Smokin-It User Forum!
Recipes => Brines, Marinades & Injections => Topic started by: DivotMaker on February 24, 2014, 10:51:49 PM
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My jerky experiment this past weekend prompted me to learn more about brining. Here's the link, for those of you that haven't seen it:
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1503.0 (http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1503.0)
I discovered the advantage to using brines on poultry and pork, but now realize I didn't know a whole lot about what I was doing. All I knew, was that I could mix a solution of mainly salt and sugar, soak meat in it, and the end result would be meat that was much more moist and flavorful that without the brine. A bit of a "dark science," I suppose. Just follow the potion.... In the process of devising a jerky curing brine, I learned a lot about the what, but also the how and why brining works (with the help of Martin from DiggingDogFarms). Here's a little about what I learned, and some links for you to learn a lot of details on your own!
How Brines Work:
A common misconception is that brines work through osmosis. They, in fact, work through a process know as diffusion. Without getting too deep in the weeds (you can watch the sources videos for the fully-illustrated explanations), diffusion allows the salt and water molecules to diffuse throughout the meat. Osmosis would pull the water out of the meat into the solution (path of least resistance).
The other thing that occurs is that the negative salt ions actually modify the protein molecules in the meat. They cause the protein fibers to expand (push away from each other), which allows more solution to pass through the fibers. These modified protein molecules then act as a barrier, of sorts, during cooking to trap the moisture inside the meat. So, brined meat will weigh more after brining, and will be more plump and juicy after cooking.
Two different kinds of brine: Gradient and Equilibrium
Gradient Brine: A gradient brine is all I've ever used. This is any of my brine recipes on the forum, with the exception of my jerky brine. Essentially, a gradient brine is one that is a set amount of ingredients, and time is the determining factor. For example, many have seen brines that start with:
1 gallon of water
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of kosher salt
...and various other ingredients for flavor (onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, etc.). These ingredients are not important for this discussion, as they only affect the final flavor profile of the meat. They will be, however, figured in to the equilibrium brine calculation, so far as weight.
Once the basic gradient brine is assembled, our key metric is going to be time in the brine. For example, I brine a whole chicken no longer than 3-4 hours, but will brine a 9 lb pork butt for 12-13. If you keep a chicken in for 12 hours, you're going to have one salty bird! So, the dark science comes into play again! We all have our preferences on time, through trial and error, and our own personal tastes.
Many large operations use gradient brines because they are simple; one brine, many products. The difference is that they have the timing thing down to a science. X gallons of brine, X lbs of meat, X time. Consistency through a process. Unfortunately, many of us at home aren't as "precise" as a commercial operation. Sometimes, life gets in the way and we miss a deadline to pull the meat from the brine, or just forget how long it was actually in for! I've been lucky with my timing, for the most part. One time, I did over-brine some baby back ribs. I realize, now, that this was luck. No science, just trial and error.
Equilibrium Brine: So what if you could take the "guesswork" out of brining, and actually predict the results? Enter the equilibrium brine!
OK, so we've learned that brining works by diffusion, not osmosis. With that in mind, equilibrium brining calculates that diffusion, predictably.
First of all, we are dealing with a known weight of meat, and an equal weight of solution. If you have two containers of solution, side-by-side, with a tunnel between them, and fill both with exactly the same volume weight of solution, they will eventually reach equilibrium. So, one container contains a 2% salt solution, and the other container is plain water. Eventually, the two containers (as a whole unit) will contain a 1% salt solution. Those salt molecules are bouncing off each other, and will eventually bounce through the tunnel, into the water where there are no salt molecules. The 2% solution will diffuse into the 0% solution, and the overall will be a 1% solution. Make sense? That's what's happening in our meat! If we make a solution exactly the same weight as the meat, the salt, sugar & cure will diffuse into the meat and reach equilibrium! So, no matter how much time the meat sits in the solution, the salt, sugar and cure content will never exceed what it was calculated to be! Predictable results, and easy modification of results. Here's a link to Martin's calculator:
Martin's Equilibrium Brine Calculator (http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html)
Just plug-in the variables, and your results will calculate. There's even a handy-dandy conversion calculator!
Real-world test:
The link above documents my jerky brine. Here's the calculations I plugged into the calculator:
Weight of meat in Grams: 3631
Cure #1 % nitrite: 6.25%
Salt % Desired: 2
Sugar % Desired: 2
Parts Per Million (PPM) Nitrite: 156
Calculate the Cure
Cure #1 Needed: 9.06 grams
Salt Needed: 64.12 grams
Sugar Needed: 72.62 grams
Total 3776.8 grams (this is the total of meat + cure, salt and sugar)
By weighing each ingredient, and adding them to your water (or flavoring sauces, like soy and Worcestershire), they will be considered in the total weight of the solution. Remember, our solution must weigh 3631 grams for a 1:1 brine.
What I've learned:
Equilibrium brining, although more preparation work, is a superior brining method to achieve predictable, and consistent, results. In my jerky brine, for example, I know that I need to reduce the salt in the brine to 1.5%, so I can safely add a little additional seasoning (containing salt) to the surface prior to smoking. This, to me, is much more appealing than just "guessing" that I need to cut the brine time by, say, 2 hours! While I assume I could calculate the salt in the seasoning, it's subjective and based on taste preference. There still needs to be a little "dark science" in this to make me happy!
Martin (DiggingDogFarms) will (hopefully) chime-in and correct any of my misunderstandings, errors, or downright lies (unintentional, I assure you!). This process is fascinating to me, and I plan on exploring it much further!
For some really good tutorials and explanations on this (far better than my cliff notes), check out Stella Culinary:
https://www.stellaculinary.com/podcasts/video/the-science-behind-brining-resource-page#videothree (https://www.stellaculinary.com/podcasts/video/the-science-behind-brining-resource-page#videothree)
There'll be a 100-question quiz tomorrow. Bring a #2 pencil, please. ???
Class dismissed. ;)
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WOW very good info there. I will definitely try this next time around. Thanks Tony and DDF!
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So, would the following assumptions be correct?
- The equilibrium brine does not have as much salt and sugar as a gradient brine
- The time it will take for the brine and meat to reach equilibrium will be longer than with a gradient brine
- How do you know when equilibrium has been met? Video number 4 talks about a salt meter to test the salt levels. Is it necessary to have a salt meter?
It seems that there is a place for both types of brining methods. This is just another tool in the box.
This is a very interesting topic. I really do feel like I am in school. Thanks for today's lecture Professor Tony.
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Interesting points there. I too would like to know those answers.
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So, would the following assumptions be correct?
- The equilibrium brine does not have as much salt and sugar as a gradient brine
- The time it will take for the brine and meat to reach equilibrium will be longer than with a gradient brine
- How do you know when equilibrium has been met? Video number 4 talks about a salt meter to test the salt levels. Is it necessary to have a salt meter?
It seems that there is a place for both types of brining methods. This is just another tool in the box.
This is a very interesting topic. I really do feel like I am in school. Thanks for today's lecture Professor Tony.
Gregg,
I believe your assumptions are correct, Sir! Martin will probably chime in on this, as well. I only believe the salt meter would be needed for large items that require more time. I didn't need it for my jerky, as it was 1/4" slices, so it wasn't a long process. I plan on picking one up soon (they're pretty cheap).
Yes, this is another tool. I will still to my gradient brine for poultry and pork butts - can't mess with the results there! ;)
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So, would the following assumptions be correct?
- The equilibrium brine does not have as much salt and sugar as a gradient brine
Yes....saving on ingredients is one of the benefits.
- The time it will take for the brine and meat to reach equilibrium will be longer than with a gradient brine
Yes, it can take a VERY long time with larger pieces of meat.....that's why I recommend injecting a portion of the brine into anything that's thick.
- How do you know when equilibrium has been met? Video number 4 talks about a salt meter to test the salt levels. Is it necessary to have a salt meter?
You don't need any special equipment...this is where experience plays a part, the "art" part of curing meats and sausages.
It seems that there is a place for both types of brining methods. This is just another tool in the box.
This is a very interesting topic. I really do feel like I am in school. Thanks for today's lecture Professor Tony.
FWIW....here's my brief definition of equilibrium bring....some folks may find it useful....
Equilibrium brining is a method of brining that makes it impossible to over-salt or over-cure meat when using a reasonable percentage of salt and the proper amount of cure. In equilibrium brining the submerged meat and the cover brine (or cover brine and injected brine, in larger pieces of meat) act as a single system and are considered a single unit when calculating salt, sugar and cure amounts. Over time, the ingredients in the brine migrate into the meat until levels in the meat tissue and in the brine are balanced via osmosis and diffusion. Therefore, the calculation for ingoing salt, sugar and cure is based on the weight of the meat plus the weight of the water or other liquid used in the brine.
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Fantastic, Martin! Great stuff!
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Martin, do you ever use a Jaccard? This was brought up in Video 4 from the Stella Culinary site that Tony posted.
Seems like a cool way of allowing the brine to really get deep into the meat.
Is there a negative side of this?
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I haven't used a Jaccard, but I know some folks do to speed up brining.
No negatives that I know of other than introducing surface bacteria to the inside of the meat, but that's a possible issue with injecting too.
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Tony, fascinating link. I will have to read it a few more times to achieve mental equilibrium. Your write up is the finest post I have seen on this forum. My sincerest appreciation!
Martin, please allow me to pick your brain..... I have cooked a few flats recently & I assumed my prep was overkill but the final product was so ridiculously good I haven't altered a thing. The flavor was outstanding, the moistness was perfect & the fat was like butter (it literally dissolved on my tongue). I did a gradient brine useing equal parts salt & sugar (1 cup each) + some spices & let sit for 24 hours. I then rinsed and injected a diluted garlic mojo with apple juice, used a mixture of cane syrup & yellow mustard as a binder, applied a rub, wrapped in Saran wrap & let get happy for 2 more days. I then smoked to 200 degrees. Unbelievable! Does the brine & injection make sense scientifically?
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There's nothing wrong with your method. Some say there's no point in brining beef because it doesn't make a difference....I disagree....I believe that it surely does makes a difference!
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That's quite a compliment, Walt! Thank you very much! ;D
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I need to keep this post in mind plus Walt's info. Sounds pretty solid.
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Can you do the equilibrium brine without the instacure#1? If so, would you replace with regular salt? I have ordered some cure#1 but would like to start brining a brisket tonight.
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Sure, Walt. The equilibrium brine process will allow you to control the salt and sugar results precisely. The cure is not required, but you will need to add the cure calculation to the salt you add. Remember that #1 is 93.5% regular salt, to get a 2% salt content, you would need to add the cure weight in regular salt (kosher or sea salt). Make sense?
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On second thought, you could zero-out the cure percentage (ppm) to just get the salt and sugar amounts.
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That was my assumption. Thanks.
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Let us know what percentages you go with. I'm sure you'll probably adjust on the next one, so a starting point will be great! I'm going to brine a brisket soon, so I look forward to your results!
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I'm going to start a new post fot this brisket & document the entire process.
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Martin,
What is the maximum time you could leave the protein In the equilibrium brine (useing your standard parameters in the formula)? My last brine was 20lbs of butt & they sat for 11 days. Never found time to get to them sooner. Cooked one a couple days ago & it was outstanding. My understanding is if its over 14 days, instacure#2 would be needed. Is this correct & if so what benefit, if any, would there be to the protein? Or, should a 14 day cieling be placed on this type of brineing?
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Sorry I missed your question until now.
Up to a couple weeks or even more is fine.
I tend to inject to speed things up rather than go with a long brine time.
Cure #2 is intended for dry curing where the meat or sausage is hung to dry for an extended period of time.
HTH
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Thanks. I've used instacure #2, as per the receipe, for the 2 week dry cures on Breasola & Prosciutini. My understanding is, injecting or useing a jaccard is not a safe practice if followed by dry ageing. However, that would really help speed things up for a brine alone. Please correct any misunderstanding I may have.
It is outstanding having your level of knowledge on the forum.
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Some folks do caution against injecting before dry curing but it's been common practice for a very long time and when you think about it it's no more dangerous than dry curing sausages (assuming recommended safety parameters are followed, mainly, proper levels of salt and appropriate cure)
A combination cure, a dry cure mix applied to the outside of the meat and a brine injected along the bone, has been promoted by Morton and the like for decades. The injected curing brine speeds up the overall curing and protects against bone-sour, which is serious potential problem if just a dry cure is applied.
The important thing, in terms of safety, when dry curing whole cuts or sausages for an extend period of time is the percentage of salt used.....the general consensus is that 2.5% salt is the absolute minimum required for safety.
HTH
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Thanks again, Martin.
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Let me see if I have this correct .If I have 4530 g pic nik. I add my 4530 g water. Then i can add salt, sugar, and seasoning but at the end of the day th water and meat weight must be equal? Or water equal to meat and seasoning combind weight? Doing it this way how do you figure % of cure going in to a 10,15,or30%. Im a little confussed but please bare with me I will get it. thanks
KD
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Use the online calculator and it should clear things up for you.
Equilibrium Brine Calculator (http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html)
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Hi KD - welcome to the club! I see this is your first post, so be sure to head over to the Introductions section some time, and tell us a little about yourself.
When I make an equilibrium brine, I get the amounts of salt, cure and sugar from Martin's calculator (which are based on the meat weight, and the percentage of salt and sugar desired). Then, I measure out the dry ingredients of the brine in a pan, and add around a cup of water. I like to heat my brine ingredients to dissolve them and blend the flavors.
After the brine is cooled, I add that to a clean container on the scale, with it zeroed. Add the cooked part first, then add plain water to make the weight equal to the meat weight. I look at the water and ingredients as a single unit (the brine), and make it equal to the meat weight. I'm not sure if this is actually how to do it, but it doesn't really matter - as long as you do it the same way, every time. This is what makes the consistency.
As far as the 10, 15 or 30% cure question - that one's for the ham and sausage makers. I assume the amount of #1, figured in the calculator, is enough to cure the meat. I guess I didn't know their are different "degrees" of cure. Please educate me, if you know.
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Sorry i was in a hurry last post and didnt review before posting so I was very vague. I saw in some ones post they talked about injecting to prevent bone sour in large cuts of meat (Ham). The % of cure #1 added to the brine would have to be much higher in a 7% pump then a 30% pump to get to the approx 200ppm nitrite in ham. The % of pump is figured off of green weight so a 7% pump would have way more cure #1 then a 30% pump . In a 20lb ham at 7% pump you would inject 1.4 lbs brine into ham, at 30% pump you would inject 6lbs brine. all the brine in martins calculator show the same 6.25%cure 7% pump would contain .0875 lb of nitrite in a 20lb ham and 30% pump would have .5 lbs nitrite in the same 20lb ham. I hope im making sence because this confusses the hell out of me also. (#1) Sorry im not the shapest tool in the shed when it comes to this figuring stuff. LMAO at myself!!! Thanks again for any help and if I sound like a hater or trouble make im not and refer to #1 Kevin
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OK, Kevin, I think I see what you're talking about. Hopefully, Martin or Brian (Pork Belly) will chime in on this one. My take is that, since you are wet brining (meat submersed in liquid), with an equilibrium brine, the percentage of nitrites doesn't matter; the entire solution will equalize. In large cuts, like a ham, you would inject the same brine into the meat, especially around the bone. Given a long enough brine time, the solution will eventually reach equilibrium throughout the meat. Make sense?
From my rudimentary understanding of ham making, I believe you are referring to injecting brine, but not submersing the whole piece in solution, right? These are two different animals, that essentially achieve the same results. The difference being, is that the equilibrium brine will be repeatable, very predictably.
As far as the 6.25% calculation - that is the percentage of nitrite in the #1 curing salt, not the desired percentage. If you inject the solution, with the amount of #1 from the calculator, the ham will get cured all the way through.
Someone please correct me if my assumptions are wrong!
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Thanks DM, Ya I know 6.25 is the % nitrite in cure #1 and not sure why I used that specific #. I think I have the way to say this so all can understand. I think we all can agree the reason you pump is to speed up the curing process and to keep from get sour bone because the brine will not soak through the outside to the bone before it starts to spoil at the bone. Now this would be easy if a person had a vacuum tumbler like the big boys but most of us don't. So lets say you use the martin method Meat weight 9060 g
Nitrite 6.25% =28.99
Salt 2% =154.02
Sugar 1% = 90.6
(sausage 156ppm) Nitrite 200ppm = total wt 9333.61
Now sence we agree that if we dont pump there is a very good chance of bone sour.
So i pickle the leg in this brine above and all of the meat being reach with brine from outside will have 156 ppm but now we take 7% of ham green wt and inject 634 g(7%) in to the leg 2.03 g nitrite, but if i inject with a 20% pump, inject 1812g brine into the leg 5.79 g nitrite. I hope with this written like this you understand my point. I think digging dog may understand what im saying. Thanks again hopefully this will lead to all of us learning something. Its beddy by time. Going fishing for spring Chinook in the morn. Have a good evening KD
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KD, you have officially exceeded my knowledge level on ham curing. :-[ I'm confident Martin will shed some light on this for you. I hope to learn something, too!
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There's some confusion of methods here, there's no percent pump or pick-up in an equilibrium brine.
Meat and water weight don't need to be equal.
It's good to keep the water weight at 25-30% of the meat weight so the brine is of adequate concentration to inhibit spoilage.
Having said that, I prefer to combination cure a whole ham. Dry cure on the outside and a very concentrated brine injected near the bone.
HTH
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Thanks Martin! I knew you'd shed a little light on this.
One question - you say meat and water weight don't need to be equal. Is that for the combination method you are talking about, or for an equilibrium brine? If it's for the EQ brine, you have me confused! From all of the research I've done, the whole point of an EQ brine is to have the meat and brine weight the same, so they act as one unit; is this not the case? Teach me, "Oh Wise One in the ways of The Brine!"
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You need the sum of the meat and water weight, but the meat and water weight don't need to be the same.
In other words, meat and water need not weigh 500 grams each, total 1000 grams. 750 grams of meat and 250 grams of water is fine.
HTH
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So, Martin, as long as the concentration of salt/sugar/cure are correct, you can use a stronger (less water) brine, and get the same results? Very interesting, indeed!
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Yes.
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Yes.
You may sometimes be a man of few words, but you speak volumes! Thanks, Martin! :)
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Great discussion, and thanks everyone. I learned a ton, cheers!
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Thanks Bill! Studying this opened up a whole new world of brining for me. Especially for things like jerky, where you want very predictable results, the equilibrium brine absolutely rocks!
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Absolutely, happy weekend my friend.
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Same to you, Bill! Happy smoking! 8)
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You need the sum of the meat and water weight, but the meat and water weight don't need to be the same.
In other words, meat and water need not weigh 500 grams each, total 1000 grams. 750 grams of meat and 250 grams of water is fine.
I know this post is quite old, but there is a ton of helpful stuff here and I didn't want to create a new post for a very related topic...
I am getting prepared to take my first stab at jerky and am reading as many posts as I can. (I'll be making a jerky post at some point in the near future, but will mainly follow Tony's Part 2 post http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1561.0)
I want to give the EQ brine a try and will use the spreadsheet that Plan2Build shared (http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=4626.0) to determine the amount of salt/sugar to use.
After all the reading I've done, the above comment about water weight and meat weight confused me the most. Since most of what I read led me to believe that they need to be equal (just like Tony said). Since this post was well over a year ago, I'm hoping someone (Tony) has learned even more and can shed some more light on this part of the brining process.
I also just realized while making my batch of bacon that my food scale maxes out at 5lbs, so I had to use our regular, human, scale for that haha. I will probably do the same for the jerky since I'll want at least 5lbs of finished product. But if I don't have to weigh the water it'll make that a bit easier.
I am planning on using EQ brines going forward instead of the gradient brines, since I love the idea of repeatable/consistent results! Please correct me if I'm wrong, but there are no issues with removing the curing salt for brining brisket or pork butt, I would just have to "zero out" the mg/kg nitrate field to make sure the brine amounts are correct??
Lastly, what's the SHORTEST amount of time that I should be leaving something in the EQ brine?
Thanks for the help!
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After all the reading I've done, the above comment about water weight and meat weight confused me the most. Since most of what I read led me to believe that they need to be equal (just like Tony said).
No, they definitely don't need to be equal.
Using an amount of water that's less than equal to the amount of meat is actually best.... less ingredients are used and the brine is more concentrated so curing is faster and there's less of a chance of the brine possibly going bad during long term cures.
I also just realized while making my batch of bacon that my food scale maxes out at 5lbs, so I had to use our regular, human, scale for that haha. I will probably do the same for the jerky since I'll want at least 5lbs of finished product. But if I don't have to weigh the water it'll make that a bit easier.
If you want accuracy and repeatability, I strongly recommend a good gram scale for the meat/water and a very accurate gram scale for the cure.
There is, however, a way to do it without any scale that's as good as the rule-of-thumb 1 tsp. cure#1 per 5 pounds of meat via a graduated brining container.
Lastly, what's the SHORTEST amount of time that I should be leaving something in the EQ brine?
This depends on numerous factors, strength of brine, thickness of meat, cut of meat, muscle orientation, amount of connective tissue, amount of fat, etc. Anywhere from a day (or less) for very thin jerky to weeks. I recommend pumping thick pieces of meat.
Simple curing calculator: http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
~Martin
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I hope the following will make understanding an equilibrium brine a bit easier.
I'll keep details to a minimum to highlight what's most important.
One level teaspoon of Cure #1 applied to five pounds of pork will, given enough time, come to equilibrium.
~156ppm nitrite in the pork when curing is complete.
The same is true for four pounds of pork plus one pound of water. Again one level teaspoon of Cure #1 can be applied to the five pounds (this time meat and water) via mixing it with the water. So, in this case, the cure, given enough time, comes to equilibrium in the meat and water instead of just the meat. ~156ppm nitrite in both the pork and the water when curing is complete.
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I hope the following will make understanding an equilibrium brine a bit easier.
I'll keep details to a minimum to highlight what's most important.
One level teaspoon of Cure #1 applied to five pounds of pork will, given enough time, come to equilibrium.
~156ppm nitrite in the pork when curing is complete.
The same is true for four pounds of pork plus one pound of water. Again one level teaspoon of Cure #1 can be applied to the five pounds (this time meat and water) via mixing it with the water. So, in this case, the cure, given enough time, comes to equilibrium in the meat and water instead of just the meat. ~156ppm nitrite in both the pork and the water when curing is complete.
This absolutely helps understand the water aspect of the brine, thanks Martin! The calculator works for both traditional dry cure (like for bacon) and EQ brines, right?
I'm assuming I plug the numbers into the calculator and use those amounts and then I'll just add enough water to cover everything in the container? Or do I need to factor the weight of the water into any calculations?
I'll definitely get a better scale in the near future, I just didn't realize mine was such a low limit when I went to weigh the meat. The one I have now should work well for weighing the cure ingredients, so I'll just need one that handles heavier weights for the meat.
Thanks again!
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The calculator works for both traditional dry cure (like for bacon) and EQ brines, right?
Or do I need to factor the weight of the water into any calculations?
Yes, enter the sum of the weight of both the water and the meat into the calculator when doing an equilibrium brine.
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Well "Life" caught up with me today or maybe it was optimistic -poor planning, but I started brining a 2595 gram pork loin yesterday at noon in a 1.5 % salt 1% sugar brine (no curing salt) using your equilibrium brine calculator. I planned on smoking it this weekend or Monday but it looks like I may have to wait till next weekend to smoke it. The Big Question is how long can it hold in the brine and still be safe to smoke and eat and or should I up the salt to 2%? Another couple of questions how long for an equilibrium brine to work it way in on a large Butt and or a packer brisket +/- days? Thanks any help - guidance is greatly appreciated!
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An equilibrium brine equalizes and does not over salt. I dry brine my packer briskets for about 2 days, which is also an equilibrium brine technique but much easier for me since I do not have a large enough fridge or vessel for the brisket to soak in. However, since you are salting your meat entirely through the brine process, be careful not to over salt with your rub, etc.
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Not so worried about over salting I have done this before. I more worried about how long I can hold it before smoking.
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Walt, sorry about my absence on this topic! I've been overcome by events for a few days!
As usual, Martin has given sound advice! The reason I talked about equal water/meat weights is to keep it simple. Although I know the combined mass is what's important (like Martin said), I just find using equal amounts works better for me. Either way is correct!
Now, as far as holding that meat for a week? Not sure I would do that. Personally, I would probably remove it from the brine and vacuum seal it, for that length of time. Martin may say otherwise...not sure. It might be fine, sitting in the brine for a week, but I don't know the answer to that.
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Just started brining a brisket for Sunday. I used Martins calculator and selected 2% sugar and salt. Zeroed out the nitrate. I added the total weight of the meat and the water, then plugged that into the site. I added more weight in water since it wasn't going to cover the meat if I did the same weight.
3460 grams meat
5000 grams water
169 grams salt
169 grams sugar (I split 100/69 brown/white... not sure why haha)
I hope I did this right, but I'll find out in 2 days.
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How'd it turn out, Phil?
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Pretty moist and tasty! Better than the first one I did.
I'm not sure if it was in the brine long enough or not (27 hrs) but everyone loved it. It was a 7.63 lb flat. I still can't find a packer at any of the Costcos around here. Took just over 15 hrs to get up to 190 before I took it out and wrapped in butcher paper for a few hours. I did increase temp after 8 & 12 hours since I wanted to toss wings in at a certain time.
I really underestimated the time it would take on this one (planned 1.5/#) but also wanted to stretch the brine time out as long as I could so I couldn't really start much earlier. Time wasn't on my side
It all worked out and both the brisket and wings (Costco preseasoned) were delicious. Everyone loved it all. I have some brisket leftover that will be going into a chili along with some leftover bacon.
Using an amount of water that's less than equal to the amount of meat is actually best.... less ingredients are used and the brine is more concentrated so curing is faster and there's less of a chance of the brine possibly going bad during long term cures.
Follow up question that I have for you regarding the EQ brine and the water. Due to the shape and size of my container, I needed almost 2x more weight in water to cover the meat. Is it an issue that I'm having a much higher water weight % compared to what Martin suggested?
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Follow up question that I have for you regarding the EQ brine and the water. Due to the shape and size of my container, I needed almost 2x more weight in water to cover the meat. Is it an issue that I'm having a much higher water weight % compared to what Martin suggested?
Great to hear it was a success, Phil!
I'm not really sure about your question. Maybe Martin will chime in. I would think you would need to adjust your ingredients for the extra water weight, but I'm really not sure! One way you could avoid that problem, though, is to use a big Ziploc bag to put the brisket & brine in...just be sure to put the whole thing in a container that will hold it all, in case your bag turns into the Oroville dam! Nothing worse than a brining bag springing a leak (been there, done that).