New to Brining


 
Clint

Clint

TVWBB Olympian
The first time I brined anything was this years thanksgiving turkey..... it turned out so good I'll definitely do it again.

So today I grabbed a couple packs of boneless/skinless thighs and made up 2 batches in one-gallon ziplock bags - one is the same as I used for the T-day turkey (Larry R's Jack Daniel's & Maple syrup), the other is just salt & water. Each batch was approx 2.5 pounds, each used about 1/2 gallon of water & 1/2 cup kosher salt.

I thought I'd let the JD brine for a couple of days and the other I'd use this afternoon (rub them with Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk paste).. Then I thought I'd just pull a couple of them out and leave the rest in to see how time affected it.

And then I read Chris' All About Brining page which recommends such a shorter time than I'd expect.

How Long To Brine

The length of time meat soaks in a brine depends on the type of meat and its size, as well as the amount of salt used in the brine—the saltier the brine mixture, the shorter the soaking time. Here are common brining times found in many recipes:
Whole Chicken 1/2 - 1 hour
Chicken Pieces 1/2 - 1 hour
Whole Turkey 6 - 12 hours
Turkey Breast 3 - 6 hours
Cornish Game Hens 1/2 - 1 hour
Pork Chops 1 hour
Pork Tenderloin 1/2 - 1 hour
Whole Pork Loin 1-1/2 - 2 hours

which made me rethink my plans

**I posted this in the Recipe Requests & Ingredients Questions, but I decided I wanted to post some pictures & results - I'm going to try to delete the other thread I started** Pics will probably follow.
 
Len Dennis said:
Is there a question here?
Click to expand...

Several.... (I deleted the thread here & decided to post it in the photo gallery instead)

Wondering about flavor brining, i.e: how much of the flavor could come through in such a short time, what's the effect of over-brining, etc..

I've only brined once (not counting Canadian Bacon & / or Pastrami) and have decided to take this to the experimentation phase ;)
 
10696176_10203273058489155_6420299333869678129_n.jpg


The 2 on the right were removed from the JD & Maple Brine, the rest are still in it
10858506_10203273057729136_3393004953409974137_n.jpg


1531763_10203273058049144_7113254708418255568_n.jpg


Fire in the hole
10730811_10203273056929116_6528101199456564367_n.jpg


10367581_10203273056569107_3119370085591552529_n.jpg

before I went back for seconds
10426141_10203273056409103_2696182995190592937_n.jpg
 
Hi Clint,

I brine all the time. I use an 8 quart container and place it in the garage fridge:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001E0JM9A/tvwb-20

But I only use salt. I fill it up to the 4-quart mark and then add the salt, it's always 1/2 cup and then the meats.

Don't want to brine chicken for too long. Chicken wings, no more than an hour tops. Pork chops, no more than 4 hours. The reason I brine is to maintain moisture during cooking, not to add flavors. And it works!
 
Last edited:
what about flavor brining?? I brined my turkey for 52 hours..... I left the thighs in the same (a poor copy) brine, only pulled 2 out for tonight----probably pull the rest out tomorrow, maybe leave a couple in until the day after that just to see....

The JD & Maple were good, overpowered by the Jerk thighs; I'm wondering how much more flavor will transfer, and if there will be any other pitfalls from too long of a brine

I've not been a huge fan of marinades over the years, other than marinating chicken wings in Terriyaki sauce!
 
Clint said:
what about flavor brining?? I brined my turkey for 52 hours..... I left the thighs in the same (a poor copy) brine, only pulled 2 out for tonight----probably pull the rest out tomorrow, maybe leave a couple in until the day after that just to see....

The JD & Maple were good, overpowered by the Jerk thighs; I'm wondering how much more flavor will transfer, and if there will be any other pitfalls from too long of a brine

I've not been a huge fan of marinades over the years, other than marinating chicken wings in Terriyaki sauce!
Click to expand...

I have no experience with flavor brining. I do brining for moisture on meats that either don't have much moisture or will lose it from longish cooks unless they are brined. I flavor just as normal for brined vs. not brined.
 
As far as flavour goes, I followed Chris' method--oranges, etc. If anything, I can't really separate any flavours (none stood at attention so to speak). The turkey tasted 'hammy' though.

I think if you only use 1 primary and maybe 2-3 'complimentary' spices, the primary may stand out more.

BUT I want smoked turkey, not smoked sage with a hint of turkey. Know what I'm sayin'?
 
They look really tasty my friend. When we brine it is usually with just salt and some aromatics such as Juniper Berries. Does add a freshness and juiciness to the Birds for sure. Turkey 24 hours, whole chicken maybe all day or overnight depending on size.
 
Clint said:
The first time I brined anything was this years thanksgiving turkey..... it turned out so good I'll definitely do it again.

So today I grabbed a couple packs of boneless/skinless thighs and made up 2 batches in one-gallon ziplock bags - one is the same as I used for the T-day turkey (Larry R's Jack Daniel's & Maple syrup), the other is just salt & water. Each batch was approx 2.5 pounds, each used about 1/2 gallon of water & 1/2 cup kosher salt.

I thought I'd let the JD brine for a couple of days and the other I'd use this afternoon (rub them with Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk paste).. Then I thought I'd just pull a couple of them out and leave the rest in to see how time affected it.

And then I read Chris' All About Brining page which recommends such a shorter time than I'd expect.

How Long To Brine

The length of time meat soaks in a brine depends on the type of meat and its size, as well as the amount of salt used in the brine—the saltier the brine mixture, the shorter the soaking time. Here are common brining times found in many recipes:
Whole Chicken 1/2 - 1 hour
Chicken Pieces 1/2 - 1 hour
Whole Turkey 6 - 12 hours
Turkey Breast 3 - 6 hours
Cornish Game Hens 1/2 - 1 hour
Pork Chops 1 hour
Pork Tenderloin 1/2 - 1 hour
Whole Pork Loin 1-1/2 - 2 hours

which made me rethink my plans

**I posted this in the Recipe Requests & Ingredients Questions, but I decided I wanted to post some pictures & results - I'm going to try to delete the other thread I started** Pics will probably follow.
Click to expand...

Those are general guidelines. Some specific recipes like Apple Brined Turkey call for 24 hour brine time, and Shake's Honey Brined calls for 48 hours. A lot of it just depends on how salty the brine solution is...more salty, less brine time.
 
I've brined wings a couple times now. I add some of my wing rub to the brine. The first time I tried it, I didn't season the wings at all after the brine during the cook. Just to see... I could definitely tell it was fast eddys in the wings! Not strong, but definitely there. I would say flavor bring works to some degree. Nothing beats a crispy wing w rub melted and crusty all over it, though!
 
I grilled up a couple more thighs for dinner tonight (gasser) - more flavor & more salty :)

Not really sure- one bite towards the end tasted a little hammy but that went away quickly. The rest have been rinsed and will soak for around 20 minutes & I'll grill them up, these were on the brink of too salty but still good.

I think before long I might try the dry glaze packet I didn't use from my T-day ham in some sort of brine -

....(potato salad)....
10421597_10203278584707307_1956597021044119496_n.jpg
 
Never tried brining but it sounds fun. Food looks great. Do you buy that Walkerswood around here? I'd like to give it a try.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top