If you’ve never brined meat before, this may sound a little strange. Brining is basically soaking meat in water to make it more tender. It doesn’t seem like it would make much sense, does it because there’s some magic that we add to the water – it’s called salt. In addition to the salt, (which, over time soaks into the meat of the bird) it will draw whatever flavors you add to the salty water such as fresh herbs and liquid flavorings.
Little do most people know, that most of the packaged poultry purchased in the grocery stores is already brined. Note on the package where it often says “soaked in a solution of blah, blah, blah.” That’s the packager adding water to the meat to 1) charge you more and 2) make it taste better. So, there’s often no benefit to brining grocery store poultry. The real benefit comes when you brine pastured poultry.
See, pastured poultry such as chicken and turkeys spend their days out on in the grass eating greens and bugs. They can sometimes have less tender meat on them and be tougher than birds raised in confinement on unnatural diets. (Special note: chickens and turkeys are NOT vegetarians. Read more here.) Eating poultry that is fed its natural diet means you’re eating healthy birds raised outdoors in the sunshine. They’ve lived their best life. Here’s an article explaining WHY pastured is best.
As far as how to brine, I like to keep things really simple. Time is rarely on your side when you’re cooking so I like to maximize it. This recipe is for a basic brine that will tenderize your pastured poultry and keep it moist and juicy even if you (horrors!) overcook it a bit.
I have another post here on roasting a bird. Check it out so you’ll be sure to NEVER overcook it again. But, anyway …
Let’s get on with this brine recipe.
How to Brine Poultry
A simple and tasty brine to keep your pastured poultry moist and tender.
- Total Time: 24 hours
Ingredients
You’ll need 1 cup sea salt (or mineral salt) per gallon of water
½ cup Amino Acids (you can use coconut aminos or organic soy aminos)
2 Tbls organic cane sugar
1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
Handful of herbs of your choice, roughly chopped. (I used rosemary, parsley and some thyme.)
Instructions
In a pot on the stove, place the salt and sugar in 1 quart of water.
Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. It should be mostly dissolved but it doesn’t have to all be dissolved.
Pour the hot water into a container large enough to hold your bird.
Add ice cubes and enough cold water to cover the bird sticking to the 1 cup salt/1 gallon water.
Add remaining ingredients and make sure the bird is completely submerged.
Brine for 12 – 24 hours.
Remove from brine when ready to roast and follow these directions.
- Prep Time: 24 hours