Today I propose to talk about brine. No, not the brine with which you improved your health after the New Year’s feast, but the other – the brine in which the products are kept just before they are sent to the pan or oven.
This technique is quite well known in the West, where it is called brining: it is rather difficult to translate it into Russian in one word, because we rarely use this technique. And completely in vain. A short time of keeping chicken or pork in brine makes the meat much more juicy and tender, which, given the popularity of these products in our Palestinians, gives ample scope for creativity in any kitchen.
What?
Keeping food in brine is similar to pickling, but the chemical processes that take place are fundamentally different. By and large, the magic of the pickle is based on three whales (now there will be a small excursion into physics with chemistry, so if someone hates them, it is better to jump down immediately):
First, the diffusion: as you probably remember from school, this term is called the process of mutual penetration of molecules of one substance between the molecules of another, leading to spontaneous equalization of their concentrations throughout the occupied volume – in this case, salt molecules, of which there are much more in the brine, penetrate the cells of an abstract chicken, where there are fewer of these molecules.
Illustration from the site www.patiodaddiobbq.com
Second, the osmos, which is actually a special case of one-sided diffusion, in which solvent molecules penetrate through a semi-permeable membrane towards a higher concentration of solute… In our case, the role of a solvent is played by water, and although the concentration of salt in the brine is much higher than in the cells of the same chicken, the concentration of other solutes in these cells contributes to their additional saturation with water: on average, meat aged in brine weighs 6 -8 percent more than before brine immersion.
Finally, the third whale is denaturation of proteins: under the influence of a saline solution, proteins, which are initially in a coiled state, unwind and form a matrix that holds water molecules inside the cells, preventing moisture from flowing out of a piece of chicken kept in solution during heat treatment.
True, if you overcook the chicken to the state of the sole, no denaturation will save it: the proteins that are linked to each other will shrink, and most of the water they hold will somehow leak out. The denaturation process also occurs when heated – which is why salted foods are cooked faster, because salt has already done part of the work that comes from heat.
How?
First, the diffusion: as you probably remember from school, this term is called the process of mutual penetration of molecules of one substance between the molecules of another, leading to spontaneous equalization of their concentrations throughout the occupied volume – in this case, salt molecules, of which there are much more in the brine, penetrate into the cells of an abstract chicken, where there are fewer of these molecules. The process of mutual penetration of molecules of one substance between the molecules of another, leading to spontaneous equalization of their concentrations throughout the occupied volume
Illustration from the site www.patiodaddiobbq.comSecond, the osmos, which is actually a special case of one-sided diffusion, in which solvent molecules penetrate through a semi-permeable membrane towards a higher concentration of solute… In our case, the role of a solvent is played by water, and although the concentration of salt in the brine is much higher than in the cells of the same chicken, the concentration of other solutes in these cells contributes to their additional saturation with water: on average, meat aged in brine weighs 6 -8 percent more than before immersion in brine. Solvent molecules penetrate through the semi-permeable membrane towards a higher concentration of solute
Finally, the third whale is denaturation of proteins: under the influence of a saline solution, proteins, which are initially in a curled state, unwind and form a matrix that holds water molecules inside the cells, preventing moisture from flowing out of a piece of chicken kept in solution during heat treatment. True, if you overcook the chicken to the state of the sole, no denaturation will save it: the proteins that are linked to each other will shrink, and most of the water they hold will somehow leak out.
The denaturation process also occurs when heated – this is why salted foods are cooked faster, because salt has already done part of the work that accounts for the heat.That’s how we come to the exciting question: how to use brine correctly so that the meat turns out juicy and tender, and not oversalted and overdried? In fact, the simplest brine is made from water and table salt, although sugar can be added to them if desired (it also promotes diffusion, although to a lesser extent than salt) and spices (however, the effect of their use will be not as noticeable as with classic pickling).
Salt is added to cold water, stirred until dissolved, after which the product is completely immersed in it and put into the refrigerator. The universal brine formula is as follows:
1 liter of water + 1/4 tbsp. table salt + 1/2 tbsp. sugar (optional)
If you are pickling a whole chicken, it is better to put it in a tight plastic bag and fill it with brine, which will significantly reduce its amount. And do not forget to wash off the salt that has settled on the surface of the food – in this case, the meat will be juicy, but by no means oversalted. Now, about which foods can and should be tested with brine before cooking. These include:
- white meat – chicken, turkey, lean pork cuts, in a word, everything that needs to be cooked for a long time and is easy to dry out.
- a fish – absolutely any, especially the one that you are going to cook at high temperature (for example, on the grill) or smoke.
- seafood – especially shrimp, and in general everything that is usually grilled.
On the other hand, foods such as beef, lamb, duck, game and so on do not benefit from brine aging. There are several explanations for this.
Firstly, they are usually not cooked to a higher roast than medium, so the internal temperature of the finished beef will be lower than that of the cooked chicken, which means that there will be much less moisture loss during cooking.
Secondly, this meat itself is more fatty, and it will turn out juicy in a completely natural way. Otherwise, the process of cooking meat or fish aged in brine is no different from usual – except that at first it is better to be more careful when you season them during preparation, so as not to miss the salt.
Therefore – go for it, and do not forget to share your impressions.