The problem with cooking is that the heat dries out meat. And the longer you cook the more moisture escapes.

Marinades do not penetrate more than 1/8 inch or so and really only add a bit of flavor, not much moisture. Basting and spritzing do not penetrate the meat, all they do is cool down the surface and when you open the oven the oven temp drops a lot. Bad idea.

There is a way to get moisture deep down into the muscle tissue that will produce juicier meat: Soak it in water. Better still, soak it in salt water.

Here's the concept. If the meat is submerged in a water, a physical and chemical process called osmosis will cause the meat to absorb the liquid. Osmosis is the tendency of two liquids, the one in the meat and the one outside the meat, to equalize the concentration of the stuff dissolved in it. In effect, osmosis causes the water from the outside to enter the meat and dilute the fluids in an attempt to equalize. At the same time, some of the fluids inside flow out. The end result is that osmotic pressure swells the meat with moisture.

By adding salt to the water you can create more osmotic pressure because of salts unique chemical properties, and because salt is a flavor enhancer, you can add flavor. In addition, salt also changes the way the meat proteins are arranged. They unwind and form a matrix that traps the moisture so less is lost during cooking. This process is called denaturing. The process does not tenderize. It only adds moisture, improves moisture retention, and it can enhance flavors.

Salt can enhance flavors, but too much can make it unpleasant. So the trick is to not make the brine too salty and not leave the meat in too long. The time left in the brine depends on the thickness of the meat. If you add sugar and other seasoning to the brine, some of it will get pulled into the meat, too. It is common to add garlic powder and even vegetable stock to brines.

Yes, it adds a bit of saltiness to the meat, but no, it doesn't make the meat too salty, unless you overdo it. If you are on a low salt diet, you can just soak meat in water. Brining is especially good on pork, chicken, and turkey. It is not recommended for red meats.

A basic brine

All about salt There are many kinds of salt. Table salt has anti-caking agents so it works well in salt shakers, and iodine as a health additive. Kosher salt has no iodine but can occasionally contain small amounts of anti-caking additive. Sea salt usually has minute amounts of minerals which can give it colors from pink to black. Pickling salt dissolves well in cold water. Many chefs prefer kosher salt because it is usually additive free and easy to pinch. Salt grains are different size and as a result a cup of one brand of salt can have more air in it than a cup of another. Here's a helpful conversion table: 1 part Morton's table salt = 1.5 parts Morton's Kosher Salt = 1.8 parts Morton's Pickling Salt = 2 parts Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

Warning! If you plan to use a rub, and you should use a rub, leave the salt out of the rub recipe if you brine! Brine first, apply your salt free rub, and, if possible, let the rub penetrate for an hour in the refrigerator, or even overnight. You are then ready to start cooking.

A basic brine for should be 1 cup of table salt to 1 gallon of water and 1 hour in the refrigerator. If sugar is added it should not exceed the salt. Keep thicker meats such as turkey in the brine longer, up to 12 hours.

Try to select meats that have not been pumped by flavored water at the factory. For example, try to avoid ribs that say "enhanced" or "flavor enhanced" and turkeys and chickens that say "self-basting" or "basted." They have salty fluids already injected. If you can only find pumped ribs and other thin cuts, do not brine. If you can only find pumped turkey, go ahead and brine, but cut the time down to about 6 hours.

Yield. Makes 1 gallon, enough for 6 pounds of meat
Preparation. 10 minutes
Soaking time. 1 hour for ribs

1 gallon cold water
1.8 cups pickling salt (or 1 cup of table salt)
1 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons of garlic powder (not garlic salt)

About the salt. If you have it, use pickling salt because it dissolves more easily in cold water and there are no additives.

About the sugar. Molasses also dissolves faster in cold water, but it can color the meat.

Option. If you plan to cook the meat indoors, you might want to add 1/4 cup liquid smoke to the brine to get a mild smoky flavor.

Do this
1) Stir the dry ingredients in the water until the salt and sugar dissolve.

2) Submerge the meat in the brine and refrigerate. For thin cuts like ribs or chicken breasts, brine for only one hour. Do not leave thin cuts in too long or the brine will make the meat too salty and pull out too many of the juices! When it comes to brining, more is not better. A reader who brined ribs overnight emailed me to say the result tasted like ham from a can.

3) Remove the ribs, rinse with cold water to wash off excess salt, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. If time permits, let the meat rest in the refrigerator for another hour to allow the brine to equalize itself throughout the meat and for the rub to penetrate.

This page revised 9/1/08