Think of brining as a way of salting your meat in advance to make sure the salt penetrates fully throughout the food. This creates a juicier final product as salt helps retain moisture. Most often done with meat, but you can brine anything and everything to give every bite of food the perfect salt level. Implementing this super simple technique will take your cooking to the next level and have your friends and family asking what your secret is. Spoiler alert, it’s salt!
What Is Brining?
Brining is the process of soaking food, usually meat, in salty water. The salty water penetrates deep into the meat making sure that every bite is perfect. Say goodbye to oversalted exterior’s and under stalted interior’s forever with brining.
Wet vs Dry Brining
Brining comes in two separate forms wet and dry. Wet brining is the traditional method and in its simplest form consists of only water and salt. Letting your food soak in this high salt mixture allows the salt to penetrate into the meat at a fast rate while keeping the moisture content high within the food during cooking. Dry brining on the other hand is simply salting your food then leaving it to rest, either for a few minutes to draw out moisture or overnight for larger pieces. This allows the salt to penetrate deeply into the food while keeping the outside dry for a sear.
When to use a Wet vs Dry Brining
Generally I would recommend wet brining for meats that are very lean. Think chicken and turkey. While I would recommend dry brining meats that are more fatty and need a healthy sear. Think steaks, pork chops and even brisket (yes I know you don’t sear brisket, but it’s fatty enough that it doesn’t need a wet brine). Determining whether to wet or dry brine is individualised. Don’t take my word as gospel. Test things out and determine what you prefer.
Why Brine? Benefits Of Brining
Brining your food brings many benefits to your dishes. The biggest benefit is the uniformity of the salt throughout your food. No more will your roasts be a salt lick on the outside while the inside is bland with no salt. This guarantees the perfect level of salt throughout the entire food. The next benefit of brining your meat is adding flavor. Similarly to a marinade you can add flavoring to your brine and they will penetrate into your food as well. This is a great way to add tons of flavor to your food with minimal effort. Furthermore, bringing tenderises the food. Salt is a natural tenderizer and allowing it to fully penetrate, makes a more consistent and tender end product. My favorite benefit of brining is the increased moisture content. While this makes a huge difference when serving the dish fresh, it is even more noticeable when you do this for your meal prep. A typical chicken breast will dry out quite quickly when left in the fridge, but a brined chicken breast will hold up much better. Overall, brining your food will increase nearly every aspect of it.
Ingredients For The Perfect Wet Brine
A brine in its most simple form is salt and water. While there is nothing wrong with this this is a great opportunity to add flavor to our food. Here are some of my favourite brines:
Basic Brine
1 gallon water, room temp
6 oz salt
3 oz brown sugar
Cajun Brine
1 gallon water, room temp
6 oz, salt
3 oz brown sugar
½ cup cajun seasoning, make sure there is no salt in the rub or your brine will be too salty
Herb Brine
½ gallon water, boiling
6 oz salt
3 oz brown sugar
1 Head of garlic, cut in half, skin still on
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs Rosemary
4 lbs. (½ gallon) ice
How To Make A Brine
Making a brine is super easy. For a basic brine containing no fresh ingredients, simply combine everything in a large container and mix until fully dissolved. That’s it!
For a brine containing any fresh ingredients you are going to want to boil the mixture first. Start by combining everything but the ice in a pot. Continue to heat until all salt and sugar has been dissolved. At this point remove from the heat. We don’t want to add any meat to the brine at this point as it will begin the cooking process without fully cooking the meat. This is dangerous and unsafe. Stir in the ice to drop the temperature and make sure the ice has fully melted before adding in any meat.
Tips For Maximum Flavor
Think of brining as another layer of flavor for your dish. If you want a dish to have subtle heat, add in some to the brine to build that depth of flavor. The only part of the brine that you should consider “sacred” is the ratio of salt and water. Everything else is just flavors. Add more sugar if you want your food more sweet or some chopped up habaneros if you want it to have a spicy kick. The combinations are endless.
When Is The Best Time To Brine?
The best time to brine is the day before. Brining takes time for the salt to penetrate, especially on larger roasts. Brining also cannot be done for too long with this method. Since the salinity of the water is fixed there is no possibility of oversalting your food. Earlier is better when it comes to brining.
How To Flavor Your Brine
You can flavor your brine however you like. Adding in flavors doesn’t change the salt level of the brine. Therefore you can customize your brine to whatever works best for you. Don’t think the 3 recipes listed above are all there is. They aren’t! Experiment, explore and try new combinations. This is the beauty of cooking, you get to try new things and eat the fruits of your labors.
Common Brining Mistakes To Avoid
The biggest mistake in brining is adding additional salt after the brining. Remember that most premixed spice rubs have salt in them. If you add them to your meat after brining you will end up with an oversalted end product. The safest bet is to mix your own spices and make sure there is no salt in the rub. This way you get maximum flavor without overpowering the food with salt.
Easy Brine Recipes To Try At Home
Brining can be implemented on nearly all recipes. Make sure to give it a try on your weekly meal prep so you can reap the benefits all week long. Also make sure to give it a go for your next sunday roast or thanksgiving turkey. Experiment and enjoy as you add another tool and technique to your culinary arsenal.