HOW TO BRINE MEAT & POULTRY
Brining is an easy technique that results in moister meat while also imparting additional flavor. It’s a particularly good idea when working with pork and wild boar, lean game meats, and poultry.
BASIC BRINE DIRECTIONS
1
Mix up a brining solution using 1/2 cup of salt for every 8 cups of water. You’ll need enough to fully submerge the meat or poultry. (You can and should add other ingredients as you like to impart more flavor. See example below.)
2
Bring mixture to a boil and boil for one minute. Allow to cool to at least room temperature.
3
Fully submerge your meat or poultry in the solution in a coverable container. If using a zip top bag, we recommend placing the bag in a bowl in case it leaks.
4
Store the brining food on the lowest shelf in your refrigerator overnight.
5
When ready to cook, remove the food from the brine and rinse off the surface. If using a recipe that does not normally call for brined poultry or meat, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe to account for the salt that has been absorbed by the meat.
BRINE RECIPE EXAMPLE
This is just an example. The important constant is the salt & water ratio, beyond that you can use any combination of whole spices, fresh herbs, and sweeteners you want. We particularly recommend: fresh rosemary, fresh tarragon, fresh sage, and brown sugar.
INGREDIENTS
- MAKES 16 CUPS
- 16 cups of water
- 1 cup Kosher Salt
- ¾ cup Honey
- 24 Bay Leaves
- 1 bunch of Fresh Thyme
- 1 bunch of Fresh Parsley
- 1 head of Garlic, cloves separated & crushed with the skin on
- 4 tbsp Black Peppercorns
DIRECTIONS
1
In a large pot, combine half the water with all the other ingredients.
2
Bring the brine to a boil, and boil for one minute.
3
Add the rest of the water (to dilute and cool the brine). Let the brine cool completely before use.
Comments 5
8 c water – 1 c salt – is way too much salt. i brined my boar racks overnight and they were inedible 🙁
Hi Lisa,
We’re terribly sorry that happened! I’m going to look into the recipe immediately to fix the ratio problem. In addition, I’ve opened a case with our service team about your racks – they’ll be reaching out to make it right.
Matthew
Marx Foods
Anytime you brine, you need to rinse the surface salt off before cooking. It won’t be inedible that way.
That’s a great point Patti. Looks like I left that step out. I’ve updated the post. Thank you!
Matthew
Marx Foods
After you make your brine, you ll fully submerge your bird (or bird pieces!) in the liquid for the recommended amount of time, then remove, pat super, super dry, and cook like normal. You can make a dry brine, too! You simply leave the wet out the water, vinegar, whatever sort of liquid you re using there. Learn more about dry brining chicken here .