Using Brines—Liquefied Salt

Although brine is a powerful tool, it can be abused. Make the brine too strong or leave the meat in too long, and you may have an inedible piece of protein on your hands.

For an all-purpose, strong but forgiving brine, I recommend a 5-percent brine: 1 ounce of salt per 20 ounces of water, or 50 grams of salt per 1 liter of water (or, if you don’t have a scale, 2 tablespoons Morton’s kosher salt per 2½ cups of water). In order to dissolve this much salt, you need to heat the water. If you want to flavor your brine with aromatics, such as herbs, spices, or citrus, add them to the water before you bring it to a simmer.