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The following is a post from TasteMatch user Aaron Brittingham (@aaron), an Executive Chef here in Bozeman, Montana. It was originally posted as a discussion in the TasteMatch app on August 12, 2023.
I saw some recipes on the app that include a brine, and I feel like it’s concept that could use a bit of a deeper dive. Brining, in my opinion, is the easiest way to drastically improve your smoked, grilled, or roasted meats.
At its core, a brine is a solution of sugar and salt dissolved in water, when you brine something you submerge in the solution. This creates an imbalance of salinity between the water contained in the meat and the brine itself, causing the brine to naturally find its way into your meat due to osmosis. Basically, it mildly seasons your meat and, most importantly, helps keep it juicy despite a hot, dry cooking environment.
My preferred ratio for a basic brine is 1 gallon of water to 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of sugar. I start with a some hot tap water to dissolve the sugar and salt, then top it off with cold tap water. You might put some ice in as well if your tap water is very hot, the brine should be cold before any meat goes in.
| Brine Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Water | 1 Gallon |
| Salt | 1 Cup |
| Sugar | 1 Cup |
I find the sweet spot for brining is 12-24 hours for small cuts like pork chops, 24-48 hours for larger things like a pork butt or whole chicken. Not enough time and the brine won’t do its thing, too much time and the salt will start to essentially cure the meat, reversing the process and starting to draw moisture back out.
So what should you brine? Any meat, especially lean meat, that will be cooked with dry heat for an extended period of time. Any pork or chicken will benefit from a brine, as well as certain cuts of beef. A ribeye doesn’t need a brine, it’s super marbled and is cooked very quickly, but it sure would help some smoked short ribs. Smoked fish and jerky meat greatly benefit from a brine before they spend hours on the smoker.
For the basic, I’d use granulated sugar and kosher salt. But for every brine, there is an opportunity to take it to the next level.
For ribs and pork butt, I like to use brown sugar with a solid extra glop of molasses. I find the richer, more robust flavor compliments the pork nicely, and the extra sugar content helps caramelize the surface of the meat as it slow cooks. Pork Chops? How about some maple sugar/syrup, even replace some of your water with apple juice.
Taste the basic brine, as long as you’re close to that level of sweet and salty, the brine is going to do its thing. Any other flavors are just going to add depth and flavor as your meat brines. For short ribs, why not use soy sauce and/or Worcestershire for salt, and some honey or sweet chili sauce for your sweet?
That’s the basics. You’ll notice I didn’t specify what kind of sugar or salt. For the basic, I’d use granulated sugar and kosher salt. But for every brine, there is an opportunity to take it to the next level.
To summarize, use whatever you want for the sweet and salty elements. Brining is a fun and simple thing to play with and it will drastically improve your meats. Just find some flavor matches and go to town!
We had a couple of questions for Aaron
TM: Would you ever brine and then cook sous-vide, or does the sous-vide infuse flavor in a similar way (assuming it’s a relatively long cook)?
AB: Absolutely, I like to brine then sous vide. I’ve done pork chops with a molasses, brown sugar, and salt brine, then sous vide with bacon fat, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and shallots at 140 for 2 hours. I’ve brined brisket that I’d pull out of the brine, dry rub, smoke for 3 hours, then into the bag as-is and cooked for 48 hours at 156.
I think the biggest issues with using both methods are the time involved, and the risk of over seasoning, especially over salting, if you’re not careful.
I suppose I see the brine as mainly to help with moisture, and then adds the very base, background layer of flavor, vs what goes in the sous vide bag is meant to be more apparent, less subtle flavoring. I don’t know about doing a higher salt/sugar content sous vide to kill 2 birds with one stone, I’ve never tried it.
TM: What are your thoughts on bay leaf and other herbs in a brine?
AB: Definitely for aromatics, herbs, etc. in brine. I feel like I do it mostly with poultry, but that could just be some arbitrary thing that I’ve picked up along the way. A little cinnamon stick and a clove can be nice in pork, especially a classic pork loin roast. It’s another opportunity to play or try things out.
But like I said in the sous vide part, in my opinion the brine is for that first, more subtle base layer of flavor, and aromatics in brine can be a less-is-more situation. There’s plenty of time and opportunities to continue to flavor the food, I’m generally not looking to get every flavor that I want in the end product out of the brine. But it can be immensely helpful and can add some real depth to your dish.
