WHOLE CHICKENS | What is brine and why use it | 3 easy recipes | How to Video for the beginning cook

WHOLE CHICKENS & Brine | What is Brine & why use it | 3 easy recipes | How to Video for the Beginning Cook and gourmet

What is Brine and Why Use it

What does brining a chicken mean? Brining is a way of marinating and adding moisture to lean meat. The chicken or other meat is soaked in a mixture of salt and water for a few hours or days before cooking. Some recipes call for adding other flavoring ingredients to the brine, such as sugar, herbs, and spices, but they aren’t necessary. In the days before refrigeration, brining was used as a way to preserve meat (think ham and pastrami), but now it’s a popular way to add flavor and moisture to lean meats. Why should I brine my meat? Brining makes meat juicier and more flavorful and improves its texture. “Salt adds tremendous flavor,” says scientist Greg Blonder, Ph.D. “And brining, if you do it right, will get the salt deep into the meat, so every bite has a nice, salty taste.” Brining is also a cook’s insurance policy against accidentally overcooked meat, because brining helps to lock in moisture. In other words: no more dry meat. But won’t brining make the meat too salty? Brine recipes are carefully crafted so they contain only 5 to 8 percent salt. Blonder explains that even though the brine would be too salty to drink, it takes a long time for the solution to penetrate the meat fully. If you follow the recipe directions on how long to brine the meat, you shouldn’t have a problem with oversalted food, since typically only a few teaspoons of the salt solution will penetrate.

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3 Easy Brine Recipes

Basic Flavor Brine

Courtesy of The Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells ($25 Amazon)

Makes enough for 1 whole chicken with at least 1 gallon of brine. Ingredients

1 gallon cold water
1⁄2 cup kosher salt (reduce to 1/4 cup if using regular table salt.)
2⁄3 cup light brown sugar

Directions

Mix brine together well with a whisk.
Place 1 whole chicken (thawed or frozen- you may also use chicken parts.) in brine for 2 hours up to over night. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Remove chicken from brine and rinse chicken well. You are now ready to make a tender juicy chicken dish of your choosing.
NOTES: You can do this with turkey, as well. Also, you will notice that your leftovers, even after refrigerated overnight, are so tender and juicy whether eaten cold or reheated. The moisture retention really helps to make a chicken meal morph into a second meal when it holds its moisture. If doing a whole turkey, use a recipe servings changer to up the servings to 6-10. Put your turkey in an insulated cooler with enough water to cover and add in a 5 pound bag of ice. Brine overnight

Caribbean Flavor Brine

Courtesy of The Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells ($25 Amazon) Makes enough for 4 pork chops; for larger cuts, such as whole chickens, double or triple the recipe to have at least 1 gallon of brine.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups water
½ cup dark rum
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoon unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups ice cubes

Directions

Stir together the water (and any other liquid ingredients), salt, and sugar until dissolved. Stir in the ice and any other flavorings and cool the brine to 45°F or lower.
Place 4 pork chops in a zipper-lock bag. Pour in the flavor brine and seal the bag. Place the bag in a bowl in case it leaks and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours, depending on the thickness of the chops. Remove the chops, discard the flavor brine, and pat the chops dry. Proceed with the recipe, or wrap the chops in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 2 days

Kentucy Flavor Brine

Courtesy of The Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells ($25 Amazon) Makes enough for 4 pork chops; for larger cuts, such as whole chickens, double or triple the recipe to have at least 1 gallon of brine.

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups water
¼ cup bourbon
¼ cup salt
3 tablespoons sorghum molasses, Steen’s Pure Cane Syrup, or unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups ice cubes

Directions:

Stir together the water (and any other liquid ingredients), salt, and sugar until dissolved. Stir in the ice and any other flavorings and cool the brine to 45°F or lower.
Place 4 pork chops in a zipper-lock bag. Pour in the flavor brine and seal the bag. Place the bag in a bowl in case it leaks and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours, depending on the thickness of the chops. Remove the chops, discard the flavor brine, and pat the chops dry. Proceed with the recipe, or wrap the chops in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 2 day