*What is brining? Why do it?

Brining is soaking meat in a salt heavy solution. Just like humans, most mammals are mostly made up of water. When meat is soaked with brine, the water in the meat will be drawn out into the brine because the moisture inside the meat is greater than the moisture outside due to the salt. This happens until the point the that the brine dries out the meat so much that there's more moisture in the brine. The meat will then start drawing in the brine and until the moisture is equal. This is when the brine mixes all throughout the meat. Simply put, soaking meat in a salt heavy, flavored, and seasoned solution will replace the water in the meat with the solution, something no amount of basting can achieve. This alone is reason enough to brine before cooking, but brining also breaks down proteins which make it harder for the meat to lose moisture by non-liquid means. So brining can evenly season and flavor meat and also makes meat more juicy after cooking. Brining is also the best way to season deep fried turkey or chicken, since basting is not possible and outer seasoning is limited to dry rubs or batter.

*How to brine:

The basic brine is about 1 cup of salt per 1 gallon of water. Many brine recipes will have equal parts sugar or brown sugar and salt. Sugar will help brown and crisp the outside of the meat while cooking. Other than salt and water, any other seasoning can be used in the brine. Some of the water can be substituted with broth, fruit juices, wine, or beer. Coarse herbs, seeds, and fruit can be added. Use whatever seasoning you want the meat to be seasoned with, including just black pepper.

Once you're ingredients are picked out, add them all in a pot with enough water to easily mix and cover the salt and sugar. Boiling is not necessary, just heat until all the salt is dissolved. You can also just boil water in a tea kettle and pour into your ingredients. The brine needs to be cold before adding the meat. You can wait until it's cooled, or just add it to the rest of the cold water and use ice cubes to cool it down faster.

Brining takes 6 to 12 hours. Brining overnight is usually all that's needed. At least double the amount of brine solution as the amount of meat is needed and at least enough to submerge the meat in the container. Three times the amount of brine as the amount of meat and in a spacious container is best. Smaller items such as pork chops can be easily put in plastic containers with lids or even a large plastic zip lock bag if it's strong enough. Chickens or ducks may require a large stock pot with a lid. It's always best to brine in the refrigerator. Use a closeable cooler for brining turkeys and keep the cooler cold and packed with ice. Never brine in the sink or an open container. Although the salt in the brine greatly slows the breeding of bacteria, the brine and the raw meat are contaminated and should be treated as such. Prevent it from spilling or other items in the refrigerator from touching it.

After brining and before cooking, rinse the meat with fresh water and dry. Do not add anymore salt during or before cooking. Also keep in mind that most all meat cooks faster and browns faster after brining. Expect brined meat to cook about 10% faster than unbrined meat.