A pork chop brined for a few hours comes out juicier and seasoned all the way through. Salt does that.
Key idea
A brine is salt dissolved in water, measured by weight: a 5% brine is 50 g of salt per 1,000 g (1 liter) of water. Salt moves into the meat and changes its proteins so they hold more water. A dry brine is salt rubbed on the surface and left to sit, refrigerated. A marinade (oil, acid, flavorings) mostly flavors the surface. A rub is a dry spice mix.
- Brine and marinate in the refrigerator, in a food-safe container.
- Weigh the salt: different salts measure very differently by the spoon.
- Rinse or pat dry after brining, or the surface won't brown.
- Don't reuse a raw marinade as a sauce unless you boil it first; better, set some aside before it touches raw meat.
Why it works
Strong acid in a long marinade can turn the surface mushy rather than tender. Most marinades work in hours, not days.
Worked example: Mix a brine
How much salt for 3 liters (3,000 g) of 6% brine?
- $3000 \times 0.06 = 180$ g.
Answer: 180 g of salt.
Worked example: Percent
You dissolved 75 g of salt in 1,500 g of water. What percent brine is that?
- $75 \div 1500 = 0.05 = 5\%$.
Answer: 5%.
Common mistake
Measuring brine salt with a cup. A cup of fine table salt weighs much more than a cup of flaky kosher salt.
Practice at home
- Dry-brine one chicken breast with about 1% of its weight in salt overnight in the refrigerator, and cook it beside an unbrined one. Compare juiciness and seasoning.
In Meal Prep
- Table, kosher and sea salt: why salt must be weighed