Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
because they brined the meat first, and later
reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.

He also said that brining is not as well known
here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
use it.

ANybody have any experience on brining
meats before cooking?

Chemiker, who's never used it.

Chemiker > wrote:

>Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
>ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
>She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
>dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
>because they brined the meat first, and later
>reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.

>He also said that brining is not as well known
>here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
>use it.

>ANybody have any experience on brining
>meats before cooking?

For sure. I fairly routinely brine pork chops (the
free-range sort). I do not return brining liquid to the
dish though, that is a bit gross plus it is too salty.

Googling might reveal a prior post from me with the
exact procedure for doing this.

Steve

On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:06:31 -0600, Chemiker wrote:

> Wife was shopping at our fave package store and ran into a fellow who
> was a chef, trained in Europe. She mentioned how she enjoyed certain
> meat dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob. because they brined
> the meat first, and later reincorporated some of the brine into the
> sauces.
>
> He also said that brining is not as well known here in the US, but I
> know some BBQ-types use it.
>
> ANybody have any experience on brining meats before cooking?
>
> Chemiker, who's never used it.

Nor have I. But here's a short instructional video by a French(-
sounding) woman showing how to brine a turkey.

http://video.about.com/bbq/How-to-Brine-Turkey.htm

I didn't realize it would take that long.

Chemiker wrote:

> Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
> ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
> She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
> dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
> because they brined the meat first, and later
> reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.
>
> He also said that brining is not as well known
> here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> use it.
>
> ANybody have any experience on brining
> meats before cooking?
>
> Chemiker, who's never used it.

I brine bone-in chicken parts before grilling. It adds moisture and
allows you to get seasoning all the way down to the bone.

Catch this article:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/59566.html

The other dark meat is racoon, brined.

HAB

Chemiker > wrote:

> He also said that brining is not as well known
> here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> use it.

It seems to be gaining a certain amount of trendy
status lately. I've brined hams, pork chops, and
chicken within recent weeks. Wet cure for ham and
bacon (which I've done for several years) is
essentially brining.

> ANybody have any experience on brining
> meats before cooking?

It worked well for some pork chops I made last
week. Put "brining meat" into your favorite
search engine and you'll get hundreds of links.
I posted a link here recently in a thread about
dry breasts.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

Catch this article:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/59566.html

The other dark meat is racoon, brined.

HAB

> Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
> ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
> She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
> dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
> because they brined the meat first, and later
> reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.
>
> He also said that brining is not as well known
> here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> use it.
>
> ANybody have any experience on brining
> meats before cooking?
>
> Chemiker, who's never used it.

Here's a method from Pastorio... I know he tweaked it many times.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Basic Meat Brine

Recipe By :Bob Pastorio
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Marinade

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Quart water
4 tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons oregano
4 bay leaves -- crumbled
4 cloves garlic -- smashed
2 tablespoons vinegar


This much brine will take care of a 3 or 4 pound piece of pork loin,
a
chicken (or chicken pieces), a 3 or 4 pound beef, lamb or veal roast.
How long to leave the meats in the brine? Depends. For poultry, at
least 24 hours. Up to about 36 hours. Roasts benefit from 3 days or more.

Heat the water and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a low
simmer, stir a few times and remove from the heat. Let cool.
That's the brine. How to use it? One very easy way is a gallon
freezer bag. Put the meat in the bag and pour the cooled brine over
it. Squeeze out much of the air, put the bag in a container and
refrigerate. Just in case of leaks.
Source:
"Food Wine List"

Chris Marksberry said...

>
> Here's a method from Pastorio... I know he tweaked it many times.
>
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Basic Meat Brine
>
> Recipe By :Bob Pastorio

<snipped for brevity>


Oooh! Another Pastorio gem!

Thanks. Now I'll have to try brining something.

Is brining the finishing touch before cooking or do you season after
brining as well?

Andy
[RIP Pastorio]

Chris Marksberry > wrote:

> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Basic Meat Brine
>
>Recipe By :Bob Pastorio
>Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
>Categories : Marinade
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
>-------- ------------ --------------------------------
> 1 Quart water
> 4 tablespoons sugar
> 3 Tablespoons kosher salt
> 1 tablespoon black pepper
> 1 teaspoon thyme
> 2 teaspoons oregano
> 4 bay leaves -- crumbled
> 4 cloves garlic -- smashed
> 2 tablespoons vinegar

I would say this is not a brine, it is a marinade. There is not
enough salt in it to be a brine, plus there is vinegar -- brines
are not acidic.

Spices are optional in a brine and sugar is not normally included.
These ingredients are more typical in marinades.

A basic brine is water and salt in a 12:1 ratio by volume.
I've seen recipes calling for 8:1 but I have not found that
level of salt necessary. I've seen 16:1 used in a recipe from Acme
chop house, San Francisco. The above recipe is about 21:1.
I would say the salt concentation is too low for brining action.

Steve

Andy > wrote:

>Is brining the finishing touch before cooking or do you season after
>brining as well?

In my experience, brining is the initial phase. I start
about 6 hours before I need to cook the meat and brine for
4 hours. I then rinse it and rinse it, then set it aside
at room temp for the remaining time before cooking. At
that point, after rinsing, I will add some black pepper.
This would be the time to add more seasoning -- if your
meat requires it.

Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
in its basic form.

A classic brined pork chop does not have all this seasoning
and spices added to the brine. Brined fish, however, normally
includes some spices -- usually in the cardamom/nutmeg/allspice
direction.

Steve

Steve Pope said...

> Andy > wrote:
>
>>Is brining the finishing touch before cooking or do you season after
>>brining as well?
>
> In my experience, brining is the initial phase. I start
> about 6 hours before I need to cook the meat and brine for
> 4 hours. I then rinse it and rinse it, then set it aside
> at room temp for the remaining time before cooking. At
> that point, after rinsing, I will add some black pepper.
> This would be the time to add more seasoning -- if your
> meat requires it.
>
> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
> piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
> in its basic form.
>
> A classic brined pork chop does not have all this seasoning
> and spices added to the brine. Brined fish, however, normally
> includes some spices -- usually in the cardamom/nutmeg/allspice
> direction.
>
> Steve


Steve,

Thanks for explaining!

Best,

Andy

Looks good. I think I'll try it. Maybe on flank
steak. I would think this would also work in
a vacuum marinator. I've got one of those
vacuum FoodSavers with a square vessel
that looks like a 8X8 casserole dish. I use
it and the larger jar canisters for marinating
jerky, and it really speeds up the process..

Chemiker

On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:46:55 -0600, "Chris Marksberry"
> wrote:

>Here's a method from Pastorio... I know he tweaked it many times.
>
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Basic Meat Brine
>
>Recipe By :Bob Pastorio
>Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
>Categories : Marinade
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
>-------- ------------ --------------------------------
> 1 Quart water
> 4 tablespoons sugar
> 3 Tablespoons kosher salt
> 1 tablespoon black pepper
> 1 teaspoon thyme
> 2 teaspoons oregano
> 4 bay leaves -- crumbled
> 4 cloves garlic -- smashed
> 2 tablespoons vinegar
>
>
> This much brine will take care of a 3 or 4 pound piece of pork loin,
>a
>chicken (or chicken pieces), a 3 or 4 pound beef, lamb or veal roast.
>How long to leave the meats in the brine? Depends. For poultry, at
>least 24 hours. Up to about 36 hours. Roasts benefit from 3 days or more.
>
>Heat the water and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a low
>simmer, stir a few times and remove from the heat. Let cool.
> That's the brine. How to use it? One very easy way is a gallon
>freezer bag. Put the meat in the bag and pour the cooled brine over
>it. Squeeze out much of the air, put the bag in a container and
>refrigerate. Just in case of leaks.
> Source:
> "Food Wine List"
>
>

I brined last Thanksgiving for the first time. When I checked the
turkey's temperature, I THOUGHT the digital numbers said 117 degrees, so
back into the oven the bird went.

Half an hour later, I checked again---onlyTHIS time my friend also
looked at the digital numbers. "Still 117!" I said. "No,", he replied,
that says 177".

So, due to my loiusy vision and the weird way digital numbers look, the
poor bird was overcooked by damn near an hour. However, it tasted
sublime---very juicy, tender, no dryness in the breast, even...not at
all ruined as I feared it would be. Im SURE the brining is what saved
it. Imagine how DRY a turkey would be THAT overcoked, without the
miracle of extra moisture!

Lass

"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
>
> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
> piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
> in its basic form.

I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
or pork chop seem more tender. I've brined many a corned beef and until
properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.

Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

>"Steve Pope" > wrote in message

>> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
>> piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
>> in its basic form.

>I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
>moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
>or pork chop seem more tender. I've brined many a corned beef and until
>properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.

Okay, thanks for this datapoint. So your thinking is it
will make like a pork chop seem more tender, because it
makes it moister, but it doesn't really tenderize the connective
tissue in any real way?

I'll believe this however the results can be pretty good,
in terms of faux-tenderizing.

Steve

In article >,
Kathleen > wrote:

> Chemiker wrote:
>
> > Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
> > ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
> > She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
> > dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
> > because they brined the meat first, and later
> > reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.
> >
> > He also said that brining is not as well known
> > here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> > use it.
> >
> > ANybody have any experience on brining
> > meats before cooking?
> >
> > Chemiker, who's never used it.
>
> I brine bone-in chicken parts before grilling. It adds moisture and
> allows you to get seasoning all the way down to the bone.

I don't brine, but I do marinate...
Question: What is brine but a very salty marinade? :-)
Is all that extra salt really necessary?
I have to keep to a low sodium diet.
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

Omelet > wrote:

>I don't brine, but I do marinate...
>Question: What is brine but a very salty marinade? :-)
>Is all that extra salt really necessary?
>I have to keep to a low sodium diet.

I do not know exactly how much salt ends up in the meat
after brining/rinsing, but it is significant. Taste wise
the brined meat is not to the leel of being too salty for
my taste, and I do object to over-salted food, but it
is fairly salty.

I would say one would not bother with brining unless one
believes it is doing something special to the texture of the meat.
(With fish, the equation is a bit different, and it can be part
of a preserving procedure -- brining followed by smoking.)

Steve

=?iso-2022-kr?q?=1B=24=29C=0E=22=3E=0F_Horry_=0E=22=3E=0F?=
> wrote in :

> But here's a short instructional video by a French(-
> sounding) woman showing how to brine a turkey.
>

A French sounding woman named Natasha with a Roosian accent? LOL!

In article >,
"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "Steve Pope" > wrote in message
> >
> > Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
> > piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
> > in its basic form.
>
> I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
> moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
> or pork chop seem more tender. I've brined many a corned beef and until
> properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.

Then you are not cooking it long and slow enough...
I've never _eaten_ a tough brisket around here!
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>
> >"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
>
> >> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
> >> piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
> >> in its basic form.
>
> >I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
> >moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
> >or pork chop seem more tender. I've brined many a corned beef and until
> >properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.
>
> Okay, thanks for this datapoint. So your thinking is it
> will make like a pork chop seem more tender, because it
> makes it moister, but it doesn't really tenderize the connective
> tissue in any real way?
>
> I'll believe this however the results can be pretty good,
> in terms of faux-tenderizing.
>
> Steve

I get the best results from pork chops cooking them unbrined in the
Hamilton grill!

Hot and fast.

Seems to work better I think in keeping them juicy as it cooks top and
bottom at the same time. I never get a tough chop out of that thing.

It's one of my few gadgets that (imho) is actually worth the space.
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Omelet > wrote:
>
> >I don't brine, but I do marinate...
> >Question: What is brine but a very salty marinade? :-)
> >Is all that extra salt really necessary?
> >I have to keep to a low sodium diet.
>
> I do not know exactly how much salt ends up in the meat
> after brining/rinsing, but it is significant. Taste wise
> the brined meat is not to the leel of being too salty for
> my taste, and I do object to over-salted food, but it
> is fairly salty.
>
> I would say one would not bother with brining unless one
> believes it is doing something special to the texture of the meat.
> (With fish, the equation is a bit different, and it can be part
> of a preserving procedure -- brining followed by smoking.)
>
> Steve

Ok, thanks.

To date, the only thing I've ever had that worked with brining was whole
turkey and that was at my brother in laws.
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

Chemiker said...

> Looks good. I think I'll try it. Maybe on flank
> steak.


Chemiker,

Brine a flank steak? That, to me sounds like a mistake. Jaccard puncture it
then salt and pepper, bbq grilled to rare!

Like so...

http://s2.tinypic.com/vrc2vn.jpg

I'll add that I subscribe to aging steaks to within a day of green slime
stage for best tenderness.

Flank steak always has the best flavor all by itself, imho.

Andy

Lass Chance_2 said...

> I brined last Thanksgiving for the first time. When I checked the
> turkey's temperature, I THOUGHT the digital numbers said 117 degrees, so
> back into the oven the bird went.
>
> Half an hour later, I checked again---onlyTHIS time my friend also
> looked at the digital numbers. "Still 117!" I said. "No,", he replied,
> that says 177".
>
> So, due to my loiusy vision and the weird way digital numbers look, the
> poor bird was overcooked by damn near an hour. However, it tasted
> sublime---very juicy, tender, no dryness in the breast, even...not at
> all ruined as I feared it would be. Im SURE the brining is what saved
> it. Imagine how DRY a turkey would be THAT overcoked, without the
> miracle of extra moisture!
>
> Lass


Lass,

Hooray for brining!!! LOL! Saved the day AND the bird, in a sense! <VBG>

Best,

Andy

Omelet said...

> Is all that extra salt really necessary?
> I have to keep to a low sodium diet.


Om,

I was wondering that myself for ages (high blood pressure being what it is)
and now wonder if potassium chloride (Morton salt substitute) might make a
difference, but for better or worse? I dunno... sodium and potassium
chlorides being two different compounds.

You get the idea.

Best,

Andy

Omelet > wrote:

> (Steve Pope) wrote:

>> Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

>>>"Steve Pope" > wrote in message

>>>> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
>>>> piece of meat. It's not a flavoring technique, at least
>>>> in its basic form.

>>>I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
>>>moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
>>>or pork chop seem more tender. I've brined many a corned beef and until
>>>properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.

>> Okay, thanks for this datapoint. So your thinking is it
>> will make like a pork chop seem more tender, because it
>> makes it moister, but it doesn't really tenderize the connective
>> tissue in any real way?

>> I'll believe this however the results can be pretty good,
>> in terms of faux-tenderizing.

>I get the best results from pork chops cooking them unbrined in the
>Hamilton grill!

>Hot and fast.

Certainly, but it depends on the pork. Commercial pork, yes,
pasteured pork, not so effective. There is where you need
brining. The brining trend for chops and steaks corresponds
to the trend towards free-range.

>Seems to work better I think in keeping them juicy as it cooks top and
>bottom at the same time. I never get a tough chop out of that thing.

That is a superior way to cook a chop/steak. I have to flip
mine in my toaster-broiler.

(Hmm, I've never tried it on "toast" setting for this purpose.
Maybe that would work.

Steve

"Chemiker" > wrote in message
...
> Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
> ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
> She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
> dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
> because they brined the meat first, and later
> reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.
>
> He also said that brining is not as well known
> here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
> use it.
>
> ANybody have any experience on brining
> meats before cooking?
>
> Chemiker, who's never used it.

I rarely cook a turkey without doing a simple apple juice based brine.

I also do something I call de-brining - soaking a whole ham in apple or
orange juice for a day or so to remove the saltiness.

Brining is a GREAT technique and pretty easy to do.

Dimitri

In article >, Andy > wrote:

> Omelet said...
>
> > Is all that extra salt really necessary?
> > I have to keep to a low sodium diet.
>
>
> Om,
>
> I was wondering that myself for ages (high blood pressure being what it is)
> and now wonder if potassium chloride (Morton salt substitute) might make a
> difference, but for better or worse? I dunno... sodium and potassium
> chlorides being two different compounds.
>
> You get the idea.
>
> Best,
>
> Andy

I'm slowly learning to appreciate Potassium Chloride, but I personally
need to use about 1/2 the amount. It tends to (to me) have a bit of a
bitter twinge.

And my Pharmacist told me that it could also cause some fluid retention
if over-used. :-(

I've just gotten used to food with a less salty taste. Did not take too
long either.

I can't hardly stand to eat bacon or luncheon meats now.
Same goes for a LOT of restaurant foods.
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

>
> Ok, thanks.
>
> To date, the only thing I've ever had that worked with brining was whole
> turkey and that was at my brother in laws.
> --
I've used it successfully with turkeys, chicken, pork chops and pork
tenderloins. Pork chops really benefit from this more than anything of
those. It makes it almost impossible to end up with a dry pork chop after
brining.

Jon

Omelet said...

> In article >, Andy > wrote:
>
>> Omelet said...
>>
>> > Is all that extra salt really necessary?
>> > I have to keep to a low sodium diet.
>>
>>
>> Om,
>>
>> I was wondering that myself for ages (high blood pressure being what it
>> is) and now wonder if potassium chloride (Morton salt substitute) might
>> make a difference, but for better or worse? I dunno... sodium and
>> potassium chlorides being two different compounds.
>>
>> You get the idea.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Andy
>
> I'm slowly learning to appreciate Potassium Chloride, but I personally
> need to use about 1/2 the amount. It tends to (to me) have a bit of a
> bitter twinge.
>
> And my Pharmacist told me that it could also cause some fluid retention
> if over-used. :-(
>
> I've just gotten used to food with a less salty taste. Did not take too
> long either.
>
> I can't hardly stand to eat bacon or luncheon meats now.
> Same goes for a LOT of restaurant foods.


Om,

I notice the saltiness but not so much the "bite" that you mention.

I don't salt anything except boiling water. Don't have a salt shaker in the
house.

The box of Morton kosher coarse salt in the pantry is probably about 5
years old and 4/5 full. I should probably put it in my will!

Best,

Andy

On Jan 14, 9:38*am, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
> >"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
> >> Brining is used to help tenderize a tough, but flavorful
> >> piece of meat. *It's not a flavoring technique, at least
> >> in its basic form.
> >I've never heard that. It does add moisture through osmosis and adding
> >moisture may make what would otherwise have been a dried out chicken breast
> >or pork chop seem more tender. * I've brined many a corned beef and until
> >properly cooked like any other brisket, it is still tough.
>
> Okay, thanks for this datapoint. *So your thinking is it
> will make like a pork chop seem more tender, because it
> makes it moister, but it doesn't really tenderize the connective
> tissue in any real way?
>
> I'll believe this however the results can be pretty good,
> in terms of faux-tenderizing.
>
> Steve

I've only noticed brining tenderizing the meat when including citrus
in the brine. Then of course, it's the citrus doing the tenderizing.
The citrus adds great flavors to poultry, but you have to be careful
to not over do it.

Omelet > wrote:

> Question: What is brine but a very salty marinade? :-)
> Is all that extra salt really necessary?

Yes it is necessary to some extent. Look up "osmotic pressure."
If the solution does not have a high enough salt content it
won't push through the cell walls to really get into the meat.
Too low a salt content and it's just marinade. Some marinades
use acids to break down cell structure somewhat. A true brine
uses osmosis.

> I have to keep to a low sodium diet.

Brining may not be for you.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

Andy > wrote:

> I was wondering that myself for ages (high blood pressure
> being what it is) and now wonder if potassium chloride (Morton
> salt substitute) might make a difference, but for better or
> worse? I dunno... sodium and potassium chlorides being two
> different compounds.

Possibly, but only if you're a sodium-sensitive hypertensive.
Only a third or less of individuals with hypertension are.

The way to find out, which you may not want to pursue, is
to establish a baseline for you B.P. without any meds,
then eat a very low sodium diet (< 100 mg/day) for at least
three weeks, then re-test your B.P. To be meaningful you
will have to measure it for several days.

Since undergoing this investigation involves dropping your
meds for awhile it is very unadvised if that would be
a dangerous thing to do.

I'd also be cautious about eating too much potassium.

Steve

Susan > wrote:

>Very little salt or salty taste ends up in the meat, but the process of
>brining makes the meat stay moist, even if accidentally overcooked, and
>the osmosis that occurs in brining transports flavors from the brine
>into the meat, too.

I would like some quantification on "very little salt". Surely
some food scientist has measured how much salt ends up in
brined meat.

To me, the amount of salt is not much different from what
many people would add to their serving of meat, but that's
just my subjective experience. As I mentioned, you're
supposed to rinse thoroughly after brining. (Like, for
a minute or two under cold running water.)

Steve

Steve Pope said...

> Andy > wrote:
>
>> I was wondering that myself for ages (high blood pressure
>> being what it is) and now wonder if potassium chloride (Morton
>> salt substitute) might make a difference, but for better or
>> worse? I dunno... sodium and potassium chlorides being two
>> different compounds.
>
> Possibly, but only if you're a sodium-sensitive hypertensive.
> Only a third or less of individuals with hypertension are.
>
> The way to find out, which you may not want to pursue, is
> to establish a baseline for you B.P. without any meds,
> then eat a very low sodium diet (< 100 mg/day) for at least
> three weeks, then re-test your B.P. To be meaningful you
> will have to measure it for several days.
>
> Since undergoing this investigation involves dropping your
> meds for awhile it is very unadvised if that would be
> a dangerous thing to do.
>
> I'd also be cautious about eating too much potassium.
>
> Steve


Steve,

I've been controlling my high blood pressure for over 10-years. I monitor
my BP several times a day and my salt diet is next to none, where I can
help it.

I keep my BP under med control (diovan). It's nothing I eat, rather it's a
life symptom. I cut salt out entirely but it didn't lower my BP. I figure
it's a small heart pumping all my blood around my large 6'3" frame?

So without making a long story longer, I understand what you mean.

Best,

Andy

On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:56:32 +0000, elaich wrote:

> =?iso-2022-kr?q?=1B=24=29C=0E=22=3E=0F_Horry_=0E=22=3E=0F?=
> > wrote in :
>
>> But here's a short instructional video by a French(- sounding) woman
>> showing how to brine a turkey.
>>
>>
> A French sounding woman named Natasha with a Roosian accent? LOL!

I lived in France (Bordeaux) for 16 years. Her accent is plainly from
the Garonne area.

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> >Seems to work better I think in keeping them juicy as it cooks top and
> >bottom at the same time. I never get a tough chop out of that thing.
>
> That is a superior way to cook a chop/steak. I have to flip
> mine in my toaster-broiler.
>
> (Hmm, I've never tried it on "toast" setting for this purpose.
> Maybe that would work.
>
> Steve

Please report? :-)
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous

On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:06:31 -0600, Chemiker
> wrote:

>Wife was shopping at our fave package store and
>ran into a fellow who was a chef, trained in Europe.
>She mentioned how she enjoyed certain meat
>dishes (in Europe) and he told her it was prob.
>because they brined the meat first, and later
>reincorporated some of the brine into the sauces.
>
>He also said that brining is not as well known
>here in the US, but I know some BBQ-types
>use it.
>
>ANybody have any experience on brining
>meats before cooking?
>
>Chemiker, who's never used it.

Brining has been around for quite some time where I come from. I
typically brine holiday turkeys, but only non-saline-injected birds.
Often cuts like pork tenderloins are "enhanced" with salt solutions,
too. Such things probably shouldn't be brined because they'll end up
way too salty. Anyhow, who wants to pay meat prices for salt water?
But pork chops and such (especially pastured pork, as Steve Pope
already mentioned) benefit from some time in a brine.

Stephen Pyles's brine recipe is this:

1 gallon of water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 Tblsp chopped thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2 cloves
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp cayenne powder

Put all the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil over
medium heat while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool.

A big item like the 20-lb. turkey I did at Thanksgiving, I'll brine
overnight. The pastured pork chops I cooked for guests a while back
got only a little over an hour in the brine before being roasted in a
hot smoke environment -- hotter than typical BBQ, that is.
--
modom

ambitious when it comes to fiddling with meat

Susan > wrote:

>Steve Pope wrote:

>> I would say this is not a brine, it is a marinade. There is not
>> enough salt in it to be a brine, plus there is vinegar -- brines
>> are not acidic.

>> Spices are optional in a brine and sugar is not normally included.
>> These ingredients are more typical in marinades.

>> A basic brine is water and salt in a 12:1 ratio by volume.
>> I've seen recipes calling for 8:1 but I have not found that
>> level of salt necessary. I've seen 16:1 used in a recipe from Acme
>> chop house, San Francisco. The above recipe is about 21:1.
>> I would say the salt concentation is too low for brining action.

>A lot of basic brining recipes also call for sugar, though I've never
>seen one with vinegar in it before, and I would never add it.

I see sugar routinely in brines for fish, not so much for
meat or fowl in my experience. YMMV.

Steve

Omelet > wrote:

> (Steve Pope) wrote:

>> >Seems to work better I think in keeping them juicy as it cooks top and
>> >bottom at the same time. I never get a tough chop out of that thing.

>> That is a superior way to cook a chop/steak. I have to flip
>> mine in my toaster-broiler.
>>
>> (Hmm, I've never tried it on "toast" setting for this purpose.
>> Maybe that would work.

>Please report? :-)

Heh. Unlikely for two reasons. One is the spacing between
the top and bottom elements is, I think, too great. The other
is that for this to work, I would not have anything under
the steak/chop in question and it would drip and get the
toaster oven somewhat other than clean. My cohabitating
partner does not like it when I mess up the toaster oven.

Steve