Amanda’s Favorite Recipe: Brining
May 13th, 2009 • food
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Historically, brining has been used as a method to preserve meat. Meat is soaked for many days in a very strong saltwater solution with the addition of sugar, spices, and other ingredients. This curing process binds the water in the meat or removes it altogether so it’s not available for the growth of food-spoiling microorganisms.
It’s not very popular anymore because everyone has a refridgerator, but I find that the salt punches through the tough parts of meat and makes it melt in your mouth. The meat becomes moist and flavorful with this method.
You’ll need a container large enough to keep your cut of meat submerged, but small enough to still fit in your fridge. Food grade plastic is the best material.
I typically use a gallon of water (sometimes I’ll use stock – made fresh from boiling meat bones with veggies that are about to spoil), 1/2 cup kosher salt, a generous handful of peppercorns, a few cloves of garlic (or wild chives from the yard), and whatever other spices I feel like throwing in at the time – usually rosemary.
The length of time you’ll keep your meat in the brine depends on the size of the meat and the amount of salt you use. I typically use larger cuts like roasts and start my brine with breakfast. I take the meat out and let it surface dry two hours before dinner. Then, I sear on the stove top in a pan with hot oil until the surface is slightly charred. I put the meat on a baking sheet with edges surrounded by potatoes and roast (it’s what you call baking meat) for an hour. Brined meat will cook faster.
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