Brine Your Meats

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Get the best out of your meats.

The simple step of brining brings flavor to the fore in meats. Add a complementary sauce, at left, and you're set.

Each fall, thanks to my friend Phil DeLaney, I‘m lucky enough to have a pretty steady supply of venison. And the cut I most cherish is the backstrap. But it's lean and if I'm steering it towards the grill, rather than something putting out less heat, I'm taking a chance that it can get tough, even when thinly sliced. So I brine.

Brining all sorts of meat and poultry prior to cooking has become a popular method in recent years. It's a different technique from what's known as marinating, as its purpose is mainly to moisturize and tenderize the flesh, rather than flavor it. Yes, marinades do tenderize, but if you want to taste the original flavor of the meat, brine.

Brining techniques depend on the size of the meat in question. Large birds like turkeys can be submerged in large stockpots. Or if you're preparing several for a turkey-frying feast, consider a (new, unused) plastic garbage can. Smaller birds or prime cuts of meat work well in store-bought roasting bags or big zip-top bags. Table cuts like chops and backstrap can simply be submerged and covered in non-reactive baking dishes. Brining solutions vary, but the main ingredients are water, salt, and something sweet. Brining times vary, too. Most chefs recommend at least 6 hours in the fridge, with 24 hours being the maximum. Then, about an hour before cooking begins, remove the meat from the brine, drain and pat it dry.

Brining works well to moisturize meats headed towards the deep fryer, the grill or the hot cast iron pan. Cuts like loins, chops and meats that need to be simply seared and served rare to medium-rare are particularly good after brining. There's no need to brine meats headed towards the stew pot or slow cooker, and there's also no need to brine seafood. In the case of slow cooking, that method alone will tenderize even the toughest of meat. And in the case of seafood, there is no need to tenderized that tasty, flaky, fishy flesh. FS

The Brine

Stir the following ingredients together until the salt dissolves. Makes 1/2 gallon. Adjust quantities depending on how much meat you plan to brine. For example, a turkey might need 3 to 5 gallons.

2 quarts water

1 cup kosher salt

½ cup molasses

½ cup orange juice

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

5 crushed bay leaves

Guava-Dijon Sauce

This one's simple, and adds a Caribbean touch to wild game. Serve alongside, or drizzle it over the meat just before serving. Combine the following, heat in a saucepan and whisk:

1 cup Palmalito guava jelly (available statewide in Publix Supermarkets)

½ cup Dijon mustard

Juice from a large Florida orange

First published Florida Sportsman October 2014