Guys am I losing it?

[Crpdeth]

Below is a post from a guy on another forum, while I know I'm bad to overreact I'm left feeling like flaming this guy and I hate to be out of line.

BUT, am I crazy here? Now brining is for drying? I wonder if he's referring to a "cure brine"... And then all this about "The nasty parts of the smoke"...um ok?

The "moisture on the outside of the meat" thing was in response to my mop recipie.

Believe it or not, the brine is NOT to *keep* the meat from drying out, but to HELP the meat to dry out.

Smoking is also part curing. The object behind the cure is to pull some of the moisture out of the meat. Some cures are pure salt. That's a "hard" cure. When you mix in some sugar, that's a "soft" cure, because the sugar helps retain some moisture.

Too much moisture on the surface of your meat can lead to a very "creosote" like flavor. When you smoke meat, you have to make sure the surface is dry before it goes in the smoke. Otherwise the nasty parts of the smoke end up sticking to the food.

The best way I know of to make a brine is to bring the specific gravity of the water up to the point that you can float a potato in the water. When a peeled potato floats, you've got enough salt/sugar.

My BBQ teacher (Baron Damon Deadtongue, the Barbecue Baron) taught me "If you're lookin' you ain't cookin'" Keep the lid on as much as possible.

I know you guys can help seperate the BS from my uneducatedness and I love to learn.

Thanks in advance!

Crpdeth

[Zilla]

I'm not sure I want any more of a brine debate but, I have read that the floating an egg or a potato in the brine is for pickling vegetables not brining meat.

The brine is supposed to transport fluid into the meat via osmosis. Now I'm not claiming to be a brine master but the above is my very basic understanding of the situation. Nobody shoot! Please!! :roll:

[TB]

The proof is in the pudding, er...uh the chicken. My brines make for more moisture in the meat and don't dry at all. The theory of brining is hotly debated and I don't think it's well understood, so I wouldn't argue on the basis of mechanism or theory but on results.

I'll politely disagree on the basis of results seen and drop it.

[bigwheel]

Well he got a tater and a raw egg mixed up for testing a real brine or maybe yankees use taters for that purpose I aint sure. I made tons of corned beef using the formula with a little salt peter for color. I dont know all the science involved either..but seems like Alton Brown did a show on brining one time and he say the brine do first draw out whut is there and replace it with itself etc. Will testify after a 10 day brine the liquid will be red like blood so it apparently some type of two way street. Now he is dead on right about trying to smoke wet sausage. Even that dumb pollock from Buffler New Yawk with a funny name know mo betta than to do that. Let it drip dry with a good airflow for an hour or two before lighting the fire and it be just fine.

bigwheel

[FairWeatherSmoker]

Don't know about all that scientific stuff, but my brined chickens are a lot moisture than the non brined ones :!:

[Paul Taylor]

Hey CRPDETH, Look @ these posts that you see in here so far. That should give you some clue as to what is BS & what is truth. Oh yeah, go check out Food Network on te web also & look up Alton Brown & his brining for his turkey that he uses. That should be informative. Hell if nothing else, try brining some birds yourself & cooking then & form your own opinion.Just my take.

Paul Taylor

[Crpdeth]

Thanks alot guys...

Paul, I've gotten plenty experience in brining the last few years, in fact his post was made to "shoot down" my advice to another indivuidual.

Now this topic was made on wild hogs, not birds, wild hogs are something I know a little bit about, I have brined whole (young) hogs in my own recipie of hot spices with good results.

I just wanted some more opinions from my friends here, as I love to continue to be educated.

Thanks again

Crpdeth

[Paul Taylor]

:oops: :oops: Oops, sorry man.

Paul Taylor

[Grumpy Gator]

Crpdeth,

That post from that other forum just goes to show that you can read anything on the Internet. Don't make it so...

[TexLaw]

That looks like a combination of folksey misinformation, second hand and untested stuff, and good information (i.e., "if you're lookin', you ain't cookin'). I don't know where in the world he got that you add sugar to a dry cure to help retain moisture.

Really, you could use a brine to dry something out, if you put enough salt or sugar (or whatever) in the brine. However, the idea is to make an isotonic brine (a brine with a neutral osmotic pressure - where as much water goes in as comes out, like BW said). That way you don't dry stuff out. :D

All that said, don't flame the guy. Flaming a pest makes more problems than it solves.


TL

All that said, don't flame the guy.

[Steve-O]

He must be talkin about cold smoking. Like curing hams and such. Cuz, he ain't talking Q.

I brine and it does not dry. And that float an egg thing is hooey for meat unless you like it as salty as a pickle.

I say, clarify what he's talking about and then "Flame On!"

[Zilla]

However, the idea is to make an isotonic brine (a brine with a neutral osmotic pressure


TL - It's Vocbolarry like this that make me proud to know you! I love words like that! :wink: isotonic, isotonic brine hell who is gunna aregue wit sumone who no's words like that? :lol:

[Bad Santa]

Another lawyer.... :wink:

[TB]

Not a hard word. Isotonic means "at the same ton" :roll:

[Zilla]

Who tolt how much I way! :? :lol:

[Paul Taylor]

Hey I am just trying to look @ things from an educational point of view.

[Crpdeth]

Thanks alot guys, just goes to prove that knowing something works dosent make a good arguement in itself, but it's real hard to convince someone who's "been there" that he hasn't...Does that make any sense? :D

Paul, dont you dare apologize! I hope I didn't make you feel like you needed to...

Isotonic, after a 14 hr day I still did my vocabulary word for the day. :twisted:

Crpdeth

[rstcso]

Isotonic, after a 14 hr day I still did my vocabulary word for the day. :twisted:
I thought they made gloves :? .

[TB]

I thought they made gloves :? .
:lol: :lol: :lol:
I'm trying my best not to be an Iso.

[jshively]

Ummm...doesn't a potato float in regular water anyways? Been awhile since I have boiled one but I do remember them bouncing arond in the water.

Umm...if the point is to draw moisture out you think you would want to do something before smoking cheese since it is oh I don't know pretty much freaking moisture. The only time my food has tasted like creoste only when I forget to open the damper and there was no airflow.

Oh well I searched the Internet and was able to find proof that scientology is actually a real religon.

[david brace]

No group hugs needed here...you guys are doing OK...

DB

[3970010]

smoking cheese?

How does that work?

[jshively]

smoking cheese?

How does that work?

take cheese put on coldest part of smoker. 2 minutes on side one. Flip it smoke for another minute. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for a couple hours.

Usually about 200 degrees is where I am at.

[Steve-O]

Get you some cheese.
Put it in your smoker
smoke it at 180 or less for an hour or so. any hotter and it will melt and be a smoked cheese puddle of muck.

sharp cheddar is good to start with.

[Crpdeth]

:lol: :lol: :lol:
I'm trying my best not to be an Iso.

http://bestsmileys.com/lol/14.gif



I thought they made gloves :? .

I dont think they make them for men, but I have a pair anyway since I have small hands anyway and they look good with a leather half trench. :twisted:

Crpdeth

[rstcso]

I dont think they make them for men, but I have a pair anyway since I have small hands anyway and they look good with a leather half trench. :twisted:
Do you also eat Cheetos :shock: ?

[TB]

I dont think they make them for men, but I have a pair anyway since I have small hands anyway and they look good with a leather half trench. :twisted:

Crpdeth
:shock: