How to Brine Meat

Grilled meat is delicious but can lose 30 percent of its moisture as it cooks. To replace moisture and add flavor, you can brine the meat before grilling. It takes a bit of planning but will be worthwhile for the taste. Follow the steps below to brine meat.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Meat
• Non-reactive container
• Water
• Kosher salt
• Sugar
• Tongs
• Fridge
• Paper towels
• Barbecue grill

1. Choose the type of meat that you want to brine. Poultry such as chicken, duck, Cornish hens and turkey improve with the brining process.
2. Pick a non-reactive container in which to brine the meat. Some cooks prefer a plastic container and some prefer a resealable bag. You can also use a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap. The meat will need to be submerged completely as it brines, so choose an appropriate sized container.
3. Mix together 1 quart water, 1/2 cup Kosher salt and 1/2 cup sugar to make an all-purpose brine for any type of meat. Mix 1 quart of brine for every pound of meat.
4. Pour the brine mixture into the container and use tongs to submerge meat. Place the container in the fridge to begin the brining process. Times will vary according to the degree of flavor you want to achieve. Minimum time to brine would be two to three hours for chicken pieces and up to 3 days for a whole turkey.
5. Remove the brined meat from mixture and pat dry with paper towels. Grill as you normally would any meat, but reduce cooking time by about one quarter. Because of the added moisture, brined meat takes less time to cook.

Tips & Warnings

• Kosher salt dissolves very quickly and is a very popular type of salt to use when brining meat.
• Brining meat for flavor does not preserve it. Keep the meat cold until cooking.