Poultry and pork are easy to overcook, which can lead to dry, flavourless meals. But chef David Neinstein of Barque Smokehouse has a tip for keeping these meats juicy and flavourful.
“In my opinion, everyone should be doing more brining at home,” he says. “It’s so easy, and it makes a huge difference.”
Neinstein creates his own simple brine by combining four litres of warm water with one cup of granulated sugar and one cup of kosher salt (if you don’t have kosher salt on hand, regular table salt will do the trick, but use only a half cup instead).
Once the sugar and salt are fully dissolved, Neinstein adds white meat or pork to the brine, then covers it, refrigerates it and leaves it to soak for two to 24 hours before cooking. This process improves flavour and helps the meat retain moisture.
Two hours is enough time for the brine to start to take hold, but Neinstein suggests starting the brine the night before so that the meat is thoroughly saturated and ready to be cooked the following day.
Every week, we reveal a quick kitchen tip from a Toronto chef to help make cooking at home a little bit easier. Chef Tip appears on Wednesdays.