All Purpose Mild Brine for Poultry and Pork
Elevate your poultry and pork dishes with this versatile All Purpose Mild Brine recipe—a simple yet transformative technique to achieve juicy, flavorful meat every time. Crafted with a balance of kosher salt, sweet brown sugar, aromatic garlic, and earthy thyme sprigs, this brine imparts subtle layers of seasoning without overpowering the natural flavors of your protein. Black peppercorns and bay leaves add depth, while ice-cooling ensures safety and quick preparation. Perfect for roasting, grilling, or smoking, this brine recipe will have you savoring tender, perfectly seasoned poultry or pork with minimal effort. Follow this straightforward brining process to unlock restaurant-quality results in your own kitchen!
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 8 cups Water
- 0.5 cup Kosher salt
- 0.25 cup Brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Black peppercorns
- 2 pieces Bay leaves
- 4 pieces Garlic cloves (crushed)
- 5 pieces Thyme sprigs (optional)
- 4 cups Ice
Instructions
In a medium-sized pot, combine 4 cups of water, kosher salt, and brown sugar.
Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. This typically takes about 5 minutes.
Once dissolved, remove the pot from heat and add the black peppercorns, bay leaves, crushed garlic, and optional thyme sprigs.
Allow the brine concentrate to cool to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes.
Transfer the brine concentrate to a large bowl or container.
Add the remaining 4 cups of cold water and 4 cups of ice to the mixture, ensuring that the brine becomes cold. This is important to keep raw poultry or pork at a safe temperature.
Submerge the poultry or pork completely in the brine. Place a weight (such as a plate) over the meat to ensure it stays fully submerged if necessary.
Cover the container and refrigerate for the recommended duration. For poultry, brine for 4-6 hours, and for pork, brine for 6-8 hours. Avoid over-brining to prevent overly salty meat.
Once brining is complete, remove the meat and rinse it thoroughly under cold water to wash away excess salt.
Pat the meat dry with paper towels and proceed with your preferred cooking method.
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
178 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 0.4 g | 1% | |
| Saturated Fat | 0.0 g | 0% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% | |
| Sodium | 53764 mg | 2338% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 45.4 g | 17% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g | 9% | |
| Total Sugars | 35.2 g | ||
| Protein | 1.5 g | 3% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.0 mcg | 0% | |
| Calcium | 208 mg | 16% | |
| Iron | 1.5 mg | 8% | |
| Potassium | 207 mg | 4% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
