Chicken Coop Chatter©
There are probably as many brine recipes as there are people that cook meat. It's a matter of preference as which recipe you use or whether you develop your own. My recipe is simple and works for most meat, but is especially good on Ham, Pork and Poultry.
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Sweet and Savory Sauce, gourmet sauce or Teriyaki Sauce
Enough water to cover the meat (about 3 or 4 cups depending on the amount of meat or size roast or turkey.
Mix the brown sugar, sea salt and Sauce together in a container large enough to hold the meat. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for basting. Prepare the meat and dredge in the brine mixture. Add enough water to cover. About 3 or 4 cups. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight preferably, but at least 4 hours if you're on a time schedule. I also like to inject the brine into thick meats, to distribute the flavor through the meat. Turn the meat several times to be sure it marinates thoroughly. Discard the marinating liquid unless you have more meat to marinate immediately. Do not use for basting the meat except at the very beginning of cooking time. The reserved mixture is used to baste throughout the cooking time. I smoke or roast the meat at about 300-350 until proper core temperature is reached, about 3-4 hours depending on the thickness of the meat. I never rush the cooking time, the rule of thumb is low heat-slow cooking. When core temperature is reached, remove from the smoker, oven or bbq and cover with foil about 10-15 minutes, which allows the flavors to blend and meat easier to cut.
NOTE: For a large turkey I found that putting the brine into a roasting bag then adding the bird to that bag, tying off the end and placing in my vegetable crisper overnight works well. If your bird is too large for the refrigerator, try using a cooler with ice to keep it cold overnight.
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