Brining is an ancient culinary technique used to enhance the flavour, tenderness, and juiciness of meat or poultry. It involves soaking the food in a solution of water, salt, and sometimes sugar and other flavourings. The science of brining is fairly simple but fascinating; the amazing results that it brings comes down to osmosis and protein denaturation. Let’s get into it!
The Science
The salt in a brine penetrates into the meat through osmosis. Nature always wants balance; in order to achieve an equal distribution of salt on both sides of the cell membrane of the meat, water molecules move out of the cell and into the higher salt concentration of the water. Simultaneously, through the process of diffusion, the salt moves into the area of lower salt concentration, until equilibrium is reached.
Once the salt has entered the meat, it performs two tasks:
- The salt dissolves the protein structure supporting the muscle filaments (with a 3% brine) or dissolves the filaments themselves (with a 6% brine). The filaments are the threads within the muscle.
- The salt denatures the proteins, unfolding them and increasing their surface area which allows them to hold more water, which allows them to absorb the brine.
The weight of the meat increases by 10% when brined, and it will lose around 20% when cooked. This effectively means it is retaining 10% more moisture when cooked than if it wasn’t brined, leading to a juicier product. Additionally, the dissolved muscle filaments can’t coagulate as densely, helping lead to a more tender texture.
Example technique
Try brining something like pork chop or chicken, that is less fatty and therefore more prone to drying out.
- 2 litres water
- 100g good quality sea salt
- 30g sugar
- 1 bulb garlic (cut in half)
- 1/2 bunch thyme
- 1tsp black peppercorns
Bring everything to the boil and simmer until salt is dissolved. Chill completely so you don’t cook the product at all, then place a protein of your choice in the brine for 24 hours.
This post is a continuation on The Art of Flavour which I highly recommend you check out. If you enjoyed this, please consider subscribing to the newsletter below and following along on Instagram @tastingnotesblog.
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