Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
To Brine or not to Brine
I'm about to let out a Chef's secret...THEY BRINE!
Brining was originally created as a way to preserve meat. Somewhere along the line it became a way to infuse flavor in meat and poultry. I brine EVERYTHING! Well, maybe not fish, but outside of that...I BRINE!
Brining helps add so much flavor and moisture to meats that it's a sin to not brine! Don't be afraid to brine if you've never tried it in the past. The seasonings that you add to the brine with will become completely infused with the meat. Let me not even get started on how moist the meat will remain!
Have you ever wondered why meat and poultry often will taste completely different at a restaurant? Even after the chef has told you which spices to use AND YOU TRIED IT AT HOME TO PERFECTION, it just didn't seem to taste the same!! He didn't tell you that he brined the main item! Sometimes you can brine for a few hours and sometimes for a few days. You only need to be careful on which spices and or meat demands less time than others. However, for a basic brine, 1 hour should be a minimun brine time! I will add that the actual soak time depends on the type and cut of meat and also the size of the meat. I go by the "inch method" which is what I was taught to do. If your cut of meat is an inch, brine for an hour. If it's two inches, brine for two hours. Anything larger than three inches I would recommend just doing it overnight.
If you over brine poultry, you will be completely turned off! More brine time does not equate to a better flavor all of the time!
Brining gives us home chefs and seasoned chefs a bit of "accident" room! If we overcook that piece of meat, chances are that the meat will still be quite moist on the inside. Brining has become my new "SECRET" in my kitchen! It's like you can't mess it up and your family and friends will rave about how good it actually tasted! You can easily take an item like chicken or even a less desirable cut of meat and brine it to be the star of the dinner!
The process, in its' technical terms may be difficult, but the every day cook can easily accomplish the perfect brine without understanding the diffusion and osmosis that occurs during the actual brine time. It will definitely make a home cooked meal more satisfying to whomever is eating!
In my basic brine I tend to use sugar, salt, garlic, peppercorns and always some red wine vinegar. I'll add certain herbs to that mix, but it depends on what I am brining and also the side dishes that I am creating. I ALWAYS heat the mixture first and then cool it down with some ice. I want all of the possible and potential flavors to come out.
You don't want to brine items that you are not familiar with cooking. Start with things that you enjoy eating and are familiar with. Doing that makes dinner quite interesting. I promise you that folks are going to comment on that "different" flavor to your meal! From that point, just start playing with different ingredients and flavors. Watch how easy it becomes! Honestly, brining is really no more work than making a marinade. One big difference is brining breaks down the protein to allow more water and spices to be absorbed into the meat. A marinade does not, although a marinade adds a concentrated type of flavor to the meat.
Try it...you know you want to! Go for it and let me know what you think. I am adding a few of my brines for you to try!
Enjoy!
Chef Marty's Pork Brine
2 quarts of water
1 quart of sweet tea
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of salt
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 rosemary sprigs
Boil all of the ingredientsandallowit to completely cool down. Placeyour pork chops in the completely cooled brine overnight.
I prefer to grill them, but you canalso sear and/or bake them.
Chef Marty's Poultry Brine
1 gallon of water
1 cup salt
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons black pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup celery
1 cup maple syrup
Heat the mixture up until all ingredients have dissolved and allow it to completely cool down. Allow the poultry to rest in the brine for at least 6 hours or overnight. Baking the poultry with the skin on will produce a wonderful skin on it!
HAVE FUN!!!
Brining was originally created as a way to preserve meat. Somewhere along the line it became a way to infuse flavor in meat and poultry. I brine EVERYTHING! Well, maybe not fish, but outside of that...I BRINE!
Brining helps add so much flavor and moisture to meats that it's a sin to not brine! Don't be afraid to brine if you've never tried it in the past. The seasonings that you add to the brine with will become completely infused with the meat. Let me not even get started on how moist the meat will remain!
Have you ever wondered why meat and poultry often will taste completely different at a restaurant? Even after the chef has told you which spices to use AND YOU TRIED IT AT HOME TO PERFECTION, it just didn't seem to taste the same!! He didn't tell you that he brined the main item! Sometimes you can brine for a few hours and sometimes for a few days. You only need to be careful on which spices and or meat demands less time than others. However, for a basic brine, 1 hour should be a minimun brine time! I will add that the actual soak time depends on the type and cut of meat and also the size of the meat. I go by the "inch method" which is what I was taught to do. If your cut of meat is an inch, brine for an hour. If it's two inches, brine for two hours. Anything larger than three inches I would recommend just doing it overnight.
If you over brine poultry, you will be completely turned off! More brine time does not equate to a better flavor all of the time!
Brining gives us home chefs and seasoned chefs a bit of "accident" room! If we overcook that piece of meat, chances are that the meat will still be quite moist on the inside. Brining has become my new "SECRET" in my kitchen! It's like you can't mess it up and your family and friends will rave about how good it actually tasted! You can easily take an item like chicken or even a less desirable cut of meat and brine it to be the star of the dinner!
The process, in its' technical terms may be difficult, but the every day cook can easily accomplish the perfect brine without understanding the diffusion and osmosis that occurs during the actual brine time. It will definitely make a home cooked meal more satisfying to whomever is eating!
In my basic brine I tend to use sugar, salt, garlic, peppercorns and always some red wine vinegar. I'll add certain herbs to that mix, but it depends on what I am brining and also the side dishes that I am creating. I ALWAYS heat the mixture first and then cool it down with some ice. I want all of the possible and potential flavors to come out.
You don't want to brine items that you are not familiar with cooking. Start with things that you enjoy eating and are familiar with. Doing that makes dinner quite interesting. I promise you that folks are going to comment on that "different" flavor to your meal! From that point, just start playing with different ingredients and flavors. Watch how easy it becomes! Honestly, brining is really no more work than making a marinade. One big difference is brining breaks down the protein to allow more water and spices to be absorbed into the meat. A marinade does not, although a marinade adds a concentrated type of flavor to the meat.
Try it...you know you want to! Go for it and let me know what you think. I am adding a few of my brines for you to try!
Enjoy!
Chef Marty's Pork Brine
2 quarts of water
1 quart of sweet tea
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of salt
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 rosemary sprigs
Boil all of the ingredientsandallowit to completely cool down. Placeyour pork chops in the completely cooled brine overnight.
I prefer to grill them, but you canalso sear and/or bake them.
Chef Marty's Poultry Brine
1 gallon of water
1 cup salt
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons black pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup celery
1 cup maple syrup
Heat the mixture up until all ingredients have dissolved and allow it to completely cool down. Allow the poultry to rest in the brine for at least 6 hours or overnight. Baking the poultry with the skin on will produce a wonderful skin on it!
HAVE FUN!!!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)