Brine


 
A good starting point of reference: All About Brining.

I always purchase natural, unenhanced poultry and brine it myself. The general consensus here is that most everyone prefers brining over not.
 
I started brining Chooks (Chicken for our American friends LOL) about 18 months ago using a basic brine recipe and 2 - 3 hours soak time. Since then I have done all different types of flavours and brining up to 10 hours.
My enginering knowledge leads me to believe that the process is osmosis though there are different schools of thought, however the proven fact is the higher the concentration of the brine solution the more flavour and moisture is drawn into the meat.

The info on brining as linked above is first rate and provided a great basis on which to build your experience on.

My last attempt I did 2 chooks - I have halved the recipe so that you have it for 1 as follows:

1 1/2 litres of hot water
5/8 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice
1/2 tablespoon smoked prprika
1 teaspoon dried chilli (ground)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

I boiled all the ingreadiants in a SS pot and let it cool down before putting it in the freezer for a while until it was cold, (less than 4 C).
I then pot the chook and brine into a ziplock bag and left it to soak in the fridge overnight (10 hours). I aird ried the chook in the fridge for about 4 hours and then cooked the chook indirectly on the Q for about 1 1/2 hours until the internal temp was 83 C. Result great flavour, so moist the juice ran down your arm and perfect skin.
I did a Hoi Sin and Plum sauce but no-one used it, the flavour of the chook was perfect.

As I said in the begining start with the basic brine and then experiment. You can't go wrong.

Regards
 
I do a fair amount of brining, I like the added moisture it provides in a cooked bird.

Unless I have special plans or a new recipe in mind I use a simple 2:1 salt to sugar brine, twice as much salt as sugar; but I always brine at least 12 hours and most often 18 - 24 hours for larger birds, bigger chickens and all turkeys, and it pays to either turn or shake (the bird/brine mix) a couple of times (once every 6 hours or so) depending on your method, in a tub or a ziplock bag.
 
I brine turkeys for roasting. (I haven't smoked a turkey.)
I used to brine butts, butt don't anymore.
I've never brined chix, and all my chix on the weber have been incredibly juicy. Much more so than oven-roasting.

From what little I know, brining before smoking may help with moisture retention, but not flavor, because the smoke is so intense. But I quickly defer to the masters.

chris -- isn't 12 hours long for a chicken? Doesn't the meat get mushy?
 
I buy only really large chickens, I have a good supply of organic free range chickens, they weigh in at 6 ½ - 8 lbs normally, and with a 2:1 salt - sugar mix it is not as salty as some mixes and so a longer brining stands up well, if I was using 3 - 3 ½ lbs birds I would brine from 4 hours and up for whole birds, but would most likely have them out of the brine and air drying after 6 at the outer limit.

If I was to go to a higher salt ratio 3:1 or above, it would cut down on the brining time but would overpower the bird IMO, so I go with bigger birds and less salt and a longer time, and the results from experience have been impressive. The first couple of times I brined the birds were too salty and I changed over the next 3 or 4 attempts to the way I do it now. Those first attempts were about 6 years ago and I cook about one chicken a week, or 250 – 300 chickens in total.

The mix I use is right for us, there are places I have read to brine 20 - 24 hours using 3 - 4½ tablespoons salt in 2 gallons of water, I am using 3 of kosher salt and 1½ of sugar (kosher salt is less dense than other salt and so less salty in nature).
 
Carefully written recipes for brines adjust the volume of salt given to the specific type or brand so the recipe will come out with the same salt concentration irrespective of type or brand used. Longer brining is warranted when the meat in question is particularly thick or dense to allow time for osmosis to occur more deeply (I brine fresh hams and loins for 2-3 days, depending on thickness). Though the salt concentration can be reduced slightly (I don't, except for shrimp), reducing it too much will not leave the concentration high enough to do much good regardless of the length of time the meat is brined. There might be a noticeable salt flavor but the meat's ability to retain water will not be significantly altered.

Sugar in the brine is optional and has nothing to do with whether the brining will be effective. Sugar is there to mitigate the perceived 'harshness' of the salt, to sweeten the meat, and to promote browning. I include it only occasionally and mostly to boost other flavors when making flavored brines.

Unless the brine contains acidic ingredients brining will not make meat mushy, i.e., it will not break down meat fibers to the point of mushiness. Denaturing occurs during brining (that's the point) which allows more water to be retained during cooking, but without an acid or enzyme to really work on the meat fibers there's a limit. Some cooks are put off by the retained water and feel that brining reduces the flavor of the finished product and so do not brine.
 
Kevin, would you use more salt for shorter period brines on things like chicken breasts and less salt on long brines like a whole turkey? AND, do you have some favorite brines for poultry and meat?
 
Paul--

No, I keep the concentration the same and just alter the time, shorter for chicken pieces or pork tenderloins or chops, say, (shorter still for b/s breasts, shrimp, fish), longer for thick roasts and whole birds. If you find a concentration you like (I use a scant 1/4 c Morton kosher to 1 quart water or water-other liquid combo for meats and fowl, 3 T for shrimp and fish) then it is a matter of determining timing.

Cook's Illustrated has two brining concentrations, each with a different sugar amount, but except for decreasing the sugar in brines meant for high-heat cooking (to reduce the chances of burning) I see no reason to alter the salt concentration (except for shrimp and fish as noted) and they do not adequately explain their rationale, typical for CI, except to say that to maintain 'balance' they reduce the salt in brines where they reduce sugar. This is nonsense.

As long as the salt concentration is not over the top, brining time can be extended somewhat without a problem; not that there is a reason to, but if you've spaced out retrieving the meat from the brine and it stays in longer than planned there is rarely an issue if your original concentration was on the lower side. This does not apply to shrimp or fish, however, where timing is better closely monitored. Higher concentrations can leave you with salty meat if the timing goes too long which is why I recommend finding a lower level that works for you. It should be noted that, if necessary or desired, you can increase the salt concentration (even doubling the salt) and brine for a shorter period (scrupulously rinsing after removal from the brine) but I avoid this.

Notwithstanding CI's contention that one shouldn't brine for longer than 8 hours, additional time is usually required for flavor-brining where water is mixed with a high proportion of fruit juice(s) and herbs, spices and aromatics. I don't bother flavor-brining thinner items (with one exception--salmon or other fish I am hot-smoking), I marinate instead as marinades are more suited to relatively thinner meats. I will, however, sometimes make the marinades sort of brine-marinades by upping the salt level. This helps get flavors into the meat but it is then important to remove the marinade completely (by rinsing even) before cooking so that one doesn't end up with a salty finish.

With the exception of a few references to flavor-brines posted here (somewhere) I've never codified my brines, mostly because I wing it at the time. I don't flavor-brine all that much; when I think of all the meats I cook where I've brined, far more often than not I used a straight salt brine or perhaps one with salt and just a little sugar. I always flavor-brine fresh hams and almost always do so for whole pork loins, however. I make a brine similar to Chris's apple brine for smoked turkey (a little more salt, a lot less sugar, a couple more aromatics) but for non-smoked I use a straight brine. (You'll note that in his recipe the salt concentration is a scant 2.5 T Morton/qt water, a workable level.)
 
I've been brining chooks (thanks for that one, Phil) for 8-12 hours (overnight) in a 16:1 brine. Smoking the chooks at 230-250 and getting really good results--lots of smoke flavour and very moist meat.

I'm wondering if there's any downside to brining "big bird" and cooking it the same way (low and slow)?

I was thinking about brining for 24 hours and then perhaps injecting with a butter "sauce." anyone see any downside to injecting after brining?
 
The downside to low/slow turkey is lousy skin. If you don't care about the skin then perhaps that's not a downside.

You can inject after brining but the flesh can only hold so much additional liquid. Injecting in could force the brine or the injection out, either immediately or during cooking when exposed to heat. I'm not an injection fan so haven't done this but I'd recommend proceeding slowly so as not to overwhelm the flesh. You need to be careful with the salt level of the injection as well.
 
I agree with KKruger about 1) the skin in a wsm, and 2) the amount of help that injection would do for moisture, if you are looking for flavour either flavour the brine, or go with a baste.

I like to finish my birds over a little higher heat (350° or so), for 15 - 20 minutes just to help crisp up the skin, basting at this time does make for a crisper skin and I with often use a herb butter at this time.
 
I've been hearing about that recipe for some time. Did Alton give a recipe for his flavored stock for this purpose? I assume that the vegetable stock should be a fairly light-colored stock. Do you make your own or use prepared vegetable stock?

Rita
 
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