Soaking after curing.
Soaking after curing.
Some recipes call for curing a product, and afterwards submerging that product in water for a period of time (typically 30 minutes to an hour). Why not simply shorten the cure time? What is the benefit of this technique?
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Chuckwagon
- Veteran
- Posts: 4494
- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
- Location: Rocky Mountains
Hi Story28,
Meat having been brine-cured, needs just a bit of time for "equalization", sometimes called equilibrium. Cured meat, such as hams, are "equalized" in cold water, allowing the same amount of cure to be supplied uniformly throughout the entire product. The water carries away the surplus salt.
While we`re on the subject of brining and brine-curing, figure this one out! In nature, there remains an unexplained phenomenon in brining and it has to do with timing. Not many people are aware that if you cook chicken having been brined three hours, the meat will be drier than if you hadn`t salted it at all (the juices of the bird having simply evaporated in the oven). However, cooking a chicken after brining it six hours, the texture changes completely. Why? After six hours, the exterior salt has pulled so much water to the surface that the balance of the salt concentration has changed. No kidding! Now, to restore equilibrium, the water simply changes directions, flowing back into the meat. But this time the dissolved salt went along for the ride. The water has actually carried salt into the cells. Crazy eh? Essentially, you have brined the chicken using its own juices instead of a bucket of water. Hmmm. Through osmosis, salt and sugar enter the cells causing their proteins to denature or unravel. This interaction results in the formation of a moisture-capturing gelled matrix that keeps liquid from leaking out of the meat as it cooks. Now the question arises, "can spices or flavors be carried into the meat`s cells in the same manner?" The answer is... it depends on whether the spice is water-soluble or fat-soluble. Black pepper, cayenne, chili powder, and paprika are all water-soluble and will flow into the cells. Capsaicin (the "hot" compound in peppers), is soluble only in fat and will not flow into the cells. This also explains the reason water will not cool your mouth down after eating a hot pepper. Capsaicin is not water-soluble and a cold drink just spreads it around. Milk, (with fats) is a much better choice.
Scientists believe that salt and sugar placed into the cells by brining, enable the proteins to stay bonded together longer at temperatures over 140 F., while retaining moisture. Consequently, many chefs and especially BBQ`ers regard brining as a mandatory procedure inside their kitchens whenever preparing fowl. Be aware there are limitations to consider, especially using salt, whenever brining meat, as many traditional barbecue cuts, including brisket, ribs, and pork shoulders, may end up tasting like ham!
Hope this helps.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
Meat having been brine-cured, needs just a bit of time for "equalization", sometimes called equilibrium. Cured meat, such as hams, are "equalized" in cold water, allowing the same amount of cure to be supplied uniformly throughout the entire product. The water carries away the surplus salt.
While we`re on the subject of brining and brine-curing, figure this one out! In nature, there remains an unexplained phenomenon in brining and it has to do with timing. Not many people are aware that if you cook chicken having been brined three hours, the meat will be drier than if you hadn`t salted it at all (the juices of the bird having simply evaporated in the oven). However, cooking a chicken after brining it six hours, the texture changes completely. Why? After six hours, the exterior salt has pulled so much water to the surface that the balance of the salt concentration has changed. No kidding! Now, to restore equilibrium, the water simply changes directions, flowing back into the meat. But this time the dissolved salt went along for the ride. The water has actually carried salt into the cells. Crazy eh? Essentially, you have brined the chicken using its own juices instead of a bucket of water. Hmmm. Through osmosis, salt and sugar enter the cells causing their proteins to denature or unravel. This interaction results in the formation of a moisture-capturing gelled matrix that keeps liquid from leaking out of the meat as it cooks. Now the question arises, "can spices or flavors be carried into the meat`s cells in the same manner?" The answer is... it depends on whether the spice is water-soluble or fat-soluble. Black pepper, cayenne, chili powder, and paprika are all water-soluble and will flow into the cells. Capsaicin (the "hot" compound in peppers), is soluble only in fat and will not flow into the cells. This also explains the reason water will not cool your mouth down after eating a hot pepper. Capsaicin is not water-soluble and a cold drink just spreads it around. Milk, (with fats) is a much better choice.
Scientists believe that salt and sugar placed into the cells by brining, enable the proteins to stay bonded together longer at temperatures over 140 F., while retaining moisture. Consequently, many chefs and especially BBQ`ers regard brining as a mandatory procedure inside their kitchens whenever preparing fowl. Be aware there are limitations to consider, especially using salt, whenever brining meat, as many traditional barbecue cuts, including brisket, ribs, and pork shoulders, may end up tasting like ham!
Hope this helps.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! 
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Chuckwagon
- Veteran
- Posts: 4494
- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
- Location: Rocky Mountains
1st Question: Yup!
2nd Question: Salt enhances various natural flavors in poultry and it denatures proteins, causing the meat to become more tender during cooking. Salinity always plays a role in brining but it does not even make sense to measure it without addressing a defined length of time. In poultry, brining and curing times need to be shorter than beef or pork, for several reasons. Chicken may become too salty very quickly and if it is to be brined more than a couple of hours, the salinometer strength should not be higher than about 25 degrees - a concentration of 6.7%. Rytek Kutas (The Sausagemaker™) suggested using 2 lbs. of salt in 5 gallons of water with 1 lb. of Prague Powder #1 and 1.5 lbs of dextrose. (Remember, sodium nitrite is mixed with a salt carrier, and this amount must also be taken into consideration). With the amount of salt in the Prague Powder (called "Instacure" by his company following his death), the brine produced a salinometer reading of 25 degrees. This is the strength I have used over the years.
In "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages"... by Stan and Adam Marianski, the authors pointed out the fact that many other sources have recommend using 1 lb. of salt to 1 gallon of water. (This is a brine concentration of 10.71%). The strength is a salinometer reading of 40 degrees - too high for brining poultry. Stan and Adam also recommend using a 21 degree (salinometer) solution for poultry.
Do you have to mix 5 gallons of water for just one bird? Of course not. For brining (without curing) use merely 1 gallon of water with ¾ cup of salt for 21 degrees salinometer reading. Add 3 ounces of sugar too.
For a curing solution at 21 degrees salinometer reading, use 1 gallon of water, ½ cup of salt, 3 ounces of Prague Powder #1, and 3 ounces of sugar.
*Note that 3 ounces is equivalent to 85 grams of brown sugar, white sugar, or Prague Powder.
Now, concerning the length of time with this 21 degree solution. A turkey weighing less than 10 lbs. requires 2 days. More than 10 lbs., the turkey requires 3 days. A extraordinarily large bird requires up to five days. On the other end of the scale, a Game Hen only needs two hours in the 21 degree solution to cure. A two-pound chicken needs a full day, while a four-pound chicken requires 2 days in the brine.
Injecting 10% of the birds weight in brine shortens curing time considerably. For instance, a twelve-pound turkey may be cured (using 10% injection) in only a day and a half. Chickens or other birds weighing less than three pounds, don`t need to be injected ("pumped") as simple immersion brining is quite effective.
Be sure to check out the brining tables that our own Siara has included in the tech section of this site. Here is a link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4860
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
2nd Question: Salt enhances various natural flavors in poultry and it denatures proteins, causing the meat to become more tender during cooking. Salinity always plays a role in brining but it does not even make sense to measure it without addressing a defined length of time. In poultry, brining and curing times need to be shorter than beef or pork, for several reasons. Chicken may become too salty very quickly and if it is to be brined more than a couple of hours, the salinometer strength should not be higher than about 25 degrees - a concentration of 6.7%. Rytek Kutas (The Sausagemaker™) suggested using 2 lbs. of salt in 5 gallons of water with 1 lb. of Prague Powder #1 and 1.5 lbs of dextrose. (Remember, sodium nitrite is mixed with a salt carrier, and this amount must also be taken into consideration). With the amount of salt in the Prague Powder (called "Instacure" by his company following his death), the brine produced a salinometer reading of 25 degrees. This is the strength I have used over the years.
In "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages"... by Stan and Adam Marianski, the authors pointed out the fact that many other sources have recommend using 1 lb. of salt to 1 gallon of water. (This is a brine concentration of 10.71%). The strength is a salinometer reading of 40 degrees - too high for brining poultry. Stan and Adam also recommend using a 21 degree (salinometer) solution for poultry.
Do you have to mix 5 gallons of water for just one bird? Of course not. For brining (without curing) use merely 1 gallon of water with ¾ cup of salt for 21 degrees salinometer reading. Add 3 ounces of sugar too.
For a curing solution at 21 degrees salinometer reading, use 1 gallon of water, ½ cup of salt, 3 ounces of Prague Powder #1, and 3 ounces of sugar.
*Note that 3 ounces is equivalent to 85 grams of brown sugar, white sugar, or Prague Powder.
Now, concerning the length of time with this 21 degree solution. A turkey weighing less than 10 lbs. requires 2 days. More than 10 lbs., the turkey requires 3 days. A extraordinarily large bird requires up to five days. On the other end of the scale, a Game Hen only needs two hours in the 21 degree solution to cure. A two-pound chicken needs a full day, while a four-pound chicken requires 2 days in the brine.
Injecting 10% of the birds weight in brine shortens curing time considerably. For instance, a twelve-pound turkey may be cured (using 10% injection) in only a day and a half. Chickens or other birds weighing less than three pounds, don`t need to be injected ("pumped") as simple immersion brining is quite effective.
Be sure to check out the brining tables that our own Siara has included in the tech section of this site. Here is a link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4860
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill!
