Barbecue (alt.food.barbecue) Discuss barbecue and grilling--southern style "low and slow" smoking of ribs, shoulders and briskets, as well as direct heat grilling of everything from burgers to salmon to vegetables.

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Default The Effect of Brining

This was written by Kit Anderson a few years back. He did a lot of
prep to assure accuracy. Last I heard from him he was practicing
dentistry in the UP of Michigan.


The Effect of Brining on Meat
By Kit Anderson

Meat is muscle tissue that is that contains bundles of long proteins
that are coiled or wadded up molecules with bonds that hold the
proteins in single units. When cooked, either by heat, acid or
drying, these bonds breakdown and the protein bundles straighten out.
This is called denaturing. The proteins can then bond together with
other unwound molecules. This is called coagulation.

You can watch this process as an egg cooks. The white is initially
clear because there is a lot of room for light to go between the
molecules. As the coagulation progresses, there is no longer enough
room for light to penetrate and the white becomes opaque. There is a
lot of moisture trapped between these barely cooked proteins. This is
when they are juiciest and most tender.

Below 120F, the bundles shrink in size and moisture loss is minimal.
Moisture loss begins above 120F. This initial sweat is from the space
between the individual cells. The next sweat is when the cells
themselves begin to breakdown above 140F releasing their moisture. The
key to perfectly cooked meat is temperature control.

Brining or salting is a way to increase the moisture holding capacity
of meat resulting in a moister product. Salt and water can move
through cell walls. Salt will move to areas of lower concentration.
When meat is brined there is some uptake of salt but it is only in the
intracellular spaces because the cells themselves contain high
concentrations of sodium already. Meat will gain about 20% in weight
which will be all lost on the first sweat. Even very concentrated
solutions will be less concentrated than the intercellular fluids.

What this means is that water inside the cells move out when brining.
That sounds like the opposite effect of what you are trying to
accomplish. But what happens is that the increased sodium
concentration in the cells increases the bonding between the protein
molecules. This raises the temperature at which they breakdown
releasing their bound moisture...the second sweat.

Does brining tenderize the meat? Not directly in the way a marinade
does. It allows a longer time for collagen to breakdown without the
meat drying out. Also the increased water retention lubricates the
individual fibers.

The resulting flavor is regarded by many cooks to be mandatory for all
poultry. The flavor change in red meats, however, gives a ham-like
flavor. While desirable in smoked pork chops, ham, bacon, corned
beef, Prosciutto, and pastrami, it is not appropriate for traditional
forms of BBQ like ribs, pork shoulder and briskets.

Water is trapped in cells because of the proteins. When salt is
applied, the proteins denature and cross link. Cross linking means
the cells break up and lose their moisture at higher temperature than
unbrined meat. That last sentence explains the process and its
effect.

No tenderization from brining. Only moisture retention and texture
improvement. Marinating (involving an acid and oil) only tenderizes
the outer 1/4". That tenderization is mushy if left too long unless
the marinade involves buttermilk, but that is a WHOLE 'nother story.
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Default The Effect of Brining


"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> This was written by Kit Anderson a few years back. He did a lot of
> prep to assure accuracy. Last I heard from him he was practicing
> dentistry in the UP of Michigan.


ED,
Kit is (or was) in Alanson. In the upper Lower Peninsular. BUTT real close
to UP.
Big Jim


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Default The Effect of Brining

On Sat, 6 Jul 2013 06:58:13 -0400, "Big Jim" >
wrote:

>
>"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
.. .
>> This was written by Kit Anderson a few years back. He did a lot of
>> prep to assure accuracy. Last I heard from him he was practicing
>> dentistry in the UP of Michigan.

>
>ED,
> Kit is (or was) in Alanson. In the upper Lower Peninsular. BUTT real close
>to UP.
>Big Jim
>


Thanks.

I wonder if it is better in the upper lower peninsula than the lower
upper peninsula.
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Kit had a great treastise on why pinto beans make yankees phart so much. Real smart guy. I have moved over to hot water brines. Anybody tried that?
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Default The Effect of Brining


"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 6 Jul 2013 06:58:13 -0400, "Big Jim" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> This was written by Kit Anderson a few years back. He did a lot of
>>> prep to assure accuracy. Last I heard from him he was practicing
>>> dentistry in the UP of Michigan.

>>
>>ED,
>> Kit is (or was) in Alanson. In the upper Lower Peninsular. BUTT real
>> close
>>to UP.
>>Big Jim
>>

>
> Thanks.
>
> I wonder if it is better in the upper lower peninsula than the lower
> upper peninsula.


I don't know. I was guiding and cooking in a remote smallmouth bass
fishing camp on Hog island in late 1960's. I could see the UP and the
Mackinac Bridge BUTT never went to either.
Hog Island is just NE of Beaver Island.
Big Jim


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