Best All Purpose Mild Brine For Poultry And Pork Recipes

BASIC ALL PURPOSE BRINE FOR MEATS, CHICKEN, AND TURKEY

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.

PORK OR POULTRY BRINE

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.

ALL-PURPOSE MILD BRINE FOR POULTRY AND PORK

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.

BASIC BRINE FOR SMOKING MEAT

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.)

CLASSIC BRINE FOR POULTRY, SHELLFISH AND PORK

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil and add the salt and sugar and allow both to completely dissolve. If you are going to add herbs or seasonings add them now so the hot water will cause them to release their essence. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place the meat (except for whole birds) into a one-gallon zip-lock bag. Add the cooled brine and press baggie to remove excess air and seal. Place in fridge for recommended time.
• Use 1 quart of brine solution per pound of food, not to exceed 2 gallons of brine. Brine for 1 hour per pound, but not for less than 30 minutes or for more than 8 hours.
• HOW LONG TO BRINE.
• The thickness of the muscle, the strength of the brine.
• and your own taste determine how long to brine an item. For a moderately strong brine (1 cup salt to 1 gallon water), the following brining times are rough guidelines. If you aren't ready to cook at the end of the brining time, remove the meat from the brine, but keep the meat refrigerated.
• Shrimp: 30 minutes.
• Whole chicken (4 pounds): 8 to 12 hours.
• Chicken parts: 1 1/2 hours.
• Cornish game hens: 2 hours.
• Turkey (12 to 14 pounds): 24 hours.
• Pork chops (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch thick): 1 to 2 days.
• Whole pork tenderloin: 12 hours.
• Whole pork loin: 4 hours.

BASIC BRINE FOR JUICY, TENDER CHICKEN OR TURKEY

Steps:

• Mix brine together well with a whisk.
• Place 1 whole chicken (thawed or frozen- you may also use chicken parts.) in brine for 2 hours up to over night. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
• Remove chicken from brine and rinse chicken well. You are now ready to make a tender juicy chicken dish of your choosing.
• NOTES: You can do this with turkey, as well. Also, you will notice that your leftovers, even after refrigerated overnight, are so tender and juicy whether eaten cold or reheated. The moisture retention really helps to make a chicken meal morph into a second meal when it holds its moisture. If doing a whole turkey, use the recipe servings changer to up the servings to 6-10. Put your turkey in an insulated cooler with enough water to cover and add in a 5 pound bag of ice. Brine overnight.

BASIC PORK BRINE

Steps:

• Mix water, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in garlic and ginger.

JAMAICAN JERK BRINE FOR CHICKEN, PORK ....

Steps:

• Dissolve salt and sugar in hot water add remaining ingredients and 2 cups of ice cubes to cool it. Place a 4 pound cleaned and dried chicken in a freezer zip lock bag pour brine over chicken and top with water to cover. Close bag trying to remove as much air as possible. Brine in refrigerator overnight 8-12 hours. If not ready to cook remove from brine rinse well and place back in the refrigerator till ready to cook.
• Proceed with cooking method you desire.
• Roast, Grill, Rotisserie cooking to internal temperature of 175.
• Let rest 10-15 minutes before carving.