help w/ brining

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Big Sexy

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Can you brine in a cooler?
If so; whats the guidelines... keep the temp under XX degrees, change the ice every XX minuts... etc.


I have 3 full chickens and 3 pork loins I need to brine, but really cant fit them into the refrigerator.

Whats the best way to go about this... without buying a new fridge

Thanks.
 
Yes, you can brine in a cooler. Keep it cold with a bag of ice in a zip lock.
 
Big, we brine in a cooler all the time. The temps and changing the water and times to change are not an issue for us. Just my opinion here, so take it for what it is. As long as you have visible ice floating, you should be okay. Don't change the brine solution, just keep adding ice.
 
do you think if I should make blocks of frozen brine, and add that instead of adding ice (so when it melts... it's just more brine)
 
NorthwestBBQ said:
Nope.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree.
Keep it simple.
Will it work? Sure. But that seems like a lot of extra work.

If you are really worried about diluting your brine, consider making it just a tad stronger or going with some zip top bags (or simply leave the bagged ice in the bag). Me, I just let it ride (most coolers will do a decent job of keeping ice overnight).
 
Not that you asked the question - but I only brine chicken in salt/sugar for 3 to 5 hours dependent upon the size. I'll go up to 12 hours on the loins. M2C. Point being that you might be able to do the loins in the fridge and the chicken in the cooler. The loin will be more forgiving if you make the brine a little stronger to allow for the ice melting into the water. I'm sure there is a lot of info on this site, but you may want to check out http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brining.html . It has some pretty good guidelines and information.
 
It might keep things more simple if you brine in a bag and worry about keeping ice for temp. That means if you keep the mix strength in the bag the same, it won't get diluted. Obvious, but may be overlooked. One might not want to mix pork and chicken in the same brine. Different finish temps can cause problems. Good luck and stay safe. Steve.
 
ssbbqguy said:
One might not want to mix pork and chicken in the same brine. Different finish temps can cause problems.
Click to expand...

That is the exact point I was going to make also. Brine in separate containers.
 
1/2 Fill your cooler with water. Add a bag of ice. You do not tneed to take the ice out of the bag. Make your brine solution. Put each chicken and each pork loin in a seperate Ziploc Bag. Add brine to each bag. Seal all bags. Place in cooler. Close cooler and leave it till brining time is done.

Its that simple.

Cheers!

Bill
 
When I brine something big and cumbersome like a turkey, I use a cooler. Simple, fast and easy. I place the turkey in a food grade bag. Place in cooler on a bed of ice then dump ice in around the sides trying to keep turkey centered. Pour brine into bag and tie off, making sure meat is totally immersed. Top with ice.
 
hmm i never thought about using a cooler. but i do know when i go camping i can keep ice for a couple of days as long as you aren't in and out of it all the time and don't leave it in direct heat.

I personally use a 5 gallon bucket. I picked it up at the local grocery store form their bakery department for free. put my brine in and then the meat and go to the garage frig (or as the hubby says beer frig) and remove one shelf and throw it in there. I picked up that for 40 on cl.
 
I would use a ziploc, but I haven't found one large enough to fit the loins.
Here's a pic of the loins I have.

 
Unless you are going to cook the whole loin at once, seems like cutting in halves might be an option. That's what we do and usually make one of different seasonings than the others. I think you could fold that one up into a 2 or 2.5 gallon bag. Zip loc makes big ones or use a unscented trash bag. Steve.
 
When I can make it fit I will brine in a 5gal clean bucket with ice water. Not sure your goan fit all that in a 5gal bucket but worth keeping in mind for a slightly smaller brine! :idea:
 
Just my two cents worth. If you are cheap like me and do not want to buy ice take some old milk jugs fill with water and freeze. This will make you some nice block ice that will last longer than cubes. Several blocks in a cooler should last for a long time with out worrying about your brine getting warm.
 
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