try that combination as soon as the weather turns cool.

  3. There seems to be some controversy about brining; whether or not one should add vinegar. I have tried the vinegar version and it dries the meat so completely that the dinner is ruined.

  4. Well, there is no controversy in this kitchen. Anyone who uses vinegar in a brine doesn’t know what a brine is. However, using vinegar in a dousing sauce for barbecue is something completely different — and quite good.

Leave a Reply to Gromit Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *