Cold and Boiled Brine Recipes

I have listed a few simple cold and boiled brine recipes below.  I will add further recipes at a later date.


COLD BRINE RECIPES

This is a simple brine that does not need to be heated or boiled.  Simply add the ingredients to a large bowl and stir until dissolved.  Place the brine into a sealable container and refrigerate for later use.  Place your poultry in a sealable bag with brine for 6-8 hours before cooking.  After brining rinse the poultry with cold water and pat dry and place in refrigerator prior to cooking.

Simple brine (Brine overnight)

16 cups cold water

3/4 cup salt

3/4 cup sugar 

While you can customize your brine to meet the flavor profile of your meat, I generally do not do this.  I prefer to have a Tupperware container of the simple brine on hand so that brining is painless and quick.  

However, if you wish to customize your brine to your meat you can try some of the following brine recipes.

Pork chop brine (Brine time 4-8 hours)

12 cups hot water

4 cups grapefruit juice

3/4 cup salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

Chicken/turkey brine  (Brine time 4-8 hours)

16 cups hot water

3/4 cup salt

3/4 cup sugar

BOILED BRINE

Boiled brines have a higher salt concentration and therefore need to be boiled in order to dissolve all of the salt.  Generally, you will use about 2 cups of water for each cup of salt.  First, boil the water, then add the salt.  You can also add sugar at this point if you want to include sugar in your brine.  Stir until dissolved.  Once the salt is dissolved you can add any others spices and herbs and continue boiling to absorb some of the spice flavors.  Then let the brine cool to room temperature and cool in the refrigerator.  Once the brine is cool you can add further juices or cut fruit if desired. 

To add extra flavor to your brine consider adding dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, or sage. Other favorite flavors of mine are crushed garlic or rosemary.  You can also consider replacing some of the water with another liquid such as apple juice, apple cider for pork or turkey.  Grapefruit juice also compliments pork chops well.  Many people also add sugar.  Sugar does nothing to break down the proteins in the meat or add moisture, but will act to impart sweetness to the meat.

Simple Boiled Brine Recipe
2 gallons water
2 cups salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 bunch thyme
3 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 bunch parsley stems
2 bay leaves