What science says about brining your bird

[IowaGirl]

Full disclosure -- I'm a PhD engineer with a chemistry background. I spent years working in chemistry related fields, and still like to geek-out about chemistry, math, and engineering whenever I find like-minded souls.

In particular I enjoy learning more about the chemistry of food and cooking. I was intrigued by a video I stumbled over today from the Reactions channel on Youtube that is hosted by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Because I have limited internet bandwidth, it's not practical for me to watch all the videos y'all share here, but I made an exception for this one, because ... well, chemistry!

This video, which is about 12 minutes long, delves into the chemistry of what salt does to the proteins in meat. In addition to that, the hosts presented the results of a blind taste test in an effort to answer the question: Does brining chicken make a noticeable difference in taste and texture?

The TLDR answer is ... yes, yes indeed, it does. No surprise to most of us here ... but why?

In a nice combination of humor blended with serious chemistry, the hosts show how they arrived at that conclusion -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlXSRQnIDYI

[acorgihouse]

I will watch it later, waiting for a Zoom meeting here in a minute. Still, my understanding (I'm from the med world, not the chem world) is that the salt breaks protein links, so tenderness ensues.

[nunyaz]

YEPPERS! The first time we brined poultry (as I recall, it was a 4-5 # chicken which we did as a beer can chicken - sans can - on the vortex/kettle) the moist tenderness was OFF-the-CHARTS 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 ... ALL poultry has been brined since then 'round here

Peace,
Nunyaz

[Oak Smoke]

I’ve missed you. Thank you for the post. I think you should be @drIowaGirl.

[IowaGirl]

Thank you, Oak Smoke! It's getting closer to serious outdoor cooking season here in Iowa and maybe that's why I've been daydreaming more about smoking and outdoor cooking lately.

[kenrobin]

Nice video, thanks for sharing!

[klflowers]

Thanks. Very entertaining and just confirms that we are all brilliant food scientists. Ok, maybe just you are...

[wu7y]

Very interesting especially considering the final test was using chicken Mike H. would not use. Thanks for sharing that.

[TripleB]

Thank you. Will watch it.

[randy56]

Enjoyed it thanks for sharing. I do not always brine, to big of a hurry, and not planning. But I can tell the differance.

[smokenoob]

I’m so glad someone was paying attention in chemistry class, I was focusing on electrons, thanks!

[Finster]

If by electrons you mean the cute girl sitting next to you, then me too

[Pjc10324]

Thanks for a great post. We need more science in our cooking to help us understand how things really work and dispel traditional beliefs.

[Jim White]

Thanks. This was helpful and entertaining. I’m normally biased against YouTubes in favor of written articles, but I’m glad I made an exception to watch this.

[Lock Stock and Barrel]

Although I am also a chemistry lover, I have had the great experience of not only Meathead's book but also "The NEW Best Recipes" from Cooks Illustrated. They have a section on brining chicken in salt water, Rosemary and a lot of crushed garlic. After your bird is processed the meat looses a substantial amount of water between cells. Using 24 hour brining the salt with it's osmotic pressure pushes the birds flesh, i.e. water saturation content, back very closed to being butchered fresh. Hence a really juicy bird... and yes the chicken is divine!

[IowaGirl]

Osmosis is not the key factor in brining. I believe Dr Blonder's articles discuss this, and the video I shared does too.

[jjdbike]

Is brining yourself different than buying a commercially brined bird? Also, if the bird is brined, do you change how you season it? In other words, I use commercial rubs that contain salt. Would this make a bird too salty if brined and commercial rub is used?
JD

[Murdy]

FWIW, I dry brine and avoid using a rub with salt in it.

[N227GB]

If you use a commercial rub that contains salt, then the rub is your dry brine. Same for marinades, hot sauce.

[jjdbike]

Thanks Murdy and N227GB,
I needed to know that. Makes a lot of sense. I do like salt, and know some are sensitive to too much. And, too much is too much as it over powers the rest of the flavors.
Best regards!
JD

[Prof Bunky]

Thanks. Following, because chem background.