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Dry brining, what am I doing wrong? (I don't think anything.)

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    Dry brining, what am I doing wrong? (I don't think anything.)

    For about a year I dry brined my meats. Ribs, chuckies, pork butts, steaks, chicken, all got dry brined. Except brisket, because it's really expensive and I got lucky with my first one and didn't want to change anything.

    Back to the topic. I stopped dry brining this year, because I don't like the way it affects the texture and flavor of the meat. The only way I can describe it is that it reminds me of lunch meat.

    It's not a big deal to me: it's my barbecue, people have loved barbecue for years before dry brining, and it comes out the way the want it to, so everything is good. I still use salt in my rubs, so I still get the flavor. But I'm curious. Am I getting a different result, or am I getting the same result but don't like the way it tastes?

    I did consider that that I may have unknowingly been buying meats that were already enhanced. That is common with chicken and pork. But it is usually on the packaging, and I try to buy the organic chicken at Wegman's, which is specifically not injected. The pork at Wegman's isn't marked as injected, and the ribs are marked as 4% salt solution at Weis Markets. I pay attention to that stuff. And anyhow, it doesn't account for the beef.

    So I don't think I'm doing anything wrong, if my meals come out the way I want them to then I think I'm doing the right thing.

    What says the accumulated wisdom of The Pit?
    42
    I don't like dry brining, either.
    2.38%
    1
    I get the same result, but I like the change.
    2.38%
    1
    Try varying... (amount of salt, length of time, etc)
    19.05%
    8
    It's your food, cook it the way you want to.
    78.57%
    33

    #2
    Come to think of it.....I don't think I have BBQ'd anything with out dry brining. So I really can't speak to what is better. I guess I have just put my faith in Meathead when he says to dry brine.

    This might be an interesting side by side comparison test that I an do next time I buy a double pack of pork shoulder.

    I am one of those "It's Your food, cook it the way you want too."

    Comment


      #3
      I don't actually dry brine a lot of the meats I cook. I don't do it, generally, with pork except for chops and pork loin. Pork butt and ribs, not at all. I don't dry brine chicken, either. Although I will usually let it sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours to dry out the skin. I have dry brined a turkey, and really liked it. My steaks, absolutely .... generally for 1-4 hours, not 24 hours. Haven't dry brined a brisket, but I'm going to give it a shot on the next one I cook and see what it does for me, if anything.

      Also, cook food so it tastes good to you! :-)

      Comment


        #4
        I would imagine of you are using seasonings with salt in then you would get the same type of flavor profile, but with a dr brine the salt is getting absorbed further into the meat. I don't know if it works really make that much of a difference with the moistness of the meat when you are slow cooking.

        Comment


          #5
          Mosca, Tom, I started Dry Brining based on advice I absorbed Here from Meathead & @Dr. Blonder! I actually believe the use of Coarse Kosher Salt helps to Keep the Meat Moister?
          Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

          Comment


            #6
            When I dry brine I use coarse kosher salt. I typically only dry brine, for any amount of considerable time, chops and steaks.

            If I have time I will sprinkle ribs and chicken with salt for and hour or two before hand but only if I have time and room in the fridge.

            Thick cuts like pork butt I never dry brine as my thought is it will never really get that far in anyway. I typically inject pork butt with a solution that has salt in it.

            I still say go with what you like. How is it wrong if that is the way you like it?

            Comment


            • Nate
              Nate commented
              Editing a comment
              Mosca same here only right before I cook them.

            • LangInGibsonia
              LangInGibsonia commented
              Editing a comment
              I've never injected butt but I'd like to try it. Is there a commercial marinade that you use or do you make your own?

            • Nate
              Nate commented
              Editing a comment
              LangInGibsonia , I personally make Chris Lilly's World Championship Pulled Pork Injection Recipe and use a variation of his rub recipe as well for the rub. I find it to be a very good combination.

            #7
            I dry brine everything except here lately I have started to inject my briskets. The way that I see it it must be important to dry/wet brine or Meathead and @Dr Blonder wouldn't have such a big write up and video on the subject.
            BTW, I voted on #4 it's your food.
            Last edited by DWCowles; October 23, 2016, 04:23 PM.

            Comment


              #8
              Spinaker, Ah Hell just through a Little Salt in Your Boots and Smoke Them for 27 Hrs! By the Way Carson Never Played Football until he was a Jr. in
              High School! 👐🏿👍😇👍👐🏿
              Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan
              Attached Files

              Comment


              • Spinaker
                Spinaker commented
                Editing a comment
                eh, He also had a 52.4 QB rating yesterday, Two INTs, and 139 yards passing. Eagles won, but the Wentz wasn't the reason.

              #9
              I'm very sensitive to texture and have not noticed any difference myself .

              The eye of round I just SV'd and Seared, salt was the only thing added.

              Comment


                #10
                I notice it more when I don't dry brine overnight and then I end up kicking myself.

                Comment


                  #11
                  I never dry brined until joining AR, but now never don't. I think it makes meat a little more succulent if that makes sense. With that said, I will occasionally forget (CRS disease) to overnight a big hunk like butt and it turns out just fine. It's kind of like wine, drink what you like.

                  Comment


                    #12
                    I think Meathead's special attention to and use of the term "Dry Brining" has tended to blow the importance of the process all out of its actual importance. To me all dry brining is, is salting the meat (to taste) ahead of time and letting it rest a while before cooking. As opposed to salting after the meat after it has cooked. As Meathead has explained in detail, there are very good reasons to "dry brine" to help the cooking process and flavor.

                    When I was young, I vaguely recall discussions as the whether you should apply salt to your steak before or after it was cooked. Meathead has solved that question without doubt, and added that it is better to salt sometime before cooking, not just before the meat is placed on the pit or grill.

                    Comment


                      #13
                      So Mosca it looks like you got feedback all over the board but the definitive survey answer is "it is your food, cook the way you want" .... how do you think you are going to proceed? or have you tried something else yet that you prefer?

                      I tend towards the camp of cook it the way you like it...

                      Comment


                        #14
                        Originally posted by Nate View Post
                        So Mosca it looks like you got feedback all over the board but the definitive survey answer is "it is your food, cook the way you want" .... how do you think you are going to proceed? or have you tried something else yet that you prefer?

                        I tend towards the camp of cook it the way you like it...
                        On the one hand, there is a near unanimous consensus for [blindfaith]"do what you like"[/blindfaith].

                        On the the other hand, I think I am going to try using less salt and brining for a shorter time. There may be a point in there where I get a benefit.

                        Although I believe in the science, actually doing the science, like keeping logs and stuff, isn't my bag. I'm just going to wing it and see what happens. Life is a feeling, after all.

                        Comment


                        • Nate
                          Nate commented
                          Editing a comment
                          I hear ya. I'm not good at always knowing what we are going to eat every day of the week and sometimes it is close to a game time decision and am not able to dry brine overnight. Shorter times is usually what I have to deal with.

                        #15
                        Back when I first started reading this site, I used wet brining on chicken and it worked great. It made the chicken moist and succulent, just like at KFC. I wet brined (sweet pickle brine) and then did a few pieces of chicken without brining. The difference was night and day. This was one of the things that made me a Meathead convert. After reading the science behind brining, and seeing firsthand what a difference it made, I blindly trusted everything else on this site. To be honest, it really hasn't failed me yet.

                        I like how everything has been spelled out explicitly. The recipes have been tested, quantities adjusted to optimum, and only the best remains. As soon as I had read enough of the site (it takes a while to get through it all) I started dry brining instead. It's easier than wet brining and doesn't take up so much space in my small fridge. I once asked Meathead what the difference was between dry brining and wet brining and the answer I got was "why don't you try it?" So that's on my agenda, but I haven't yet come around to cooking chicken again.

                        I'm doing three pork butts for a bar party next week (different bar this time) so that's my new meat on the agenda. I'm going to dry brine it because the instructions say to do so, plus the way the science was explained to me, it makes sense. It just absorbs the salt into the interior of the meat instead of lying on the surface.

                        Comment

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