Basic Brine Recipe

Q: I am looking for a basic brining recipe from which I can start and add sundry ingredients to as I experiment...what are the basics and hopefully I can shoot a grand new recipe back at ya soon. Thanks

A: The basic brine that I use is as follows:

1 Gal Water
1 Cups Kosher Salt
1 Cup Sugar (Brown sugar seems to work best)

To this mix you can add things such as:

• Molasses
• Honey
• Wine
• Fruit Juice
• Cola
• Zattarains Crab Boil
• Tabasco
• Worcestershire
• Soy Sauce (unsalted or decrease your salt a little if you use very much)
• Liquid Smoke (I do not prefer this myself but it is an option)
• Beer
• Ginger Ale
• Herbs/Spices (rosemary, cloves, cinnamon, etc.)
• Beef Broth
• Chicken Broth

That is my short list..

To properly blend the flavors into your brine consider simmering the main flavors, additives, etc. in a sauce pan for a few minutes before adding to the main brine.

It is also important to note that the brine must be kept below 40 degrees during the entire brine to keep it free of bacteria.. most people know this however, based on questions I have had in the past I always mention it just to be on the safe side.

Also see my page on Brining Meat for more in depth information and my very own turkey brine recipe.

Some folks like to use a turkey brining bag better than a bucket and you can use it for fish, chicken, pork butt, etc. whatever you need to brine with easy cleanup. (A 2-gallon ziploc works great too if you can find them.)


Visit Smoking-Meat.com for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.

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