Brined Chicken

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Well, I tried brining some boneless, skinless chicken breasts a la Chris A and the end result was about 2 dozen chicken breasts in the garbage. Tasted more like salt ham. End of brined chicken for this boy. I like just fine the way I'd been doing em with just a rub. If you are going to try this technique PROCEED WITH GREAT CAUTION. Try two or three breasts first and see how they come out. And Chris' explanation can be a bit confusing - I suggest no more than about 30 minutes brine time tops.
 
Sorry you had a bad experience. It's true that brining is not for everyone. I'd like to know what part of the instructions you found confusing so I can correct them. Also, what kind of salt did you use, and how much?

Thanks in advance,
Chris
 
Thanks Chris. I found this part of the instructions confusing and led me to brine too long I think:
"Make 1 quart of brine for each pound of meat, not to exceed 2 gallons. Soak for 1 hour per pound, not less than 30 minutes or longer than 8 hours. If brining multiple pieces, base the brining time on the weight of an individual piece."

But basically I just don't like the idea of soaking anything in a salt solution. I used Morton Kosher Salt. 1C to 1C brown sugar in
about 2 1/2 quart of water. Soaked about 2 dozen breasts for 3 hours.
 
Jack,

Looks like you were right on with your measurements when making the brine, but three hours of brine time was far too long.

I will work on clarifying those instructions. In the case of 12 boneless skinless breasts weighing 4 ounces each (3 pounds total), you'd make 3 quarts of brine (based on 3 pounds of meat). At 1 hour per pound, a 4-ounce breast would brine for 15 minutes, but that gets bumped up to 30 minutes because of the "not less than 30 minutes" statement.

I also noticed that I brined my chicken twice as long as the 30 minute recommendation. Tasted fine to me, but perhaps I have a higher tolerance for salt. I will make a note of this in the topic, too.

Your point is also well taken that when one tries something like this for the first time, it might make sense to just brine a few rather than brine all 12. That way, if you don't like the outcome or make a mistake in formulating the brine or in the length of brine time, all is not lost--literally.

Thanks for helping me improve the topic, Jack.

Best regards,
Chris
 
Chris, your openness to constructive criticism, and willingness to make adjustment, are just two of the many things that make this a great forum.
 
Chris as you point out that if you are going to brine a number of pieces of meat the time for brine is based on the weight of each piece of meat not the total of all the pieces. That also will hold true for the cooking process.
Jim
 
I hate to get on my soapbox again, but many of the boneless, skinless breasts in supermarkets, like Safeway here, are "enhanced."

If you added brining to that, it'd be like sucking on a salt shaker.

I believe, though, three hours in a brine solution would make un"enhanced" breasts far too salty for most people's taste.

Brining, IMHO, is a great tool, you just have to figure out how to use it.
 
Thanks all and amen on the comments about your openness Chris. I was foolish to go whole hog first time out but learned some good lessons. May try the brine again in the future.
 
C.A. = Chris Allingham.

C.A. = Class Act.

Nuff said. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Kelly
 
Just to add a little more "confusion"...the thickness/surface area of the chicken breast will also make a difference. I LOOOOOOVE brining, and when i dont have long to do it, i'll pound the chicken breast so i only have to brine it for like 15-20 minutes...

jason
 
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