VIDEO- Dr. Greg Blonder: "The Magic Of Salt: So Vital, And So Misunderstood" (53 mins)

[docblonder]

Fienshmeker-

You are correct- wet and dry both continue to diffuse in at about the same rates. I was trying to make a slightly different point, but did so awkwardly so this is a great opportunity to clarify.

Most wet salt brines are very strong- 6% or more. Dry rub brines are even saltier- nearly 50% at the surface when you first shake on. But, since the amount of salt is limited by what you shook on, the concentration in the meat continues to decline with time, until it is uniformly diluted at say the 0.5% level. On the other hand, if you left meat in a salt brine for the same time as you did for dry, the salt level continues to RISE because it can draw on the "infinite' supply in the brine. At some point, the wet brine will end up oversalting the meat compared to dry. Which is the problem with wet brines- how fast the salt enters depends on temp, fattiness, orientation of the meat fibers to the surface, the species, etc. Very hard to predict the outcome with wet brines, which is why I generally favor dry.

In the first half hour, both wet and dry quickly diffuse in the top 1/4" or so. Typically, this means you end up with less total salt in the meat after a half hour in wet brine vs dry, due to the above effects.


Also see

http://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/grad-school-seminars-with-pitmaster-professors-aa/magic-of-salt-aug-14/10560-1-4-or-1-2-tsp

[TheFienshmeker]

Question on Dry vs. Wet Brine: Why does the good doctor seem to say (mark 26 min) that wet brine does not continue to penetrate with time but stops at the fist 1/4" and only continues during cooking - but dry seems to penetrate deeper with time, why wouldn't wet brine continue as dry brine, (If true how could anyone every wet brine a brisket in wet brine to make corn beef, if it wouldn't penetrate the meat all the way, how can it be preserved fully? What is is about the wet (water) that stops the salt from penetrating using a wet brine?

[David Parrish]

Game changer ! Thanks !

Welcome to The Pit TL! When you have a moment, check out my Welcome letter and tips topics, which will help you complete your signature (Tip#1). They're here and here.

[tastey life]

Game changer ! Thanks !

[Mayhem Mike]

The last thing I wanted to watch this morning was a seminar on SALT! But, curiosity prevailed and I ended up watching the WHOLE PROGRAM. Very interesting---and important and useful! I've since shared the key concepts with several family members. Thanks, Dr. Blonder! (From now on, no more salt in my rub mix!)

[dprice]

That was incredibly informative. Sets a high standard for those that follow!

[richinlbrg]

This was excellent. Thank you, MH and Dr. Blonder, I learned a lot. Watched some segments multiple times and will be makin some adjustments. Thank you!

[smarkley]

Wow... just got a chance to hear this archived version... Just WOW! This changes everything!

[David Parrish]

Nice one Frackenator

[fracmeister]

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea" Isak Dinesen or Karen Blixen...not sure
"The cure for anything is salt --on brisket, steak, ribs, pork shoulder...." fracmeister---for sure

[David Parrish]

Indeed. I think we all did

[Chrisonthego]

Excellent info. Learned a lot!

[David Parrish]

Dr. Greg Blonder, is an amazing polymath and the AmazingRibs.com resident science advisor and mythbuster. He has a physics BS from MIT and a physics PhD from Harvard. In his life as a physicist he rose to become the Chief Technical Advisor at AT&T's legendary Bell Labs and he holds more than 80 patents in the areas of optical disk recording, integrated fiber optic devices, displays, computer systems, software, and user interfaces.
As an entrepreneur, he has been a partner at the Morgenthaler Ventures, a technology centric venture capital firm that has supplied funds to Apple among others. He has also lectured at Columbia University and Wharton, written a number of articles for Business Week, and teaches Scenario Planning part time at Parson's The New School for Design.
His love of food, especially barbecue, has brought him to food science where he conducts original research for this website, and patiently answers my dumb questions. He has enough grills and smokers that he could open a retail business, and nobody I know understands better than he what happens when heat hits meat.
For this Seminar, we will be discussing salt, why you need it in cooking, why it is essential for human survival, and how it reacts with different foods in its own special way.

Background reading

Here are some of Meadhead's articles on:
Salt
Wet brines
Dry brines
Marinades

Illustrations used during the seminar