Brine Time Guide (2024)

FAQs

How long are you supposed to brine? ›

Brining Times: Pork chops, chicken breasts, or meats about one inch thick: 45 minutes to 4 hours. Fish: Its structure is delicate so brine no more than 1 1/2 hours. Whole chicken and Cornish hens: 4 to 8 hours, depending on size.

As a general rule of thumb, brine meat for about one hour per pound. You can go longer, but keep in mind that it's definitely possible to over-brine your meat. Most over-brining simply makes everything a little too salty, and you can soak the meat in cold water to draw out the excess salt.

Give It Time

The worst thing you can possibly do is try to rush a dry-brining project. If you try to cook a steak that you've salted before the moisture on the surface has dried, you're going to end up steaming the surface of the meat initially, preventing good browning from happening.

Think of brining as insurance. A bird that has been wet-brined for just 12 hours will stay juicy even if you overshoot the cooking time a little. It's one less thing to worry about.

For all-purpose brine, a good rule of thumb is: ¼ cup of kosher salt and ¼ cup of sugar for every quart of water. You can also add aromatics or other flavorings to intensify the seasoning, like whole peppercorns, garlic cloves, dried herbs, whole spices, citrus or other fruit, mirepoix or fruit juices.

Brining meat should happen at least 12 hours in advance of when you want to cook the meat and can be done with water, salt, and sugar or a dry brine using a variety of herbs and spices.

Smaller cuts like pork chops and chicken breasts can be brined for as little as 30 minutes to an hour, while a turkey really needs at least 12 hours. Remove the meat from the brine, pat it dry, and continue with your recipe. Brining makes the biggest difference for dry heat preparations like roasting and grilling.

Some recipes call for rinsing meat after brining, while others skip this step. Do whatever the recipe calls for. Rinsing is common in recipes with a very high salt concentration or that contain sugar, since sugar can burn on the surface of meat during cooking.

How long to brine your chicken depends on what kind of chicken you're using. For skinless breasts, brine for two hours. For bone-in pieces, brine for four hours. For whole chickens, brine for at least four hours or up to overnight.

We've tried both methods, and although a dry brine is better than no brine, I would go with a wet brine every single time! You can also brine a whole chicken for amazing flavor.

What is the best salt for brining? ›

Morton Coarse Kosher Salt is perfect for brining because the flat, flaky crystals dissolve extremely well in water and create a crystal clear brine.

Tip: You can speed up the cooling process by adding ice cubes or the rest of your liquid (chilled) to the boiled brine. Step 3: Add cooled, seasoned brine to the remaining liquid you measured out.

Place the fish in the brine in a nonreactive dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If you will be using a smoker, leave in the refrigerator for 6 to 10 hours. Remove fish from the brine, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.

We prefer the flavor of natural chops and find that 30 minutes in a strong brine makes them plenty juicy.

Pull it from the fridge about an hour ahead of when you cook in order to allow the meat to come to temperature. Now you're ready to cook. Important note: if you dry brine, you do not need to salt your steak again before cooking.

Do you rinse meat after brining? You really don't have to. If the brine has spices and herbs floating around in it, try to scrape any of that stuff that may have stuck to the meat off before cooking. Other than that, just dry it off before you cook it.