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.

Brine Times

I use the following guidelines for brine times.  These times are for the more concentrated boiled brines.  For the less concentrated cold brines, double the times below.

Meat                            Brine time

Whole turkey              12-24 hours

Turkey breast              4-6 hours

Pork chops                  4 hours

Whole chicken            3-4 hour

Chicken breast            4 hours

Shrimp                         30 minutes

Fish filets                     1/2 hour

BRINING BASICS

If you are going to cook lean meat, you need to brine.  Poultry, pork, ribs, roasts, and shrimp will end up extra moist as the result of brining.  There are two types of brines: wet brines and dry brines.  Brines are simply a salt and water mixture.  The salt solution causes the meat to take on more moisture from the brine.  A dry brine is simply a dry rub.  Dry rubs do not cause the meat to take on more moisture, but they do cause the meat to retain moisture when they are cooked.  Because of this, wet brines are best for really lean meats, whereas dry rubs are best for less lean meats.