Brining - can I do it today for tomorrow?

[Kim Shook]

What I mean is:  Can I brine my pork chops for 4 hours today, remove them from the brine, rinse and refrigerate.  Then proceed to cooking tomorrow night?  Will the brine still be effective?  Thanks!

[jayt90]

I would not chance it. The salt can permeate the chops and they will be too salty..  I tried this with Montreal steak spice on  strip loins, froze them, and then found them to be inedible.

[Okanagancook]

If you use equilibrium brining then you can put them in the brine now and then when you want to cook them tomorrow, take them out and rinse them...good to go.

Equilibrium brining:  take the weight of your meat plus the water to cover.  Then add 2% kosher salt.  For example if your meat and water weighs 2000 grams then add x0.02 salt which is 40 grams of salt.

It won't make them too salty but will hydrate the meat throughout.

This is what I do.  I just had some turkey necks in the brine for a day before I sous vide'd them.

cheers

[liuzhou]

I can't see any reason why not. I have done so often, but with chicken breasts rather than pork.

 

They aren't going to get "more salty" after they have been removed from the brine and rinsed. Unless there is magic salt floating in from somewhere.

[FeChef]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

I can't see any reason why not. I have done so often, but with chicken breasts rather than pork.

 

They aren't going to get "more salty" after they have been removed from the brine and rinsed. Unless there is magic salt floating in from somewhere.

I was just going to post basicly the same thing. If anything, the salt that has already permeated into the pork chops will just permeate further and might even taste less salty depending on how thick the pork chops are.

[Kim Shook]

Thank you!  I will be trying this on Sunday, to cook Monday.  Will report back!

[scubadoo97]

I'll chime in that equilibrium brining is a great way to go.  There maybe some textural issues if you brine too long but it won't be over salted 

[Soupcon]

Why not dry brine them? No worry then about the timing.

[FeChef]

2 hours ago, Soupcon said:

Why not dry brine them? No worry then about the timing.

That depends completely on how thick of a layer of salt and how long you leave that salt on them. A great example of this is Bo Ssam.

[Okanagancook]

Equilibrium brining is so much easier, stress free way to go.

[FeChef]

20 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

Equilibrium brining is so much easier, stress free way to go.

As Ron Popeil would say, "set it and forget it"

[Soupcon]

I dry brine all my poultry and roasts for 4 hours at least and 24 hours if I remember that far in advance. I used to use the "Judy Bird" rule but now just sprinkle diamond crystal salt liberally and have never had a problem with over salting. Pork chops I also dry brine but don't leave uncovered in the fridge to develop a pellicule as I do with poultry (chicken, turkey, duck and goose but not game) but cover them or bag them. Over salting here has not been a problem either. Timing never seems to be the issue. I used to in the past wet brine poultry especially but found there a problem with over salting, with texture over time, and you can't make lakes of gravy with the poultry drippings damn it..... TOOOO damn salty.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Soupcon
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[Kim Shook]

Brined the pork chops according to the recipe yesterday - 2 hours.  Dried and refrigerated.  Then cooked them tonight.  They were VERY thick and just cheapo grocery store pork.  Turned out very moist and tender!  Thanks for giving me 'permission'!  

[Kim Shook]

Back with another question regarding brining pork chops.  When I look up brining directions online, I find a wide range of times.  Some say 4 hours, some say 12 hours.  When I’ve done it for as long as 6 hours, I find the meat much too salty.  Other directions say one hour per pound.  That’s when I start trying to do math in my head. 

 

I was a theatre major.  Neither my math nor my logic skills are up to par.  My SAT scores were so lopsided I’m surprised I don’t walk sideways.  I’m always calling Mr. Kim from the grocery store with moronic questions like “is a pint one cup or two” and “how many ounces in a pound” and the real tough one: “do you think they mean liquid or weight in ounces”. 

 

If I want to brine for one hour per pound of meat, does that mean: 4 half pound chops (2 lbs.) = 2 hours OR just a half an hour because each chop is only half a pound.  See what I mean?  My head hurts.  Thank you!!

[liuzhou]

3 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Back with another question regarding brining pork chops.  When I look up brining directions online, I find a wide range of times.  Some say 4 hours, some say 12 hours.  When I’ve done it for as long as 6 hours, I find the meat much too salty.  Other directions say one hour per pound.  That’s when I start trying to do math in my head. 

 

I was a theatre major.  Neither my math nor my logic skills are up to par.  My SAT scores were so lopsided I’m surprised I don’t walk sideways.  I’m always calling Mr. Kim from the grocery store with moronic questions like “is a pint one cup or two” and “how many ounces in a pound” and the real tough one: “do you think they mean liquid or weight in ounces”. 

 

If I want to brine for one hour per pound of meat, does that mean: 4 half pound chops (2 lbs.) = 2 hours OR just a half an hour because each chop is only half a pound.  See what I mean?  My head hurts.  Thank you!!

 

I'd love to help, but just reading your question gave me a headache. The mathematical gene passed me by completely, much to my father's disgust (he was a mathematics professor). When I was told that a+b=c, I rebelled and ran off to join a circus. a+b clearly says 'ab' which means nothing!

 

I would have a nervous breakdown in the USA with your quaint measurements which make little sense. I can just about cope with metric.

 

I'm looking forward to a reasonable answer from someone more gifted in the occult arts.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2017 by liuzhou
apostrophe failure (log)

[scubadoo97]

Have you considered an equalibrium brine

[Smithy]

I think the brining rate depends on the size of the individual chunk of meat and its surface area.  Therefore, I'd give each half-pound pork chop for half an hour, and I'd make sure that they weren't stacked together.  By keeping them separated from each other, the brine can penetrate each chop equally.

[KennethT]

How long you brine for depends on the concentration of your brine and thickness.  If you do an "equilibrium brine" like others have suggested, it could take 3 days sitting in the brine to get to the right concentration.  If you make a ridiculously strong brine, then you may only need to let it sit in the brine for an hour, but then it should sit for a while (minimum time depends on thickness) so that the salt can distribute itself evenly - otherwise, you'll have a salty ring on the outside, and unseasoned meat on the inside.  Once you take it out of the brine, the salt will evenly distribute itself over time - the longer you let it sit, the more even it will be.  Once it is completely even, letting it sit longer won't hurt it (until the meat spoils!).

 

If you have several days before you want to use it, the equilibrium brine is best because there is no way to oversalt it.  Once the salt in the meat gets to equilibrium with the surrounding brine, it just sits there, no worse for wear.  The problem with using a strong brine is that the meat will continue to take on salt until you remove it from the brine - the longer it sits in the brine itself, the saltier the entirety will be.

[Kim Shook]

Thank you all for your help.  I had to look up "equilibrium brine".  I now feel dumber than before.  I confess it befuddled me.  BUT - what I did manage to absorb sounds right - so I'll get Mr. Kim to look at it and explain it all in words of one syllable.  You all are fantastic!  I am lucky to have such a resource.  (And no one mocked me!  )

[FeChef]

I'll make it simple, dont go by weight, go by thickness. 1 hour per inch. Done