Dry Brining

Over the past few weeks I have been blogging about seasoning with salt.  This is a very important topic for me because I feel that seasoning is an important technique that can help a cook make their food taste better.  But, at the same time learning to season is probably one of the most difficult culinary techniques to master. 

In today's blog I wanted to share one of my favorite seasoning techniques, dry brining.  Last week I blogged about wet brining (Brining), which is a great technique for seasoning foods, because it adds moisture.  But the one big drawback of wet brining is that the excess moisture can dilute the flavor of meat.  Dry brining offers many of the same benefits of wet brining, but doesn't hide the flavor of the meat.

My first introduction to the technique of dry brining came from Chef Judy Rodgers of Zuni Cafe in San Fransisco, CA.  One of her specialities is roast chicken, which is out of this world.  I didn't know her secret until I purchased her cookbook and read about her approach of dry brining, a technique she uses often at Zuni.

Dry brining is actually very simple, but requires a little knowledge of the processes involved to master the technique.  The first step is to season the cut of meat.  Red Diamond Kosher salt works best.  Sprinkle all sides with the salt.  Next cover the meat and refrigerate to allow the process to play out.  Once the salt is added to the meat, it will draw moisture out.  Just like wet brining the salt will actually dry out the meat.  Next the salt dissolves in the water from the meat forming a small amount of wet brine around the meat.  Just like wet brining the meat wants to create homeostasis (the balance of liquid) and draws the salty water back into the muscle fibers.  Once the salt is drawn back in it breaks downs the connective tissues between the muscle fibers making the meat tender.  And since the salt is drawn to the center, the meat is seasoned from the inside out, which greatly improves flavor.

Dry brining uses the natural moisture in meat, with no additional water incorporated.  This means that the natural flavors of the meat are accentuated.  The process of dry brining also acts to preserve meats, extending their shelf life.

A couple of notes about dry brining:

1. Use a little less salt than would normally be used to season a piece of meat that is going to be immediately cooked.  Dry brining allows for all the salt applied to incorporate with the meat, so less is needed.
2. Allow enough time for the meat to go through the entire process.  Cooking the meat before the reverse osmosis is complete will result in dry meat.  I dry brine whole chickens and smaller cuts of meats, like steaks, for 2 days.  Larger cuts of meats (double cut pork chops) for 3 days.  And whole roast for 4 to 5 days. 
3. Aromatics for flavor - Once you master the dry brining technique try adding aromatics, such as herbs and garlic, or spices for flavor.  Just like wet brining the flavors will be absorbed into the meat. 

If you are interested in trying dry brining, it is best to start with a small cut of meat, like a rib eye.  It takes a little practice, but once mastered this technique will give amazing results.

To Brine or not to Brine?

Photo by Daryl Ann Yeany

To brine or not to brine? That is the question.  And as a chef it is a question that I am frequently asked!  So, in this week's blog I am going to discuss the world of brining, including how it works, benefits, drawbacks and techniques.  I will also share some great tips and guidelines to help you decide whether to brine or not to brine.  To answer this question it is important to first understand how the brining works.

What is Brining

Brining is a process where meats are soaked in a brine solution of salt, sugar and aromatics for flavoring.  Through osmosis the salt in the brine first pulls water out of the meat fibers.  It's counter intuitive, but initially brines dry out meats.  Next, through reverse osmosis, the brine is drawn back into the meat fibers creating homeostasis, or a balance of the liquid between the meat and the brine.   As the meat fibers absorb the brine, the flavors of the brine are also drawn in.  Next the salt starts to break down the connective meat fibers, making the meat more tender and allowing the meat to absorb more liquid than it initially contained before brining.

Effects and Benefits of Brining

1. Increase Moisture Content - Brining meats increases the moisture content making it less susceptible to drying out during cooking.  Brining in most cases is the best solution to avoid dry roasts. 
2. Seasons the Inside - Brine is drawn into the center of meat, seasoning it from the inside. 
3. Flavor - Another great benefit of brining is that whatever flavors in the brine are pulled into the meat as well.  This makes brining a great technique for flavoring meats from the inside out. 
4. Tenderizes - Once the salt from the brine is absorbed into the meat it starts to break down the connective tissue that makes meat tough.

Tips for Brining

1. Time - The longer the meat is left in a brine the more moisture it will absorb.  While meats will keep absorbing the brine over time, they will eventually reach a point where they cannot absorb any more liquid.  I generally brine fish for 24 hours or less, chickens for 24 to 48 hours, pork roasts for 36 to 48 hours and cuts like beef briskets for 3 days or longer.
2. Temperature - It is important to brine meats in the refrigerator for food safety reasons.  The only problem is the rate of osmosis is slower at lower temperatures.  To give the brining process a kick start, I cool my brine to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and then add the meat. 
3. Strength - The amount of salt in the brine will ultimately determine the amount of salt in the meat.  Generally a brine should be about 5% salt by weight of the brine.

Now, back to the question of whether to brine or not to brine.  I think brines play an important role in cooking, but only in the right applications.  So, here are my thoughts on different meats:

1. Turkey - While brining turkey helps avoid dry meat, I prefer not to brine my turkey.  I feel that the extra moisture content dilutes the meaty flavor of the turkey.  Brining turkey also makes the drippings too salty to use for gravy.  I follow the advice of food scientist Harold McGee and either roast the breasts and legs separately or I carve the breast into thin slices and mix them with the gravy, similar to saucing pulled pork.  The gravy will help moisturize the meat.
2. Pork Roast - I often brine pork roast, especially leaner cuts like pork loin.  Also, pork can stand up to the additional salt that brines add.
3. Chickens - I don't brine chickens that are being served as roast chicken for the same reason as not brining turkeys.  The chicken loses its meaty flavor.  But, if I'm cooking chicken to be cooled and used later for preparation, such as chicken salad or enchiladas, I find that a brine helps keep the meat juicy through the process of being cooled down and reheated later.
4. Beef - Rarely do I brine beef.  This is because beef tends to have a higher fat content, which makes beef roasts juicier.  The exception would be briskets for corned beef or pastrami, where the brine is essential to the preparation.

Here is a link to my basic brine recipe.  It's a versatile recipe that works great for poultry, pork or beef.  It contains pink salt, an essential ingredient for preserving meats to be smoked.  If you are brining meat to be simply roasted then I would recommend omitting the pink salt.

Seasoning Technique

This week we will be the final blog on seasoning and using salt.  When I teach classes at In Good Taste I always tell students that properly seasoning their food is the number one way to make it taste better.  No other technique can have such a dramatic affect on the flavor of food.  So I want to share some tips and techniques for seasoning food. 

Salt Selection - While there are many types of salt to choose from (See last week's blog), it is important to find 1 salt that will be your main salt for seasoning.  I recommend a kosher salt because the grains are large making it easier to see how much salt you are using.  I am very partial to Red Diamond Kosher salt.  Regardless of the salt you select, try to only use that 1 salt for the majority of your cooking.  Over time you will learn to season with that salt.

86 the Salt Shaker - 86 is a restaurant term that refers to running out of or getting rid of something.  Seasoning is tactile, meaning that it is best to use your fingers to pinch the salt when you season.  Using a salt shaker makes it difficult to gauge how much you are using.  It's also the easiest way to add too much salt to food.  So, that being said it's time to throw away the salt shaker and replace it with a bowl of salt.  To add salt to food, simply grab a pinch from the bowl and sprinkle it over your food.  Over time you will develop a seasoning instinct and learn how to gauge salt amounts by how much you grab with your fingers.

Season in Layers - This is probably the most important technique for seasoning.  Seasoning in layers means adding salt at the beginning and throughout the cooking process.  This technique allows the salt to be absorbed into the food, seasoning it from the inside out.  This creates better continuity and brings out the flavors in food as they cook..  It also means less salt is needed to season your food.   Seasoning food after it's cooked keeps the salt from combining with the food and limits the overall flavor.  The best way to understand this technique is to think about ratatouille, which is made by adding ingredients one at a time according to cooking times.  When I make ratatouille, I add a little salt with each ingredient addition.  By the time the ratatouille is done, it only needs a small amount of salt at the end to finish it.  Seasoning in layers helps avoid salty food, because you add small amounts as you cook.  This helps to avoid having to add a lot of salt at the end, which can make food taste salty, because the salt is on the outside of the food and not throughout.

Taste, Taste and Taste Again - There is no way to tell how much salt you are using without tasting the food you are cooking.  When we teach classes here at In Good Taste, we put out containers of tasting spoons and encourage students to taste throughout the entire cooking process.  Seasoning in layers and tasting go hand in hand.

Here are a few other seasoning tips and tricks:

1. When making vinaigrettes, add the salt to the vinegar before adding the oil.  Salt dissolves in water based vinegar, but doesn't dissolve well in oil.
2. Season reductions lightly in the beginning.  Anytime food is cooked down or reduced it concentrates the flavors and the salt. 
3. Season proteins just before cooking.  If you season steaks 30 minutes before cooking them, the salt will start to pull moisture out of the meat, making it dry.  See the blog, "The Effects of Salt on Food", from 2 weeks ago for some exceptions to this rule.
4. Test the seasoning of large batch fillings or stuffings, such as sausages or meatballs.  Cook a tester and taste it for seasoning.  Once you fill raviolis or form meatballs it is difficult to incorporate more salt to the batch.

The World of Salts

Growing up I remember the shaker of Morton's salt that always sat on our kitchen counter.  And that was the only type of salt that my mother used.  Go to the grocery store today and you are most likely to find a whole section dedicated to different varieties of salt.  From fleur de sel to sea salt to table salt, selecting salt can be a daunting challenge.  So, the question becomes, what salt to use when?

1. Fleur de Sels - Fleur de sel, or flower of the salt refers to fine artisan sea salts from France.  These single origin salts are hand harvested by Paludiers with rakes and allowed to dry under the sun.  These fine salts have a flavor profile that show the terroir of the salt marshes from where they are harvested.  These salts tend to be very expensive and are best used as a finishing touch to a dish where their texture and distinct flavor can stand out, adding another layer of complexity to your cooking.  These days you can find hand harvested sea salts from around the world, all with unique flavors and characteristics.  My favorite 2 artisan sea salts are Maldon from the UK and Sel de Guerande, which only comes from the Brittany region of France.  Both are amazing salts with completely different flavor profiles.
2. Kosher Salt - Kosher salt is the workhorse salt of most professional kitchens.  Kosher salt always comes from the sea and never mined from land.  The flavor of kosher salt is very neutral and clean.  Kosher salt grains are very large allowing them to adhere to food, which makes seasoning easier because you can see the amount of salt that has been sprinkled on food.  Many chefs say that kosher salt is less salty, which isn't really true.  But, because the grains of salt are larger than iodized table salt, you actually use less salt by volume.  1 tablespoon of Red Diamond kosher salt weighs 10 grams.  1 tablespoon of Morton's iodized table salt weighs 20 grams.  This means that when you use 1 tablespoon of iodized table salt you are using twice the amount of salt as 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.  I prefer Red Diamond Kosher salt over other brands because it does not contain anti caking agents, which are chemical additives that keep the salt from clumping.  One caveat about kosher salt is that it does not contain iodine, an essential mineral for the human body.  But, as long as you include seafood in your diet, you will get the necessary amount of iodine.
3. Flavored Salts - All throughout time, salt has simply been salt.  But, over the last couple of decades flavored salts have started to come into the culinary scene.  There are now so many different types of flavored salt that you could try a new one every day of the year.  Personally I feel most flavored salts are gimmicky, but I do have 2 favorites that I always keep in the pantry.  First is Artisan Salt Company's White Truffle Salt.  Intensely flavored with white truffles, this salt is great on French Fries, gnocchi, potatoes, eggs and popcorn.  The other salt is Saltworks Bonfire smoked salt.  Smoked with 7 different woods this salt has a unique rich flavor with a smokiness that is not overwhelming.  Great on grilled meats, mashed potatoes, vegetables, or a steak, this salt adds flavor and complexity to your favorite dishes. 

Now that we have covered the world of salts, next week I will share the tricks and secrets to seasoning food and proper seasoning techniques.