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?
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?
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