Brining ? What's the minimum amount of salt?

sfbbqguy

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I usually brine all my chicken and most pork loins I've been doing of late. Been lucky enough to find a lot of great brine recipes here and a lot of great brine advice.

However I can't seem to come across a ratio that can give a minimum amount of salt that can be used and still achieve a good osmosis.

Would love to get some feedback on what you believe is the minimum amount of salt a brine can contain and still be effective.
 
I am going out on a limb here but we brined turkeys for the holidays and I think we used a cup per gallon of water.
 
All I've ever read is "until an egg floats" and that was for a trout recipe so I'll be interested in the replies. The trout turned out great.
 
I respectfully disagree with Sledneck. (am I allowed to do that??:wink:)

The most often referenced composition, thus the standard, if you will, is 1 cup salt to 1 gallon water. The additional flavor and aromatic components, i.e. sugar, spices, garlic, syrup, etc. are added to that 1:1 base. It is the salt that works the magic and contributes a negligible amount of sodium to the finished product (if dietary concerns are an issue) if the technique is performed correctly, including rinsing the bird when the brining is complete.

But, if the end result of 1/2, 1/2 to gallon provides what you like, then that is good.
 
1/2 cup salt 1/2 cup sugar one gallon water standard brine

Cooks Illustrated is stronger but alot depends on what kind of salt--and brand! Diamond kosher measures different then Mortons kosher and table salt is different too. Was taught that 'standard' is 1C salt(diamond)/gal of liquid--length of time in brine is crucial for good results. We use an equal amount of sweetner too plus seasonings.
I like brining most lean cuts of meat(pork/chicken/turkey) shrimp are better(imo) after a 1/2hr brine too
 
I should have specified that I typically use Diamond Kosher salt (not that I wouldn't use something else) just so at least i have a base to go from.

I've always used a standard 1 cup salt to 1 gallon water to start and usually would add 1 cup sugar of some kind to that.

So what I'm hearing so far is that it's the salt that does the magic and maybe we shouldn't fuss too much about it and just stick to 1:1 base then add whatever flavors you want from there.

Could you add less salt and brine longer to achieve same results?
 
Thanks 2Fat. Short answers are usually best.

Sounds like you could just stick with 1 cup salt : 1 gallon water and use shorter brine times. I don't see any reason to extend the brine period for no reason by reducing the salt if the end result is the same.

I haven't had a salty food problem just inquiring if the brine would penetrate with less salt. Yes, I'm a little concerned with sodium but still want food to taste good too.
 
Thanks 2Fat. Short answers are usually best.

Sounds like you could just stick with 1 cup salt : 1 gallon water and use shorter brine times. I don't see any reason to extend the brine period for no reason by reducing the salt if the end result is the same.

I haven't had a salty food problem just inquiring if the brine would penetrate with less salt. Yes, I'm a little concerned with sodium but still want food to taste good too.

when you stick 'standard' quantities the times are usually standard too, I know that shrimp are good after about an 1/2 hr, pork chops about an hour or so, chicken parts 4hrs etc--when you change the concentration of the brine of course the soak times will have to change accordingly
good luck
 
I usually brine all my chicken and most pork loins I've been doing of late. Been lucky enough to find a lot of great brine recipes here and a lot of great brine advice.

However I can't seem to come across a ratio that can give a minimum amount of salt that can be used and still achieve a good osmosis.

Would love to get some feedback on what you believe is the minimum amount of salt a brine can contain and still be effective.

There is a broad agreement in the concentration of salt in a brine (brine strength), but the terms I like are "hard cure" which is more of a "preservation brine", and "flavor brine" which is a "soft cure". A flavor brine is a lower concentration than a preservation brine. Most of the time, I'm like you, brining chicken breasts, pork chops etc., so I use a flavor brine.... adding sugar and other seasonings. My crossover ingredient is Tenderquick. It is common in some preservation brines, but I add some in most of my flavor brines. One exception would be my shrimp brine, it gets no Tenderquick.

I weigh all my salt, so even when changing brands or grain size, my solution can stay consistent. A very standard brine is 8 ounces of salt to one gallon of water. I use 6 ounces of salt per gallon of water. Obviously once the concentration of a brine is too low, the osmosis exchange will be affected. I have heard that less than 1/2 cup (which should be 3 to 4 ounces) is not strong enough to do much good.

The other variable is brine time. I like to keep my brine strength consistent, so all I need to do is adjust the brine time based on thickness or type of meat. Shrimp may only need 10 minutes, and whole turkeys might need 48 hours.

For reference, some of the older curing folks keep track of their brine strength by percent as determined by a salinometer, and they may make different batches for different jobs. Here is how those numbers stack up.

3.6 ounces of salt per gallon = a 10% solution
11.2 ounces of salt per gallon = a 30% solution
19.8 ounces of salt per gallon = a 50% solution
 
Interesting subject, I was just wondeering about this Friday night while preparing a pork loin.

Good info here, thanks to all who replied.....
 
Great info! Thanks. Trying to expand my knowledge on this brine/cure stuff. It's funny that you mention TQ because I've given serious consideration to including it in some recent brines but have not. It sits right next to the Kosher on the shelf and every time I mix up a brine I think about throwing some in.

I'm not learned enough to know what effect the TQ will have on the brine so I've never added it? (I'm asking)

I also like the designation of "flavor brine" vs "preservation brine". I would typically call a preservation brine a cure (for lack of knowing any better) and a flavor brine a "brine".
That being said I've never done a wet cure as I usually do a dry cure for stuff like salmon or the few pastrami I've done. If it's been wet it's been a brine rather than a cure. So to this point if I was brining/curing I'd always do a dry cure for preservation and wet for immediate consumption. (Although most of the time when I do a dry cure the product gets consumed pretty quick!)
 
I think if you start to cut the salt down too much, it approaches a marinade more than a brine. I consider the minimum to be 1/2 cup table salt (more like 3/4 kosher) to 1 gallon water. I have done down to 1/4 cup but did not find that amount to be like a brine.

I like the idea of tenderquik for the sake of preserving the color of the meat. Probably less important in chicken than pork.
 
I respectfully disagree with Sledneck. (am I allowed to do that??:wink:)

The most often referenced composition, thus the standard, if you will, is 1 cup salt to 1 gallon water. The additional flavor and aromatic components, i.e. sugar, spices, garlic, syrup, etc. are added to that 1:1 base. It is the salt that works the magic and contributes a negligible amount of sodium to the finished product (if dietary concerns are an issue) if the technique is performed correctly, including rinsing the bird when the brining is complete.

But, if the end result of 1/2, 1/2 to gallon provides what you like, then that is good.

A great read on brining http://www.cookshack.com/brining-101
 
One cup of non-iodized salt per gal of water, usually overnight in the fridge for best results (other than hams etc). Always rinse and pat dry.
 
Great info! Thanks. Trying to expand my knowledge on this brine/cure stuff. It's funny that you mention TQ because I've given serious consideration to including it in some recent brines but have not. It sits right next to the Kosher on the shelf and every time I mix up a brine I think about throwing some in.

I'm not learned enough to know what effect the TQ will have on the brine so I've never added it? (I'm asking)

I also like the designation of "flavor brine" vs "preservation brine". I would typically call a preservation brine a cure (for lack of knowing any better) and a flavor brine a "brine".
That being said I've never done a wet cure as I usually do a dry cure for stuff like salmon or the few pastrami I've done. If it's been wet it's been a brine rather than a cure. So to this point if I was brining/curing I'd always do a dry cure for preservation and wet for immediate consumption. (Although most of the time when I do a dry cure the product gets consumed pretty quick!)


When you add TQ to your brines, you need to reduce the amount of salt because 99% of TQ is the salt carrier, the other 1% is nitrite and nitrate. The effects of using TQ are color, texture change (it tightens up the grain) and flavor.

You can use TQ as a dry cure also, like on chops. These were cured for 48 hours with Buckboard, but TQ'd ones are very similar.

DSC05026C.jpg

Yes, when using a strong brine you are using a wet cure, (also known as a pickle or sweet pickle when they have sugar added) these cures are popular for large batches of meats, and that is why they are so popular in commercial curing. You can also inject the same solution (like into hams or briskets that you are corning) which reduces the cure time, or brine time. This is also popular with the commercial operations. When smoking chickens or turkey breasts I either use a wet brine, or use an injectable brine. For my pastramied turkey breasts I have switched to an injectable brine only.

I really like using dry cures, and use them on salmon, pastrami, belly bacon and all of the Buckboarded loins, butts and chops. Even though they go on dry, they do turn into a syrup, or a slurry as liquid is drawn from the meat and mixes with the cure.

In all reality, most of us like the flavor, color, and texture of flavor brined or lightly cured products, but since we have refrigeration and most of our curing is in smaller batches most of us never need to get into preservation curing. I always use the comparison between a country ham (which has a hard or preservation cure) and a city ham (which is a soft cure).

I think if you start to cut the salt down too much, it approaches a marinade more than a brine. I consider the minimum to be 1/2 cup table salt (more like 3/4 kosher) to 1 gallon water. I have done down to 1/4 cup but did not find that amount to be like a brine.

I like the idea of tenderquik for the sake of preserving the color of the meat. Probably less important in chicken than pork.

I agree on the 1/4 cup to 1 gallon as being too weak for brining. My granny would use 1/4 cup of salt to a gallon of water for a pre soak on things like rabbits or big game meat mainly to get some of the blood out of the meat. She would soak it for about an hour.

In contrast to brines, marinades usually have a vinegar or wine base instead of a water base. But it's common to add things to a brine, like vinegar, citrus juices..... even Italian salad dressing. Once you do this you sort of have a hybrid marinating/brine.
 
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