Whether you want to believe it or not, Brining Is Better!
I have heard for years that brining is the secret to cooking moist meats and chicken but have resisted from practicing it myself. After numerous letters from visitors about dried out pork chops, I decided to give brining a chance and All I Can Say Is, Give Brine A Chance.
You can see what I had to say about brining pork chops on my post Brining Is Better. There is also a recipe from Jim Tarantino, the master of brining and author of Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glaces, for his All-Purpose Basic Brine.
I followed that post up with Some Brining Tips discussing what type of salt you use and how all salt is not the same. Because different salts come in different sizes and shapes, one cup of table salt does not equal one cup of kosher salt. For example, there are approximately 8 ounces per cup of Morton kosher salt but 10 ounces per cup of regular table salt. This can have a huge effect on the brining recipe you are following.
Jim was kind enough to let me post his chart for Calculating Your Brine.
|
Water |
Diamond Crystal |
Morton kosher salt |
Table Salt |
Sweeteners |
|
(4.8 oz per cup)
|
(8 oz per cup)
|
(10 oz per cup)
|
||
|
2 quarts
|
1/2 cup
|
1/3 cup
|
1/4 cup
|
1/2 cup
|
|
1 gallon
|
1 cup
|
3/4 cup
|
1/2 cup
|
1 cup
|
|
2 gallons
|
2 cups
|
1-1/2 cups
|
1 cup
|
2 cups
|
|
3 gallons
|
3 cups
|
2 1/4 cups
|
1-1/2 cups
|
3 cups
|
|
5 gallons
|
5 cups
|
3-3/4 cups
|
2-1/2 cups
|
5 cups
|
the information is great although I dont see where you talk about how much time is needed to brine. I am cooking porkchops (in a casserole) and thought this would be good, but don’t know how long to submerge my pork chops.
thanks much,
janis
Great question Janis and I thought I gave brining times in a different article I posted but realize I should include one here and I will. It really depends on what you are brining but according to Jim Tarantino who wrote the book on brining called Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glazes, pork chops should be brined 6 – 8 hours. Are you slow cooking the pork chops in your casserole?