There are several ways or seasoning meat. While the most common method is to use moisture so that the meat remains tender and soft, there are also methods where you don’t use hydration and yet get a juicy and succulent piece of meat. One such method is dry brining. At the onset, the name tells you that the process takes place using dry ingredients where you rub the meat with salt instead of soaking it in salt water. The meat is then allowed to rest so that the body absorbs the salt.
While the basic process has already been described it is time to dig deeper and find out the science behind dry brining. Once the meat is rubbed all over with salt, the moisture is drawn out from the surface. The salt starts dissolving in the natural juices of the meat and turns into brine. This brine is again absorbed by the meat, breaking down the proteins to make way for juicier and tender meat.
Dry brining and the duration depend on the type of meat you are using. For chicken and steaks anything between 1 – 4 hours does the trick while for a whole chicken it may need 12-24 hours, and hence leaving it overnight is always a good idea. For other roasts like Turkey it may take longer, even between 24-48 hours. What makes this process stand out from other methods is that it is non-messy, results in better flavour and a crisper outer skin. Its versatility makes it work wonders on different kinds of meat – chicken, turkey, beef, seafood, pork etc.
How to dry brine your meat?
Carrying out this process is actually very simple. All you need to do is keep the dry or powdered ingredients handy. Clean the meat and pat is absolutely dry. Rub it well with salt. You can leave it to brine at this stage and later marinade it or you can optionally mix other powdered spices and add them on to the meat as well. Spices like pepper, garlic powder, dried herbs, paprika powder etc. work well on meat and can also be added during this stage. Refrigerate the meat, preferably without cover or lightly covered. Once the designated brining duration is over, cook as usual.
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