In the BBQ world, it’s widely known that “fat adds flavor.”
However, when you’re dealing with meats like turkey or lean pork that don’t have much fat, I strongly recommend using a method called brining meat.
Especially when you need to cook them slowly for a long time.
What Is Brining?
In its simplest form, brining meat is a technique of immersing meat in a solution made from a mixture, most of the time made up of salt and water.
Brining has been used by chefs and home cooks for a long time for its effect on the taste and texture of meat.”
The usual brining formula recommends using between 3% to 6% salt in water, a ratio that ensures the brins is working on the meat.
The right length of time to brine your meat can vary widely, it all depends upon the specific characteristics of the meat you have.
Factors such as the meat’s size and density play a big role in determining the ideal brining time.
As a general rule of thumb, the recommended brining time typically falls within the range of 30 minutes to 1 hour for each pound of meat.
However, shorter or longer durations may be appropriate depending on your culinary goals.
For the best result, I found out that in my experience it is crucial that your meat is completely thawed before starting the brining process.
This will help the brine fully penetrate the meat, allowing the flavors and moisture-enhancing properties of the solution to work their magic.
“The benefits of brining is proven when you taste the finished product.”
Once you have prepared and cooked your brined meat, you can believe when I say that you will have a dining experience marked by a noticeably juicier and more tender texture compared to meat prepared without the brining process.
How Does Brining Work?
Lean meats, such as chicken breast or pork loin, possess tightly packed muscle fibers enveloped by a protective layer of proteins.
When these lean meats are grilled or smoked, the proteins and muscle fibers respond by contracting, which will release moisture and this will result in meat that’s tougher to chew.
When you use brining, the power of salt is there to work its magic.
It does this by deconstructing the cell walls within the meat, allowing these cells to change with the brine through the process of osmosis.
The salt dissolves the protein filaments, preventing them from tightening their grip on the meat.
This, in turn, makes the meat more tender, which is the purpose of this process.
If you like to take this adventure a step further, you can consider adding other flavors to the brine.
This can be achieved by artfully blending herbs, spices, and sugar into the brine solution.
However, I must say that by doing so you are getting closer to another method and that is marinating and the spice is better to be used in creating a BBQ rub.
This is not the main purpose of bringing and I actually never use brining as a marinating method.
What Meats Should You Brine?
I should replace the word should with could, because it is a personal choice to brine meat or not.
Here are some of my recommendations based on my personal experience.
Basically, you should only brine lean cuts of meat such as chicken breast, Turkey, pork loin, center-cut pork chops, and fish.
Related Read: https://bettergrills.com/how-to-brine-a-turkey/
“Reason for this (short) list is that these cuts of meat do not have much intermuscular fat and brining will prevent them from drying out when you grill them.”
Pre-Mixed Brining Solutions
For those who don’t like to mess with doing this yourself. There is a range of pre-mixed brine solutions like the esteemed Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine (1) or the offerings from Sweetwater Spice Co (2).
These pre-mixed solutions effectively eliminate the need for guesswork.
You simply need to follow the provided instructions for blending the pre-mix brine with water, submerging the protein in the resulting solution, and allowing the meat to soak in the refrigerator for the recommended time.
After this, the only remaining tasks are to season the exterior of the meat to your liking with a dry rub and start grilling or smoking.
Is Brining Worth The Effort?
Brining, which involves soaking meat in a saltwater solution, is a highly valuable technique that greatly enhances the taste, juiciness, and tenderness of your meat.
“Brining meat is definitely worth the extra effort you put in.”
Benefits Of Brining.
Moreover, brining extends its benefits when you’re cooking lean and delicate meats like fish, lean pork, and poultry. These types of meat can be tricky to cook perfectly because they tend to dry out or become tough if overcooked.
Brining acts as a safeguard by adding moisture to the meat, reducing the risk of overcooking and maintaining its succulence.
Furthermore, brining works its magic on the outer layer of meat as well. When exposed to high heat, the exterior often dries up and becomes tough, making it less enjoyable to eat. However, brining creates a protective shield that keeps the outer layer moist and flavorful, ensuring that your meat remains delightful.
How To Prepare A Brine
Here is a short video that shows you how to prepare a brine for meat.
Brining Meat – My Experience.
My experience has shown that the advantages of brining are well worth the time and effort invested in the process.
So, don’t skimp on this and give it a try and bring your cooking outdoors, or indoors to a whole new level of deliciousness with brining.
Sometimes, especially with larger cuts such as turkey, it is hard to find a pot or pan to use. I have used 5-gallon buckets with good results.
For smaller cuts of meat such as center cut pork chops and chicken leg quarters, I use the tenderizing with baking soda method and have some good experience with that.
Robert Chill
Robert Chill loves to cook on BBQs and grills and uses all types of recipes and techniques to cook some awesome food. With his experience, he can share many reviews, tips, and ideas on how to use any grill. You can read more about him here