Can I Brine Chicken and Pork Together?

[IndyRob]

I have 10 chicken thighs and a pork loin I'll portion into steaks.  I'd like to brine both.  I don't think I'll try this since neither will need a long time in the brine, but nonetheless, I wonder if there's any need to keep them separate.

 

I did a search and it appears this is not the first time this question has been raised on the internet.  Yet, I think only one answer seemed authoritative (and that said it would be fine).  It seemed reasonable to me as well.

 

But, again, I don't need to do it, so I don't think I will.  Still, the question has been nagging me.

 

[Edit] Another point raised out there is that the flavors may mingle.  Not a horrible prospect in my thinking, but it seems unlikely to be to a detectable degree unless all the pieces are densely packed.

Edited November 22, 2016 by IndyRob (log)

[Shelby]

We've done it.  We're still alive and kicking.  No problems at all.  It was a pork tenderloin and I forget what cut of chicken but still chicken.

[chefmd]

I think the issue if you brine different proteins together, you should cook them to the safe temperature that is the highest for the proteins that you mix.  In your case, you will have to cook pork to the temp that is safe for the chicken.  

[Okanagancook]

Excellent point cfmed.  I typically cook pork to 35 ish F degrees which is obviously not safe for chicken.

glad you are still kicking Shelby

 

edit:  that should be 135F, sorry folks

Edited November 22, 2016 by Okanagancook
typo (log)

[IndyRob]

Thanks, this makes sense.  I will do them separately.  It's just a bit more salt and time.  Plus, I had envisioned doing them all in my big Cambro container but I don't currently have room the the fridge for that.

 

But would this suggest that one could brine the pork first and the re-use the brine for the chicken?

[nonkeyman]

4 hours ago, IndyRob said:

Thanks, this makes sense.  I will do them separately.  It's just a bit more salt and time.  Plus, I had envisioned doing them all in my big Cambro container but I don't currently have room the the fridge for that.

 

But would this suggest that one could brine the pork first and the re-use the brine for the chicken?

 

You could, but I am sure the health department would have a hay day...

 

Can't you make one batch of brine, and have two containers?

[Tri2Cook]

8 hours ago, nonkeyman said:

 

You could, but I am sure the health department would have a hay day...

Actually, the health department doesn't give a flying fork what a person does in their home kitchen... unless it's a home business setting. Even then, it's pretty rare for them to bother.

[nonkeyman]

3 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

Actually, the health department doesn't give a flying fork what a person does in their home kitchen... unless it's a home business setting. Even then, it's pretty rare for them to bother.

Whoops, I thought this was a restaurant question...my bad

[IndyRob]

Yes, it is for home use.  As it turns out, the usual recommendations for brining pork chops turned out to be much longer than I thought.  So I did those overnight and that brine is now gone.  So the chicken will be done separately.

 

I don't think I'd ever think about doing in a restaurant kitchen no matter how strong the science might be.  The mere perception could sink the ship.

 

I was still interested from a theoretical standpoint though.

[FeChef]

I would think it should not matter at all. Salt is used for preserving and killing bacteria. Anything that would penetrate into either protien would not contain any bacteria. So safe cooking times should not change at all for either meat.

[IndyRob]

8 minutes ago, FeChef said:

I would think it should not matter at all. Salt is used for preserving and killing bacteria. Anything that would penetrate into either protien would not contain any bacteria. So safe cooking times should not change at all for either meat.

 

That was sort of my line of thinking before starting the topic.  And I can't say that I've been completely warned off of it.  But the point raised by chefmd gives me pause.  Why are there different temps recommended?

 

And if we're talking about salt, what equivalent salt concentration allows one to hang a pig leg in a Italian cave as a method of preparation?  There's duck prosciutto, but why don't we have Chicaciutto di Parma?

[FeChef]

5 minutes ago, IndyRob said:

 

That was sort of my line of thinking before starting the topic.  And I can't say that I've been completely warned off of it.  But the point raised by chefmd gives me pause.  Why are there different temps recommended?

 

And if we're talking about salt, what equivalent salt concentration allows one to hang a pig leg in a Italian cave as a method of preparation?  There's duck prosciutto, but why don't we have Chicaciutto di Parma?

I don't know much about dry curing, but my point was that in a brine with enough salt, bacteria can not survive. And also, any liquid that would be absorbed into the meats in the brine would be bacteria free. If you think pork soaked in a solution of chicken juices and salt will require that pork to be cooked to safe temps for chicken, then you might aswell assume that any pork soaked in chicken broth/stock would also need the same.