Cooking meats is an integral part of culinary arts, and adding brine to the meat brings an extra layer of flavor and tenderness. Brining is a process of submerging meat in a salt solution, typically containing water, salt, sugar, and other seasonings. This process helps enhance the meat's flavor, moisture, and texture, making it an ideal technique for cooking smaller cuts of meat. However, finding the perfect brine recipe for a small amount of meat can be tricky, as the proportions need to be adjusted to ensure the meat is properly seasoned without overpowering its natural flavors. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive exploration of brine recipes, offering step-by-step instructions, ingredient variations, and tips to achieve the perfect brine for a small quantity of meat, ensuring a delicious and satisfying culinary experience.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
BASIC ALL PURPOSE BRINE FOR MEATS, CHICKEN, AND TURKEY
Make and share this Basic All Purpose Brine for Meats, Chicken, and Turkey recipe from Food.com.
Provided by PalatablePastime
Categories Christmas
Time 3h15m
Yield 1 quart
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Makes 1 quart- make up additional amounts of brine if needed until meat is submerged.
- Stir ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Allow to cool.
- Place meat or poultry in a food safe plastic bag inside another container for support and leakage control (oven roasting bags are a fine choice- NOT garbage bags).
- Pour cooled brine into bag, and squeeze out as much air as possible and seal with a twistie tie.
- Refrigerate for 3-4 hours for 3 pounds meat (such as pork ribs), 5-6 hours for a nice roasting hen, or 12-24 hours for a turkey, 12 hours being for a small one and the longer time for those turkeys around 20+ pounds.
- Discard brine before using and pat meat dry.
- If using poultry, you may want to add citrus fruit such as oranges or lemons, additional fresh herbs, or cloves of garlic into the cavity.
- Prepare meat as desired- roast, bbq, etc.
MASTER BRINE RECIPE FOR MEATS
Make and share this Master Brine Recipe for Meats recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Diana Adcock
Categories Lactose Free
Time P2DT15m
Yield 1 recipe
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before using.
- Large heavy duty sealable plastic bags work the best.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 383.6, Fat 1.8, SaturatedFat 0.7, Sodium 56688.4, Carbohydrate 97, Fiber 12.1, Sugar 58.9, Protein 6.4
BASIC BRINE FOR SMOKING MEAT
This is a very basic brine recipe for preparing meats and fish for smoking. Add any personal taste preferences to the brine for additional flavor enhancement. I like to add white wine, soy sauce, and various herbs and spices. Anything that you like will work, so experiment at will.
Provided by Smokin' Ron
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 10m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- In a medium bowl, combine the salt, sugar and water. Whisk vigorously until all the salt and sugar is dissolved. Then pour this mixture over the meat, poultry, or fish that you are preparing. Soak for several hours, or overnight. (Note: Make certain the meat is fully submerged in the brine, and make more brine as needed to fully cover the meat.)
Nutrition Facts : Calories 26.1 calories, Carbohydrate 6.7 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Fat 0 g, Fiber 0 g, Protein 0 g, SaturatedFat 0 g, Sodium 2852.1 mg, Sugar 6.7 g
BRINE FOR A SMALL AMOUNT OF MEAT
I use this to prepare chicken breasts for the BBQ. The brine keeps the meat juicy and tender. This recipe brines approximately 4 chicken breasts.
Provided by raposok
Categories Meat
Time 2m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Dissolve the sugar and salt in the water.
- Brine the meat for approximately 30 minutes.
PORK OR POULTRY BRINE
A perfect brine recipe for large amounts of meat such as pork butt or shoulder, several racks of pork ribs, chicken, or turkey.
Provided by Anthony Henderson
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 1h40m
Yield 20
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Fill a large pot with water to about 3/4-full; add carrots, celery, onions, kosher salt, brown sugar, lemon slices, bell pepper, and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer mixture for 10 minutes.
- Let the brine cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before refrigerating to chill completely, at least 1 hour more.
- Strain brine into a separate food-safe container.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 55.2 calories, Carbohydrate 14.5 g, Fat 0.1 g, Fiber 1.2 g, Protein 0.5 g, Sodium 6853.8 mg, Sugar 11.8 g
PERFECT CHICKEN BRINE
Brining chicken adds tons of flavor and keeps the meat moist. Several years of experimenting with ingredients and method and I finally found the right combination for my perfect chicken brine.
Provided by Kate Leifker
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 2h30m
Yield 20
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Mix water, kosher salt, white sugar, garlic, sage, basil, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a large pot over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar are dissolved completely, about 20 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and cover with a lid. Cool brine at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating to cool completely.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 37.8 calories, Carbohydrate 9.2 g, Fat 0.1 g, Fiber 0.6 g, Protein 0.6 g, Sodium 3422.9 mg, Sugar 6.7 g
SIMPLE CHICKEN BRINE
This simple chicken brine will help make the meat more tender and juicy.
Provided by Jay
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 1h10m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Pour the warm water into a container that is twice the volume of the water. Pour in the salt, sugar, soy sauce, and olive oil. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then allow the brine to cool to room temperature.
- To use, place chicken in the brine, cover, and refrigerate two hours for skinless breasts, 4 hours for bone-in pieces, and 4 hours to overnight for whole chickens. Drain and pat the chicken dry before cooking. One gallon of brine is enough for 6 pounds of whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces, and up to 10 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 182.5 calories, Carbohydrate 24.7 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Fat 9 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 2 g, SaturatedFat 1.2 g, Sodium 13209.3 mg, Sugar 22.7 g
BRINED ONE-HOUR BRISKET (PRESSURE COOKER)
Adapted from a Tasting Table recipe, which was itself adapted from a recipe by Nathan Shapiro of the Ashby Inn in Paris, VA. It makes LOADS of gravy for the amount of meat, so plan for that. I actually use about half as much stock as it calls for, as my pressure skillet won't hold that amount, and it still makes plenty of gravy, which can be used to make beefy soups later.
Provided by zeldaz51
Categories Meat
Time 11h
Yield 4-5 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Combine all brine ingredients EXCEPT ice water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat, add ice water, and let cool.
- Place the brisket in a large bowl or an pour the cooled brine over it. Cover and refrigerate 9 hours or overnight. I like to put a heavy small plate on top of the meat to keep it submerged.
- The next day, discard the brine and dry the brisket well. Brown the meat well on both sides in a small amount of butter in the pressure cooker pan. Remove meat and set aside.
- Melt the remaining butter in the pressure cooker pan. Add the onions and star anise and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have started to caramelize, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until well incorporated in the onion mixture, then add the stock and browned brisket.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker, lock it, and bring up to full pressure. Reduce the heat to low and cook one hour. Remove from heat, release pressure, and set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
- After resting, remove brisket and slice thinly. Keep warm.
- Puree cooking liquid and onions using an immersion blender or food processor. Place puree back in pressure cooker pan and reduce by half on a gentle simmer, about 15 minutes. Thicken reduced jus for gravy using flour or other thickener, if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 583.7, Fat 20.4, SaturatedFat 7.8, Cholesterol 148.2, Sodium 14637.4, Carbohydrate 50.6, Fiber 2.2, Sugar 45.7, Protein 49.3
ALL-PURPOSE MILD BRINE FOR POULTRY AND PORK
This is a simple all-purpose mild brine for chicken, turkey and pork. It is fabulous used when grilling chicken pieces. The meat will never be dry.
Provided by Kirstin in the Couv
Categories Very Low Carbs
Time 5m
Yield 1 quart
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Mix cold water, salt and sugar and stir to dissolve.
- In a non-reactive container, immerse food in brine, seal and refrigerate.
- Use 1 quart of brine per pound of meat, not to exceed 2 gallons.
- Brine for 1 hour per pound (when brining multiple items, time is based on weight of a single item), but not less than 30 minutes or more than 8 hours.
- WILL NOT WORK IF MEAT IS FROZEN.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 97.5, Sodium 28322, Carbohydrate 25.2, Sugar 25.1
BASIC PORK BRINE
I use this brine for all pork cuts that I grill. It adds a subtle flavor to the meat without being too salty. The pork cooks up tender, moist and delicious every time.
Provided by JulieG
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 10m
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Mix water, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in garlic and ginger.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 85.4 calories, Carbohydrate 22 g, Protein 0.1 g, Sodium 1159.8 mg, Sugar 21.4 g
Tips:
- Use the right amount of salt: The amount of salt you use will depend on the weight of the meat and the desired level of saltiness. A general rule of thumb is to use 1 tablespoon of salt per pound of meat.
- Dissolve the salt in water: This will help to evenly distribute the salt throughout the meat. You can use cold or warm water, but warm water will dissolve the salt more quickly.
- Add other seasonings to the brine: In addition to salt, you can also add other seasonings to the brine, such as sugar, herbs, and spices. This will help to flavor the meat and make it more delicious.
- Brine the meat for the right amount of time: The amount of time you brine the meat will depend on the thickness of the meat and the desired level of saltiness. A general rule of thumb is to brine the meat for 1 hour per pound.
- Rinse the meat before cooking: After brining, be sure to rinse the meat thoroughly with cold water to remove any excess salt.
Conclusion:
Brining is a great way to add flavor and moisture to meat. It is a simple process that can be done with a few simple ingredients. By following these tips, you can brine meat like a pro and enjoy delicious, flavorful results every time.
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