Dean Torges
R.I.P. 11/4/2016
"BTW, why is it that almost everyone complains about pre-injected pork and poultry, yet, so many advocate injecting or brining?"
Ray, I'm new to this forum, but have done a bunch of cold and hot (bbq) smoking. Uncomfortable posting, but maybe this will help.
Brining for whole chickens and turkeys, for example, helps the white meat cook to the same doneness of the brown meat. Brining here only means soaking in a kosher salt solution for about four hours. White meat otherwise cooks ahead of dark meat. That's why a chicken often has dry breasts and moist thighs. This occurs only with hot smoking (200 plus degrees), and is not applicable to cold smoking.
Cold smoking with a brine means that a sufficient level of salt has been added to the cure, which is comprised of poisons (sodiums cholride and nitrite), to keep you from poisoning yourself with an overdose. Injected into hams along the bone, etc. to prevent sour because of the otherwise lengthy time it would take for the brine to penetrate. The salt functions as much as an early warning system as a cure. Tastes too salty? Warning that the mixture has exceeded safe sodiums levels. The sodiums are necessary to prevent botulism at the extended periods of room and low smoking temps necessary to cold smoke meat. They kill bacteria, they can at least make you very sick if not topple you over.
Short answer is that sometimes brines are good. Sometimes they ain't.
Enjoyed the photos you have on your website.
Ray, I'm new to this forum, but have done a bunch of cold and hot (bbq) smoking. Uncomfortable posting, but maybe this will help.
Brining for whole chickens and turkeys, for example, helps the white meat cook to the same doneness of the brown meat. Brining here only means soaking in a kosher salt solution for about four hours. White meat otherwise cooks ahead of dark meat. That's why a chicken often has dry breasts and moist thighs. This occurs only with hot smoking (200 plus degrees), and is not applicable to cold smoking.
Cold smoking with a brine means that a sufficient level of salt has been added to the cure, which is comprised of poisons (sodiums cholride and nitrite), to keep you from poisoning yourself with an overdose. Injected into hams along the bone, etc. to prevent sour because of the otherwise lengthy time it would take for the brine to penetrate. The salt functions as much as an early warning system as a cure. Tastes too salty? Warning that the mixture has exceeded safe sodiums levels. The sodiums are necessary to prevent botulism at the extended periods of room and low smoking temps necessary to cold smoke meat. They kill bacteria, they can at least make you very sick if not topple you over.
Short answer is that sometimes brines are good. Sometimes they ain't.
Enjoyed the photos you have on your website.