Brining Questions

[Raine]

We've had this thread before.

Never re-use brines. Boiling reduces the effectiveness of the brine.

Brines usually aren't that expensive, so trying to save a few pennies is not worth making yourself or someone else sick.

[Vesper]

There are safety guidelines for reusing brines which I know from when I had a small business smoking fish and meats and saving a few pennies meant the difference between a profit and a loss. I will give in on this one though as homes rarely meet the strict health guidelines that businesses need to and things that I take for granted and do out of habit are not necessarily the rule elsewhere.

[Raine]

Do you have a link or documentation to support that? We have a large numbers of friends who cook/smoke that brine. A good number also make their living cooking, and none of them have ever endorsed re-using brine.

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00169.asp

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/bastebrine.htm

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...5/FD107260.DTL

[will]

wow... so much info in such a short time... this is why I like this board :)

Just as a note... it didnt turn out like I wanted it too... almost no flavor at all. The meat was not as dry, didnt do anything for flavor. Perhaps it didnt soak long enough (1:30 and 45 min... )

At least it came out done and I can say I did it... it was also the first time cooking chicken for me period. So its a double victory :)

The brine was not that great... I think I added too much rosemary, but thats ok.

Thanks for all the input everyone... Im soaking it all in :)

[Chopstix]

Hi Will!

Alton Brown waxes poetic about brining so I'm surprised at the outcome of your experiment. I pulled out his book "I'm Just Here For The Food" and voila, found your problem. He recommends brining for AT LEAST 8 hours and up to 48!

Here's his recipe that's good for all kinds of poultry and pork, best on pork loin and pork chops:

ORANGE BRINE

1 quart vegetable stock, chilled
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 quart orange juice, chilled
2 quarts ice water

Hardware:

Medium stock pot
2 gallon plastic bucket
Thermometer
Paper towels

Procedure:

In a pot bring 2 cups of the stock, the salt, brown 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 40 degrees F, add the meat in a cool place (to maintain sub-40 temp). Let it brine for at least 8 hours and up to 48. Remove the meat from the brine, pat dry with paper towels, and cook as desired.

Good luck on your next try!