Smoking Meat (9 page)

Brining

Brining is the method of immersing meat in a saltwater solution to increase its capacity to hold moisture. The scientific explanation is much more involved, but in layman’s terms, liquid is drawn into the fibers and cells of the meat during brining via the process of osmosis. The extra moisture helps to combat the drying that naturally takes place when meat is subjected to heat, and the result is a juicier entrée. Even brined meat that is slightly overcooked will stay juicy and moist. An added bonus to brining is that any flavors added to the water—sugar, soy sauce, beer, or juice, for example—will also be pulled into the meat. I generally brine poultry and fish only, but lots of folks brine other meats, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Brining is very easy and does absolute wonders for meat, but it does require some planning. The most basic ingredients are water and kosher salt (use a ratio of 1 gallon of water to 1 cup of kosher salt), but you will probably want to add other things for added flavor. My own recipes, which are the ones I use most often, start with the
Special Turkey Brine recipe
.

Note that most brine recipes will call for a certain amount of water with a certain amount of salt and then the other ingredients. If you want to experiment with your own recipes, make sure to keep to the recommended ratio of 1 gallon of liquid to 1 cup of salt. You can substitute things like apple juice for some of the water if you’re using a large amount (such as a cup or more). However, ingredients like soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and hot sauce, which are added in smaller amounts, should be in addition to the water and not replacements.

Be sure to use kosher salt in your brine solutions, since it dissolves in water more readily than most other types of salt.

Making brine

No-heat Method

This method does not require heat, and should be used only when you are keeping the brine basic and are not adding any spices or sugar, which would require heat to dissolve or bring out the oils and/or flavors in the ingredients.

1. Fill a large container, such as a 1-gallon tea pitcher, with ½ gallon of water.
   
2. Add ½ cup of kosher salt and stir until it is completely dissolved and the water is clear.
   
3. If you wish, add other basic ingredients to this solution, such as low-sodium soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice, apple cider, beer, etc.
   

When using this basic method, I make only ½-gallon batches of brine at one time, since I almost always use a 1-gallon tea pitcher and the smaller volume allows me to add the other ingredients and still have plenty of room to stir the brine without most of it ending up on the counter. If you have and want to use a really large container or bowl that will handle a full gallon of water plus ingredients, go for it.

Brining poultry using no-heat method

Heat Method

1. Place 1 gallon of water in a large stockpot set over medium-high heat. (You can actually use as little as a ½ gallon of water, but if the salt added in the next step doesn’t dissolve completely, the water has reached its maximum salt concentration value and you will need to add more water. Do not exceed a total of 1 gallon of water.)
   
2. Add 1 cup of kosher salt and stir until it is completely dissolved and the water is clear.
   
3. Add other ingredients such as pepper, cloves, rosemary, crushed red pepper, brown sugar, etc., and allow the brine to come to a slow boil.
   
4. Turn the heat down to low and allow the brine to simmer for about 15 minutes.
   
5. Remove from heat and let the brine cool for a few minutes before placing it in the refrigerator.
   

Setting the bird or fish in the brine

The brine solution
must
cool down to a temperature of 33°
F
to 39°
F
before you pour it over the meat. This is crucial to keep the meat safe from spoilage. Once the brine is in the 33°
F
to 39°
F
range, pour it along with any remaining water from your initial 1 gallon into a nonreactive container such as an ice chest, a large Tupperware bowl, or a 1- to 2-gallon Ziploc bag—anything that is clean and made of glass or food-grade plastic and is large enough to cover the meat you are brining will work great. It’s always a good idea to make enough brine to cover the meat completely rather than having to stop and make another batch. I like to make a little extra just to be sure, but you’ll have to use your own judgment. I have found that 2 gallons is plenty of brine for a 12-pound turkey when using a 5-gallon plastic bucket.

A chicken or turkey will tend to float to the top of the brine. To keep the bird completely submerged in the water, I place a heavy plate on top of it. You can also put a clean brick into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and place it on the bird. Either way, the poultry must be completely covered with the brine.

Food-grade plastic

When brining, it is very important to use only glass or plastic containers made of food-grade plastic. It can be difficult to determine if a container is food grade or not, so the best option is to use a plastic container marked for handling food, such as a Tupperware bowl or a bucket from a restaurant or food-service establishment that previously contained sauce, oil, or other edible items.

How long should you brine?

Different sizes of bird need to be brined for different amounts of time. For instance, a whole chicken will require only about three to four hours, while a 12-pound turkey will need to brine overnight or from 10 to 12 hours for best results. Turkey legs will do just fine with about two hours of brining.

THE SMOKING MEAT PANTRY

Several folks have asked me over the years which spices, condiments, and other ingredients they should keep on hand so they can smoke meat when the urge arises. This is very personal and should be tailored to your own needs and tastes, but I have provided some guidelines to make sure you are well stocked.

Must-Have Dried Spices

Here is my dream spice rack. It would be ideal to have each of these in stock and organized in alphabetical order so the one you want is easy to find. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but these are the items I could do almost anything with.

Allspice, ground	Aniseed	Arrowroot powder
Basil leaves	Bay leaves	Black pepper
Caraway seed	Cardamom, ground	Cardamom seed
Cayenne pepper	Celery seed	Chervil
Chili powder	Chopped chives	Cinnamon, ground
Cinnamon sticks	Cloves, ground	Cloves, whole
Coriander, ground	Coriander seed	Cream of tartar
Cumin, ground	Curry powder	Dill seed
Fennel seed	Garlic powder	Garlic salt
Ginger, ground	Italian seasoning	Kosher salt
Lemon peel	Mace	Marjoram leaves
Mustard powder	Mustard seed	Nutmeg, ground
Onion powder	Onion salt	Orange peel
Oregano, ground	Paprika	Parsley
Peppermint leaves	Pickling spice	Poppy seed
Poultry seasoning	Red pepper flakes	Rosemary leaves
Saffron	Sage, rubbed	Sesame seed
Spearmint leaves	Tarragon leaves	Thyme, ground
Thyme leaves	Turmeric	White pepper

Other Useful Pantry Items

Here is a list of condiments, sauces, and miscellaneous dry ingredients—some of which need refrigeration—that are also useful pantry items. They add so much flavor to the smoking recipes I like to throw together at a moment’s notice.

• Apple juice
  
• Beef broth
  
• Brown sugar
  
• Chicken broth
  
• Curing salt (such as Morton Tender Quick)
  
• Extra virgin olive oil
  
• Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
  
• Ketchup
  
• Lemon juice
  
• Mustard
  
• Ready-to-use injectable marinades (such as Cajun Injector brand)
  
• Soy sauce
  
• Sriracha sauce
  
• Tabasco sauce
  
• Turbinado sugar
  
• Worcestershire sauce
  

FOOD SAFETY

When you’re feeding family, friends, and other guests, you have a responsibility to follow certain safety protocols in the processing and cooking of food. This topic is especially near and dear to my heart simply because I would be devastated if anyone ever got sick from something I prepared, especially if it was preventable.

You must follow a few simple rules when cooking meat at a low temperature. Luckily, the United States Department of Agriculture (
USDA
) provides all the information we need to avoid foodborne pathogens such as E. coli (
Escherichia coli
) and salmonella.

Buy from Reputable Sources

Make sure you purchase your meats from reliable businesses that follow safety protocols during butchering and processing. This can be difficult to ensure if you buy meat from a grocery store or meat market, so it is imperative to get to know the butcher or meat-handling personnel. When you foster those relationships, you will gain some valuable knowledge about the origin of the meat you are buying and how it is handled prior to your purchase.

I recently went into a local grocery store and noticed that there was no hand sanitizer anywhere near the meat-packaging station. I asked the butcher about it, but all I got was the classic deer-in-the-headlights look. I proceeded to ask a few other people, but all gave the same look. No one knew where the sanitizer was or if they even had any in the store. I’m not talking about a small backwoods grocery store here; this was a retailer whose name everyone would recognize. I e-mailed the corporate office, explaining that this was unsanitary and that I fully expected to see hand sanitizer stations set up not only for the customers but for the employees behind the counter as well. After all, this is common practice when it comes to cleanliness and food safety.

In fewer than 24 hours I received an e-mail reply from someone in the PR department letting me know that this would be taken care of immediately and that I could contact them again if I had any further concerns. I returned to the store a few days later, and lo and behold there were hand sanitizer stations in several prominent locations behind the counter and next to the meat displays. It took a little effort on my part, but I feel like I made a difference not only in the safety of my family but in the safety and well-being of countless others who regularly shop at this store. After all, a pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure, and when it comes to food safety, you can never take too many precautions.