What do you place your meat in for brining?
 

This isn't a topic about how to brine, or what brine to use but a topic of what do you put your meat in when you brine? And what not to place your meat in when you brine?

Before I used an aluminum bucket that would be use to hold champagne or beer on ice. Would this be ok to us for future brines?

I wouldn't use aluminium. For me stainless steel or appropriate plastic is better. You could place a big plastic bag in your aluminium bucket.
John

thought someone might say this. what about placing it in a garbage bag into the aluminum bucket?

BTW, the bucket doesn't say it is aluminum I am just assuming since it was 10 bucks at Target.

I have always heard to not use metal containers and I have just gone with that. I can't argue for or against it. I just trusted those that were saying it. Personally, If I am doing a big batch, I have a large 4 gallon plastic container with a lid I picked up from Restaurant Depot. I have also seen suitable things at Sam's. Some people will just use coolers that have been well cleaned and bleached. I have also seen people use smaller things like bus tubs or just large leftover storage containers.

I use a standard 5-gallon bucket. Or a small igloo cooler. Seems that a plastic bag inside of the bucket you currently use would work just fine.

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My cooks are mostly small enough that I just use zip lock bags, for the bigger stuff such as whole chickens I use a small ice chest(plastic).

I use my Igloo cooler, washed well before and after. I add the meat, pour in brine and fill with ice. Still plent of ice 24 hours later.

I use and have several different gallon size Food Grade buckets with lids.

When doing turkeys I use a 5 gallon bucket...put in my brine...bag of ice and the turkeys...in November it can properly sit overnight here in KY without any issue...

BTW: make sure you use food grade type containers/bags...a trash bag is not food grade most likely...

I use a ZIP bag for small stuff like chicken if I have allot or something big it's the Igloo cooler. If you have a spare fridge with room a Homer bucket is a good choice.

I use a stainless bigggg stainless steel bowl or a turkey bag (plastic).

Anything the meat will fit in.... Eventually i want to get various sizes of cambro food storage containers.


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^Cambro FTW.. I have a 2 gallon one. If I need to, I bust out food grade buckets from the homebrew collection..

^^ cambro containers are the best

Rubbermaid plastic bins.

Don't use aluminum at all. I just stay away from metals on a whole. I have no trust in plastic bags either. If your meat has an exposed bone, it's bound to puncture it. I also find with that so much liquid in the bags even the toughest zip locks leak at the seams after a bit of handling and what not.

Cheers

I have white plastic 2 and 3 gallon buckets I got from the bakery and deli departments of the market. Things like frosting and potato salad come in them and they give you the lids too. I also have a stainless steel room service champagne bucket with a bail... I believe it's a Holiday Inn brand :mrgreen:, but I bought it at a garage sale.

If you want a metal bucket for their heat transfer properties, it's easy to tell if something is aluminum, so don't buy that. Coated steel will work, but stainless is better. Take a refrigerator magnet to the store with you as stainless is non-magnetic. If you have a farm store, try them... a lot of milk buckets and feed buckets are stainless.

I did see an ad in last months Bullsheet for this brining bucket. I like the locking insert which keeps your things submerged. It comes with a lid too. Very clever design.

I will also use a 12qt or 8qt stainless stock pot.

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For big birds or batches I use a five gallon plastic pail lined with the turkey size Reynolds oven bag. I know the bag is food safe and they seem to be pretty tough. The turkey size is a perfect fit for a five gallon pail.

Four eight pound chickens and two gallons of brine are pretty close to five gallons.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-i...83%2529-PP.jpg

I dont do a lot of brining...but when I do I use 2.5 gallon ziplock bags. They are big enough for a full size turkey
at least the size I get...I never have seen anything over 20 pounds

I go to the bakery at the grocery store and ask for a bucket that had icing in it. They usually have some smaller buckets that had colored icing in it (2 or 3 gallon) that I use for smaller things or 5 gallon that I use for larger things. You know the buckets are food safe and all you have to do is clean them out and htey are ready to go.

For last years turkey at Thanksgiving, I used a 5 gallon bucket, however ziplock makes HUGE bags.. They are called Ziplock big bags lol. I used the 10 gallon size. I don't remember how much they were, not much. I put the turkey and brine in the bag and then set it in the bucket. Set the bucket inside of a cooler and filled it full of ice. I put the bag in a bucket in a cooler just in case it leaked. For chickens etc, we have a big stainless cooking pot. Just wanted to throw the big bag out there in case you had never seen them for a liner....

^^ Several good points mentioned. I wouldn't use any metal or garbage bags. In a pinch the cooler thing works. We use the rubber maids or food grade 5 gall buckets depending

My wife works in a commercial kitchen and she got me this one that hard boiled eggs came in....2gallons it is and most everything I want to brine has fit in it....it was free, too!!


[IMG]http://i1265.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8ed629cc.jpg[/IMG]

I have 3 and 5 gallon Cambro food buckets with lids. Also, 5 gal pickle or other food buckets would work. Non-reactive is the key - and that usually means stainless, plastic, or glass. Haven't seen many glass buckets!! :mrgreen: The flat/rectangular food service totes with lids would be great, too. Used to use them at the restaurant.

If its small like a whole chicken, I like to use an empty 3 lb plastic coffee can. It holds a chicken just fine.

Igloo beverage cooler.
http://cloudfront.zorotools.com/prod...5DDC0_AS01.JPG

Another fan of ice chest. Gotta have a good lid on it to keep them nosey dogs out.

I use the Igloo round orange cooler but you can also use a canning pot, the large multicolor gray pot. It's coated in glass but they call it enamel. It's powdered glass melted onto the metal.

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Small pieces of meat, a glass or plastic container.
Larger pieces, a stainless steel pot. I have a 5 gallon pot that a 20+ pound turkey fits in.

Yup!

Gallon size zip lock bags for whole chickens.

Depending on the size or amount of meat I'll use:
1) One gallon or two gallon ziplock freezer bags.
2) Five gallon plastic bucket.
3) Ice chest cooler.

plastic bag. My favorite is the Hefty 2.5 gallon bags. I can only find them at BJ's. They can fit butts and briskets no prob. I've never needed a bucket but would use a home depot 5 gal bucket if necessary. Some guy came around at a comp with a special brining bucket that he invented that had a screw down lid to keep meats submerged. It was like $20. I threw the card away. HD bucket wins if I need it.

Anytime using salt or an acid based solution, you should always use a NON_REACTIVE container. This would include Aluminum and cast iron.

Stainless, Glass, and Food Safe Plastic are fine.

I use Stainless Steam Table Pans Full or Half with a food liner for small cooks, or meat lugs with liners for larger cooks. The food safe liners make clean-up a breeze. They stack easy and can be stored easy as well.

Half Size panshttp://www.therdstore.com/mm5/graphi...1/SPJL-206.jpg

Pan Linershttp://www.webstaurantstore.com/1-2-...ner-200-cs.jpg

Meat Lugs http://www.sausagemaker.com/ProductImages/31307th.jpgand Linershttp://www.sausagemaker.com/images/p...b/31321_th.jpg

I finally broke down and purchased a true turkey briner last year. Great design with a locking plate that keeps your meat down low in the brine.

I use gallon zip locks, but thats because I don't have much else that'd fit in the fridge. But we are replacing the fridge and the old one becomes MY fridge. So I plan on using food grade 5 gallon buckets, and maybe a smaller one.

Has anyone tried this one? I always see it in the Bullsheet, looks like a good design. Wondering how the quality of it is.

Plastic buckets.... an old pickle bucket.... and I don't know how many times I've used it, brined, washed and sat back on the shelf. When I take the lid off of it and sniff, it still smells like pickles!!!

RMR

I have personally seen The Briner and had it in my hands. It is a quality product. The best feature of the design is the lid that holds the meat well under the surface of the brine with out using any type of weight. I plan on purchasing one soon. I know Tom Bera from Philly Blind Pig uses one and is pleased with it.

I was at Firehouse subs for the first time the other day and saw they sell 5 gallon pickle buckets for $2.

The biggest difference between the coolers and a food-safe bucket is if your storage space is small. Most people need a cooler more often they need a bucket that has to be reserved for food use only. I get pickle buckets for free, but someone always seems to grab them for some other use. Also, the dogs love to steal the bucket lids if they are not stored high.

5 gallon igloo drink cooler.

Brute.