Brining, Salting, and Resting to Tenderize Meats and Poultry Recipe
Brining is placing meat or poultry in salted water in order that it retains more moisture when cooked. E.g., brining a turkey for 12 or more hours means that after cooking it will keep more than 15% more moisture than an unbrined turkey. This method works well on pork and poultry.
Salting is the method to use on beef and a few other meats.
Following are suggested brining and salting times for most cuts.
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Ingredients
- Brining:
- Whole turkey: 2 gallons water, 1 C salt, 1/2 C sugar for 12-16 hours in fridge
- Turkey Breast: 1 gallon water, 1/2 C salt, 1/4 C sugar, 4-6 hours in fridge
- Whole Chicken: 2 qts. water, 1/3 C salt, 1/4 C sugar, 1-2 hours
- Chicken Pieces, Skin-on, Bone-in, 2 qts. water, 1/3 C salt, 1/4 C sugar, 1-2 hours
- Whole or Half Pork Loin: 2 qts. water, 1/4 C salt, 2 T sugar, 2 hours
- Thick Pork Chops: 1 1/2 qts. water, 3 T salt, 1 tsp. sugar, 30 minutes-1 hour
- Salting:
- Steaks: 3/4 tsp. salt rubbed on each 8 oz. of meat wrapped in plastic, room temp, 1 hour
- Beef or Pork Roasts: 1 tsp. salt per 1 lb. of meat, wrapped in plastic, fridge for 6-24 hours
- Whole Brisket: 1/2 tsp. per lb, rubbed all over, wrapped in plastic in fridge for up to 24 hours. Rinse brisket well if using a seasoning rub that contains salt. Pat dry.
- Skin-less Bone-less Chicken Breasts: 1/2 tsp. salt, rubbed on each piece and wrapped in plastic, fridge for 1/2 hour
Directions
- Thoroughly rinse meat or poultry after brining. I discard the brine, and run cool water over the meat or poultry in the sink for at least 5 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels
- After salting meat or poultry, proceed to cook it with other seasonings that don't contain salt. If they do, rinse meat briefly and pat dry.
- Resting: All meats and poultry benefit from resting them under an aluminum foil tent or other cover for 20-30 minutes. During this time the juices, which have gone to the center, will release back to the outside. Brisket is better rested 1 or more hours.
- A Note on Hamburgers: After forming patties, indent your thumb into the top of each one, creating a little hole. During cooking, the juices flow to the center and fill the hole. Also, do not mash the patties with a spatula, which only drives out the moisture. After cooking, rest the burgers 15-20 minutes in a pan and cover them with foil. See how much more moist and juicy they are.
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