To Brine ribs or not to Brine?

[ACW3]

If Myron Mixon says to do it then do the opposite

So, he was for it before he was against it ?    Some familiar don't it

Remember he poo-pooed pellet grills for a long time.  Now look at him.  He is like a lawyer.  If his lips are moving...  You know the rest.

Art

[RAD]

I haven't brined ribs but I did marinade once and did not like the results. I would willing to try a brine just to see.

[jjjonz]

I don't own a PG 500,but lately I have been using the Fast Eddie competition recipe.

No brining here..

[Big Dawg]

I think I will stick with my no-brine ribs.

Dave

me too!

me three ! !





BD

[Saber 4]

I usually just do a rub and grill. I have used a marinade of apple juice, lime juice, soy sauce (star anise if I have it) with enough water to cover overnight then I pull them out an hour before grilling and use my favorite dry rub. They are always moist and tender with a spicy Asian taste.

[Tin]

I had to look up what brining meant, and although I put often salt on the meat a couple of hours before, I don't see the point in teaching it how to swim in salt water. What would be the added effect of water? Salt can penetrate through the meat by dissolving into the meats juices, the water can only distract taste, not add anything.

I do sometimes drown beef or chicken in  red wine, duck in grand marnier (but 30 minutes should be sufficient imho).

[teesquare]

I had to look up what brining meant, and although I put often salt on the meat a couple of hours before, I don't see the point in teaching it how to swim in salt water. What would be the added effect of water? Salt can penetrate through the meat by dissolving into the meats juices, the water can only distract taste, not add anything.

I do sometimes drown beef or chicken in  red wine, duck in grand marnier (but 30 minutes should be sufficient imho).

While I have not brined ribs, there is plenty of reason that you may want to try brining.  Rubbing salt on meat is not exactly the same - and you will find that the benefit of brining - especially certain cuts/types of meats - will yield better moisture content.
This is because of osmosis.
Here is a very simplified explanation of how it works:
When you have a significantly higher concentration of salt ( and don't forget the sugar in the brine too ) dissolved in water than what exists inside the muscle tissue of the meat - then you submerge the meat in that water for some time (  amount of time varies by kind and thickness of meat ) then you force the water into the meat - in exchange for the meat "expressing"  the lower salt containing solution within it's tissues.
So, the water provides a "carrier" for the brine - but it  also more "pressure" than air. Both because of the water's weight/density - and because of the the of the higher salt content - brine "presses" itself into the meat.

You can leave the meat in the solution for as low as you wish - and it will not become any more salty than the solution. ( for Turkey - I like 1 gallon of purified/distilled water, 3/4 cup of kosher or sea salt, and 3/4 cup of sugar, yo can add herbs and other flavoring components as you like. Heat and stir the mixture only enough to dissolve solids - then chill ) I specific - it will get no more salty than the combination of the fluid that was in the meat as a natural moisture and the brine.

Here are 6 recipes for brines for various reasons/cuts of meats. I hope you will give brining a try. It might just give you an additional "tool" for cooking!

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/brine-recipe

[Tin]

As far as I understand osmosis the salt crystals won't need the added pressure of the water; The Na+ and Cl- will penetrate through the meat anyway and try to create an equilibrium anyway. I have to agree that you probably can get more salt to penetrate using salt water, but I don't think I want my meat to become -that- salty and watery. Dry brning should suffice AFAIK.
With the sugar I'm not so sure, those are large molecules, and they shouldn't penetrate into the meat, I think.

But as it's a long time ago that I had chemistry and biology in college (well, our equivalent), I looked up some websites. I found these;
http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/the-food-lab-the-truth-about-brining-turkey-thanksgiving.htmlhttp://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/zen_of_brines.html

Even though they don't 100% agree with me, they don't think wet brining is the best of ideas.

[drholly]

This is so much fun... I really do enjoy reading about the "things we are supposed to do - from the experts", the "things we should NEVER do - from the experts", and what we all do from cooking in our backyard.

I can find dozens of sites that tell me to soak my wood chips / chunks before smoking and dozens that say never soak the wood. Brining vs. non-brining. Hot & fast vs. low and slow. Lump vs. briquette, vs. electric, vs. wood, vs. pucks...

The thing I enjoy is reading and watching, thinking and then doing something on my own. If it works and my family and friends like it, I write it down and keep it for the future. If they (or I) hate it - it goes away. This is just such a fun journey, learning to make food that my friends and family enjoy, while reading and seeing what all of you do, giving me great new ideas.

So, I have no absolutes (except the recipes / ideas that didn't work for me.) Otherwise, I am wide open and appreciate and enjoy everything you folks post. Thank you!

[Pappymn]

I wet brine all poultry and pork. You will have to take my salt out of my dead lifeless hands???

[teesquare]

As far as I understand osmosis the salt crystals won't need the added pressure of the water; The Na+ and Cl- will penetrate through the meat anyway and try to create an equilibrium anyway. I have to agree that you probably can get more salt to penetrate using salt water, but I don't think I want my meat to become -that- salty and watery. Dry brning should suffice AFAIK.
With the sugar I'm not so sure, those are large molecules, and they shouldn't penetrate into the meat, I think.

But as it's a long time ago that I had chemistry and biology in college (well, our equivalent), I looked up some websites. I found these;
http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/the-food-lab-the-truth-about-brining-turkey-thanksgiving.htmlhttp://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/zen_of_brines.html

Even though they don't 100% agree with me, they don't think wet brining is the best of ideas.

My entire point to my earlier post, is to encourage you to experiment - rather than pre-determine by thinking back about chemistry class a long time ago - that "wet brining will not work for me" or by making the assumption that the  resultant meat would be saltier. ( It will not done correctly)....

Seriously - I can't tell you how many times I have read where someone else tried something- and loved it...but it was not for me. So, I can sympathize with your resistance. Heck - I made fun of pellet grills for years...Now I own 2...
Same goes here. If you can try it yourself - you may be surprised at the results. But, you will never know unless you do try it - right?

While I can't think of brining ribs myself - I can assure you that brining poultry and lean cuts of pork will absolutely help with moisture retention. Just another tool for you to think about. No right or wrong here...just fun to play with options!

[muebe]

My line of thought is this. A surface brine of salt is used to draw out moisture and create a salty crust. Like with chicken for example. Helps create a great crispy skin. Can also help a steak get a beautiful crust when seared in a cast iron skillet for example. To me this crust can actually help to keep meat from drying out as it cooks. The crust sort of sealing in the juices so to speak.

A solution of brine for soaking meat in works differently. It is for drawing moisture into the meat. The salt solution does not even need to taste salty and just contain more salt than the fluids already in the meat. Then the solution will equalize both inside and outside the meat allowing more moisture to enter the meat through osmosis. More salt will create flavor but is not necessary to complete the process.

So to me I look at the two processes differently...

[Smokin Don]

I wet brine all poultry and pork. You will have to take my salt out of my dead lifeless hands???

I like that Pappy!!! I don't care what takes place I just know like you wet brining chicken and pork loins or chops makes them taste better!!! Don