# Purpose of putting chicken in a brine ?



## Barb L. (Aug 25, 2006)

So many recipes for frying chicken, say to put it in a brine ,I have never done this - alot of ppl soak in buttermilk (which I never buy) and do not care for egg wash on chicken.   Could you use just the egg white ?Love my fried chicken !!!


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## Chopstix (Aug 25, 2006)

Brining meats (for at least 8 hours) before cooking them in whatever way makes them unbelievably moist.  It makes the meat more forgiving too in case you overcook them.  I do this for chicken breasts and pork chops.  They always turn out so good


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## Barb L. (Aug 25, 2006)

What do you brine in ? Thanks for the info.


			
				Chopstix said:
			
		

> Brining meats (for at least 8 hours) before cooking them in whatever way makes them unbelievably moist.  It makes the meat more forgiving too in case you overcook them.  I do this for chicken breasts and pork chops.  They always turn out so good


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## Gretchen (Aug 25, 2006)

Just for clarification you can brine poultry, pork and shrimp--NOT beef (as in "steak" referenced above).  Brining red meat is not done--for tenderness as we are talking about here.
I dislike brining poultry and I know I am in the huge minority, but I think it makes the meat mushy.  And I will put my moist unbrined thanksgiving turkey up against ANY!!
As for brining chicken for frying, I prefer to marinate in buttermilk for a couple of hours (no longer--again, mushy) and then batter and fry.


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## GB (Aug 25, 2006)

Soaking in buttermilk is not the same as brining. To be a brine it needs to be water and salt at the minimum. Well actually you don't even need the water, and liquid would do, but salt is essential. The salt water (or liquid) is soaked into the meat thus making it juicier and more flavorful.

I agree with Gretchen that brining *can* make meat mushy, but *only* if you brine for too long. I find 2 hours plenty for my boneless skinless chicken breasts. I am a huge fan of brining. I think it greatly improves the taste, texture, and juiciness of certain meats.

Do a search here on Brining and you will find a ton more info.


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## lulu (Aug 25, 2006)

This is very interesting.  I have used butter milk, I most often leave chicken breast in natural yogurt to soften, and then heavily spice rub then to grill.  I also often leave them in cheap sherry.


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## GB (Aug 25, 2006)

lulu said:
			
		

> This is very interesting.  I have used butter milk, I most often leave chicken breast in natural yogurt to soften, and then heavily spice rub then to grill.  I also often leave them in cheap sherry.


Most of those would generally be considered marinades, not brines.


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## lulu (Aug 25, 2006)

Yes, I can see that.  Its just that it is the experience closest to brining I have and I am trying, in my slow way, to relate to a new method!  I am presuming than brining leaves no taste but a succelent meat, by way of osmosis?


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## GB (Aug 25, 2006)

Osmosis is exactly right. It does leave a taste though since you are using salt. Also you can add other ingredients to further flavor the meat. Herbs are a great thing to add. Also things like sugar, peppercorns, seasonings, soy sauce, and things like that will contribute to adding flavor.


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## Sephora (Aug 25, 2006)

Barb L said:
			
		

> What do you brine in ? Thanks for the info.


I brine in course salt, warm water to start with because it will delute the salt, and chicken stalk.  It's my SIL's recipe and it's worked for me with turkey.  Haven't done a chicken yet as cooking a whole chicken is somewhat of a waste with just two people at our house.


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## GB (Aug 25, 2006)

I hope you are not putting the meat in that warm water Sephora. That can be very dangerous. If you need to use warm water to disolve the salt then make sure to cool the water down below 40 degrees before you put the meat in.


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## Andy M. (Aug 25, 2006)

You don't need egg at all for fried chicken.  If you marinate it in buttermilk, then jut pat it dry and dredge it in well seasoned flour and fry.  For extra crispy, dip the dredged chicken in buttermilk and back to the flour a second time then fry.


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## Sephora (Aug 25, 2006)

GB said:
			
		

> I hope you are not putting the meat in that warm water Sephora. That can be very dangerous. If you need to use warm water to disolve the salt then make sure to cool the water down below 40 degrees before you put the meat in.


I've always (all of three times) used warm water and a frozen turkey.  That's just how my SIL taught me to do it.  I guess the temp of the frozen turkey immediately drops the water temp because it's usually cold.


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## GB (Aug 25, 2006)

As long as the temp drops down below 40 degrees then you are ok, but if it doesn't then you are playing with fire. Just be careful. I would hate to see you get sick!


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## Sephora (Aug 25, 2006)

How do I know the water is cold enough?  I know that my water out of my tap is definitely not that cold except maybe in the dead of winter during an ice storm.  Do you normally ad a bag of ice.  Personally I have a cast iron stomach, it takes a lot for me to get sick, my mom was the queen of the last day to buy discount meat, but I would hate for my guests to get sick.  I actually already know it's my year to do Thanksgiving so I would like to try this on a chicken this weekend.

Another question.  Can you brine a chicken that you are going to use to make beer can chicken?


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## Andy M. (Aug 25, 2006)

To insure 40F temps for brining a turkey or chicken, you make the brine, cool it and put the bird and the brine in the fridge.

When I make a gallon of brine, I start with a half gallon of water and add all the salt and sugar, all the seasonings and bring it to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar and to extract some flavor from the herbs and spices.

Then I add a half gallon of ice cubes and stir to dissolve the ice and mix the whole mess.  The temp is good and it can all go into the fridge.  A half gallon if ice cubes weighs about 4.2 pounds.

You can and should brine a beer can chicken.


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## jennyema (Aug 25, 2006)

Sephora said:
			
		

> How do I know the water is cold enough?


 
Yet another use for a kitchen thermometer that goes from 0 to 500.

Brine in the fridge.  If your turkey for Tgiving is too large, brine it in a cooler lined with a plastic bag in the basement or outside.  Also, you can put blue ice packs sealed in ziplock bags into the brine to make sure it stays below 40.


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## CookSource (Aug 25, 2006)

This is a good thred, lots of stuff I didnt know thanks


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## Sephora (Aug 25, 2006)

We do the turkey in a round cooler in the shed when we do it in November at least here.  My fridge wouldn't even hold a chicken it's so small and over filled.  We've always brined and defrosted at the same time so chilling wasn't ever an issue I guess.  I'm definitely learning things here.


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## VeraBlue (Aug 25, 2006)

If you love your method, why change it?   

Personally, I always soak chicken overnight in a buttermilk bath with assorted seasonings.   I believe it makes the flesh softer.  Conversely, I always soak my thanksgiving turkey in apple cider, kosher salt and other seasonings 2 days before thanksgiving, too.


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## Chopstix (Aug 25, 2006)

Barb L said:
			
		

> What do you brine in ? Thanks for the info.


 
Hi barb,

This is what I do (for pork & chicken):

1 Qt vegetable stock, chilled
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 C dark brown sugar
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 Qt orange juice, chilled
2 Qt of ice and some water (total volume of 2 Qt)

In a pot bring 2 C of the stock, salt, sugar, peppercorns and bay leaves just to a boil.  Stir to dissolve sugar and salt.  Add remaining stock, orange juice, and 2 quarts ice water, and pour into a 2-gallon bucket.  When mixture has cooled to below 40F, add the meat and place bucket in a cool place.  Let brine for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours.  (You can freeze in portions with the brine at this point. Use ziplock bags.)  

Remove meat from the brine, pat dry with paper towels (don't rinse!), and cook as desired.


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## jennyema (Aug 25, 2006)

Chopstix said:
			
		

> Let brine for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours. (You can freeze in portions with the brine at this point. Use ziplock bags.)


 
Most brine "recipes" use a lot more salt than that and brine for waaaay less time.

The usual ratio is a cup of kosher salt to a gallon of water. Sometimes even more salt is used to speed up brining time. But using less salt doesn't work. 

Brining chicken for 48 hours will ruin it. In a normal strength brine, chicken pieces take 1-3 hours.

And it's fine to rinse the meat. In fact you should if there is lots of sugar in the brine and you are going to grill it.

All About Brining


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## FryBoy (Aug 25, 2006)

*Try this recipe and all your questions will be answered:*

*4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)*
*¼ cup coarse kosher salt*
*¼ cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar*
*12 whole black peppercorns*
*1 fresh red chili pepper, thinly sliced (jalapeño, not bell pepper)*
*2 whole bay leaves*
*1 cup hot water*
*3 cups cold water*
*1 lemon, thinly sliced, slices cut in half*
*1 small onion, thinly sliced, slices cut in half*
*2 cloves of garlic, peeled, then crushed with the side of a cleaver*

*1. Place the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, sliced chili pepper, and bay leaves in a large, non-reactive bowl, preferably one with a lid.*

*2. Add the hot water and whisk until the salt and brown sugar dissolve.*

*3. Add the cold water, the lemon slices, onion slices, and crushed garlic.*

*4. Cool brine to room temperature, then add chicken.*

*5. Cover the dish with lid or plastic wrap*

*6. Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning the chicken once or twice.*

*7. Grill chicken over high heat, 4 to 6 minutes per side.*​


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## Chopstix (Aug 25, 2006)

jennyema said:
			
		

> Most brine "recipes" use a lot more salt than that and brine for waaaay less time.
> 
> The usual ratio is a cup of kosher salt to a gallon of water. Sometimes even more salt is used to speed up brining time. But using less salt doesn't work.
> 
> ...


 
Hi Jennyema!

I'm no expert myself.  The brine recipe (and advice) I posted is from my idol Alton Brown's book, 'I'm just here for the Food'.  It always works very well for me, so far


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## jennyema (Aug 25, 2006)

Chopstix said:
			
		

> Hi Jennyema!
> 
> I'm no expert myself. The brine recipe (and advice) I posted is from my idol Alton Brown's book, 'I'm just here for the Food'. It always works very well for me, so far


 
I thought it looked familiar -- with the orange juice. 

Anyway, I have the book here and he uses 1 1/2 cup of kosher salt for 2 gallons of liquid, which is more than yours but less than what most recipes call for.

He also says to brine a 16-18 pound turkey for 6-8 hours. 

I can't imagine a recipe calling for brining anything for 48 hours, unless you are making corned beef.

*Edited to add ...*

I was reading the book in bed and found the exact recipe that you are referring to on page 185, exactly as you state it.  So *apologies* for confusing it with the turkey brine, though it is almost identical.

I love Alton, but he is all over the map on this.

On the next page is a pork brine recipe that calls for 1 1/2 cup salt for only 2 quarts of water.  Says that a half an hour will season it, then later says pork should brine for 6-12 hours.

Next is a shrimp brine recipe that uses 1/4 cup salt and a pound of ice, which, I believe, is just a pint.

Most recipes use more than 1/2 cup of salt for a gallon of water.  It's the salt that makes the brine work, chemically.


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## Barb L. (Aug 26, 2006)

Chopstix said:
			
		

> Hi barb,
> 
> This is what I do (for pork & chicken):
> 
> ...


   Thanks for all your help !   Barb


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## Chopstix (Aug 26, 2006)

jennyema said:
			
		

> I was reading the book in bed and found the exact recipe that you are referring to on page 185, exactly as you state it. So *apologies* for confusing it with the turkey brine, though it is almost identical.


 
No problem Jenny! Thank you for clarifying it. And you're absolutely right, AB is all over the place on this one!  Hope you didn't have to get out of bed!  Sleep tight!


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## Sephora (Aug 26, 2006)

Chopstix said:
			
		

> No problem Jenny! Thank you for clarifying it. And you're absolutely right, AB is all over the place on this one! Hope you didn't have to get out of bed! Sleep tight!


Alton does love to brine.  Just a search of Brine on foodtv.com and he's there a half dozen times with different ideas.  I'm thinking of trying his brine with honey this year.  Anyone tried that yet?  It's for turkey.


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