Spotlight Spice: Brining Mix
You've got brining questions - Why brine? What can I brine, How do I brine? What's in your Brining Mix? - and we've got answers! This week's Spotlight Spice is our Brining Mix and we're telling you all about it, just in time for the holidays!
Why brine? It’s no secret that things cook from the outside in. When dealing with thicker pieces of lean meat, this can mean the outside dries out and becomes tough before the inside is cooked to an acceptable level of doneness. Brining prevents this by working from the outside in, adding extra moisture to the outermost pieces. By adding aromatic, good-tasting spices to your brine, you also infuse those flavors into the meat.
What can I brine? The most common use for brining mix is the holiday turkey, but that’s doesn’t mean you should only use it once a year. Any time you’re cooking a whole bird, whether it be chicken, hen, or turkey, you’ll want to use a brine.
But that’s far from its only use. Brining is also great for preparing:
- Fried Chicken
- Pork Loin
- Pork Chops
- Shrimp
- Chicken Wings
How do I brine? Brining is super simple. Combine 1 cup Brining Mix with 2 cups boiling water and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add an additional gallon of water. Place your meat in the prepared brine mixture (use a container or a large zip-top bag) and place in the refrigerator.
A useful general rule of thumb is to leave the meat in the brine solution for approximately 1 hour per pound.
Once you're ready to prepare your meat, remove it from the brine, rinse it off, pat it dry, and prepare using your preferred recipe.
What's in the AllSpice Brining Mix? Our Brining Mix contains many of the usual suspects - sea salt, sugar, black peppercorns, onion, orange peel, garlic, sage, allspice, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and oregano and has a not-so-secret ingredient added - our crystalized ginger.
Find our Brining Mix in the shop or Rubs & Blends section of allspiceonline.com.
Each 12 oz. bag contains two cups of brine mix, enough to do one full size turkey, a couple of chickens or several pork roasts and chops.