Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

Pipes FC · Enemy of the State

Brining

The Krink · The Forum Celestial Advisor

I love Alton Brown and subscribe to many of his techniques.
Guess you have to ask yourself the question "do you want to
spend nearly $10 on brine ingredients that will eventually end
up being poured down the drain of your sink/toilet?" I've tried
the brine thing many times with results only being a tick better
than not brining. Guess it depends on how much time you have
on your hands and the urge to explore. Experience is the best
teacher.
If your in the brining groove, I have a brine recipe for pork
chops (thick cut) that turned out pretty good.

1 small onion thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
10 black peppercorns
5 allspice berries
3 cloves
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of kosher salt
1 cup of hot water
2 cups of cold water
3 tablespoons of bourbon
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 bay leaves

Mix all the above and pour into a large sealable bag. Add your rinsed
pork chops. Refrigerate 2-4 hours with an occasional disturbance.

Grill, smoke, fry, whatever way you want until the thermometer says 160 degrees.
Good luck.

The Krink · The Forum Celestial Advisor

A tip for you "sometime" chefs about herbs and spices.
AVOID if you can the spice rack in your local megamart.
Those little bottles of Allspice, Peppercorns, Garlic Powder,
etc. will set you back 7-8-9 bucks a pop. Instead, checkout
the store for a "bulk section" of herbs and spices. Yes you
have to grab a baggie and scoop manually what you want
and write the bin number on a twist tie. A fistful of dried
parsley or oregano will weigh virtually nothing on the checkout
scales. There is a wide range of herbs and spices that you
don't need a 20 year supply of. Even those little bottles can
hold enough to last 10 years or more. Herbs and spices
lose their punch over time and it's best to stay fresh. Try
to grasp your needs of herbs and spices and avoid having
more than you can use in a year or two. If you enjoy making
up your own rubs and need lots of a particular spice, i.e. paprika,
ground black pepper, garlic and onion powder, etc., checkout
in your area for an equivilent to what we have in the Great
Pacific Northwest, the Associated Grocers Outlet. The Associated
Grocers Outlet is where small store owners come to procure
products for their stores. It's open to the public although few
know that. You can pickup a 12oz bottle of paprika for the same
price of a 1oz bottle in the megamarts. 1 pound 2oz bottle of
ground black pepper for a dollar or two more than the 1oz bottle
in your local megamart. If you do manage to find a store of this
nature, you're going to have some fun shopping.

Pipes FC · Enemy of the State

The Krink wrote:
I've tried the brine thing many times with results only being a tick better than not brining.
Krink, last night I brined some pork chops and tonight I did chicken breast. The chops were the best I have cooked, the added salt made all the difference. All I used was salt and brown sugar and some garlic powder.

The Krink · The Forum Celestial Advisor

Anything that works one time will work again the next. It's a good
thing to put your signature on good eats.