This topic,Brining, is kinda floating around out there in the background,but all the chefs on the Food Channel are teaching and extolling it.
Alton Brown/Good Eats does a series on brining poultry and lean pork, and I believe even has a DVD.
He also adds pork butts,as some comp cooks do.
America's Test Kitchen/Cooks' magazine redoes various shows on brining, with different cuts of fowl and pork.
Many cooks will even say that the pumping of today's lean bred, whole porkloins with salt water is essential,to turn out edible product ,by today's home cooks.
Comp cooks will add wing flats to their turnin boxes,along with the main item and brine them as well.
You can achieve higher scores for the courage to turn in breast meat-because it is almost impossible to cook correctly.
Thus,breasts are brined.
Many of us hear the word/process ,brining,and fear we are out of our league,or doubling our workload,or adding expense.
The truth be known, that after you do it a few times,it is no more than evenly coating your product with rub.
Try a simple brine,we have all the ingredients right there in the pantry,and add a breast piece,a thigh,wing,leg,and a 3/4 inch thick pork loin chop.
Do a batch like it unbrined.
Grill each, and then let a couple interested friends,try some of each-unidentified.
That will change your outlook -forever!
Pork chops cut from these are almost impossible to prepare well,without brining.
We have always heard that "things" taste like chicken,or chicken will be a foil to whatever flavor you wish.
Since there is NO Fat,brining is the method to introduce that flavor that makes folks sit up and take notice.
Brining will allow you to" accidently overcook",or hold product too long,and still have a superior product.
We all know that pork fat gives that flavor to pork,but there is none to today's super lean bred loins/tenderloins.
Thus ,not only can we greatly improve the moisture to cooked pork/poultry,but this is the single best way to produce flavor, evenly, throughout the product.
At the top level in comp cooking 1/1,000 th of a point can cost a win,or loss.
We all know that brining pays huge dividends,beyond that.
Now,we are fortunate to have the guy that has arguably done more work on brining, than anyone in the bbq business.
He has helped and made a firm believer of me,as well as being recognized by bbq cooks across the country.
We never seem to stress how important/critical brining can be for fine cooking/success.
Yes,Smokin'Okie has shared his fine Brining 101 with us,but folks don't think to mention that it could be FAR MORE important, than all our discussions of which rub,or sauce,or wood,or when to apply them.
Well,that's my $0.02 for the holiday,so I'll get off here-before someone accuses me of makin' a Smokin'Okie post.
