Savory Thomas Keller Chicken Brine Recipe - TheFoodXP (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for brining chicken? ›

My standard brine recipe is essentially: 4 cups of cold water and 6 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt OR 4 1/2 tablespoons Morton's kosher salt OR 3 tablespoons fine or table salt. Note that it really matters what kind of salt you have and how much you use.

If you go to extremes, such as leaving chicken in brine for more than 24 hours, you'll get overly-salted chicken. It can also change the texture of the chicken. When in doubt, 1 hour per pound is always a good plan.

The basic ratio of salt to water for a brine is 4 tablespoons of kosher salt per 1 quart (4 cups) of water. If you are using fine table salt, reduce the amount to 3 tablespoons.

Salt in the brine seasons the poultry and promotes a change in its protein structure, reducing its overall toughness and creating gaps that fill up with water and keep the meat juicy and flavorful. Brining works faster than salting and can also result in juicier lean cuts since it adds, versus merely retains, moisture.

After waiting the appropriate amount of time, remove the meat from the brine and pat it dry with a paper towel. You won't need to rinse it with fresh water unless you accidentally brined it for too long. From here, cook the meat according to your favorite recipe.

Basic Brine

Place that volume of water in a container large enough to hold the brine and the meat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water you used and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. For example, if you are using 1 gallon (16 cups) of water, add 16 tablespoons (1 cup) of salt.

The bottom line is that wet brining tends to work best for relatively lean meats like chicken breasts, turkey breasts, pork loin, and fish. In general, wet brine delicate foods that cook pretty quickly. For everything else, including most tough meats and roasts that take longer to cook, dry brining is the way to go.

Keep in mind that we wouldn't advise going much longer than 24 hours with anything smaller than a turkey, though. We only want to draw moisture from the skin, not the actual meat itself. The layer of fat beneath the skin protects the meat from drying, but it can only do so much. That's why 24 hours is our sweet spot.

How Long to Brine a Turkey. Youngman says you'll want to brine the turkey a few days in advance, before cooking. While you can brine it overnight, "two to three days is kind of the sweet spot of flavor."

Dry-brining is our preferred method for seasoning both large and small pieces of meat, poultry, and sometimes even seafood. Along with producing juicy, flavorful results, dry-brining also helps us get better Maillard browning and crispy skin.

What is the formula of brine solution? ›

The chemical formula of ammoniacal brine solution is \[N{{H}_{3}}+NaCl+{{H}_{2}}O. \] Brine is a saturated salt solution of sodium chloride. Ammoniacal brine is a commercially important chemical used in the ammonia soda process.

Chicken can safely rest in its brining solution for anywhere from a few hours to two days, but generally, for a liquid based brine, you'll want to stick to about one hour of resting in the fridge per pound of meat you're preparing.

For a classic wet brine, use about 1 1/4 cups of kosher salt per gallon of water. Then just adjust the amounts to whatever is necessary to fully submerge your chicken. Again, it's okay to brine partially thawed meat. You can also add sugar; although it's not required, it does help brown the skin when cooking.

Brining involves soaking the chicken in a saltwater solution before cooking, which helps to break down the proteins in the meat and allows it to retain more moisture during cooking. This can help prevent the chicken from drying out or becoming tough, especially if you are frying it at a high temperature.

Overall process: 2 NaCl + 2 H ₂O → Cl ₂ + H ₂ + 2 NaOH.

The amount of brine needed can be estimated at 50 % of the weight of the product, 4 lb./2 k meat per gallon/4 L of brine.

The most common brine proportions are 23.3% salt concentration to 76.7% water. However, you can also add to conventional sodium chloride and use either magnesium chloride or calcium chloride.