Brining your Holiday Meal

Logan Niles

Every holiday I brine either a turkey or pork loin for the main roast at our house and since I first learned about brining I became an instant fan of this easy cooking technique. Brining meat is an age old culinary technique that adds great, personalized flavour to meat, fowl and even seafood. Not only will a brine add flavour, but it keeps your food moist even when cooked at high temperatures and shortens cooking time. Brining consists of a completely submerging your product of choice in a salty-sweet liquid you prepare using ingredients that best compliments the item you’re cooking. If a little sodium in your meal doesn’t bother you then this is a great technique you may like to enlist for your next holiday meal.

Turkey brines are great with fresh sage, apple cider/apple cider vinegar and a little brandy. Chicken works great with lots of garlic, fresh rosemary, white wine and bay leaves, as does pork loin; while salmon fillets benefit from fresh dill, shallots, mustard seeds and sea salt. Brines can also take on the ethnic characteristics of a particular cuisine beautifully so your imagination sets the limit when it comes to ingredient choices. Just a few, of many, wonderful options below to help add an ethnic kick to your next brine recipe:

Asian: Ginger, garlic, scallion, lemon grass, white pepper, chilies, star anise, kaffir lime leaf, galangal root, 5 spice powder, soy sauce, coriander/cilantro, rice wine vinegar, sugarcane vinegar.

East Indian: Turmeric, white onion, garlic, ginger, curry leaf, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, coriander/cilantro, fenugreek.

Italian: Basil, garlic, rosemary, lemon peel, bay leaf, balsamic vinegar, parsley.

Middle Eastern: Sumac, garlic, cinnamon, saffron, ginger, clove, sweet paprika, cilantro, parsley, orange, lemon, mint, honey, anise, Turkish pepper, za’atar.

Greek: Oregano, thyme, olive juice, parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, citrus peel, bay leaf, red onion, honey.

Spanish: Onion, garlic, sherry vinegar, piquillo peppers, olive juice, saffron, citrus peel, paprika, sherry.

Latin: Cumin, coriander/cilantro, onion, garlic, chilies, hoja santa leaf, avocado leaf, epazote, bitter orange, anotto, rum.

Classic French: Thyme, parsley, savory, chervil, garlic, shallots, wine vinegars, bay leaves, lemon, regional wines, capers.

Your choice of salts and sweeteners also play a vital role in the flavour profile of your brines and finished product. Experiment with mixing sugars like standard white, dark brown, molasses, varietal honeys, coconut, palm or date sugars to bring a mellow base note to your brine.

The world of salt, non-iodized only please, has greatly expanded from the basic stuff your grandmother always used. Companies like Salt Works carry an impressive offering of naturally harvested and even smoked sea salts from around the world. The deep, musky Salish, an Alderwood smoked salt, goes wonderfully with pork and fowl while the Kala Namak, or “Indian Black Salt”, deepens the flavour of traditional Indian fare; especially any dish with coconut milk. Though more pricey than store say kosher salt when preparing smaller portions a little specialty product goes a long way in creating a truly memorable meal with added depth and dimension to your food without a great deal of work on your part.

The base of your brine can be water or a flavourful, low (or no) soduim stock like chicken or vegetable. Keep in mind though that once your food has brined the brine can’t be re-used and must be discarded so if cost is a factor then water will be your best bet.

Lastly a little acid helps to add a little zing and added tenderizing properties when used in moderation so various vinegars and/or alcohol products like, rum, beer or wine make great additions. For meats/seafood cooked to well done what little alcohol content went into the food will be cooked out by this point.

The internet has a wealth of recipes and additional info regarding brines but one great site I highly recommend is: Virtual Weber Bullet which provides great basic recipes, tricks, tips and well researched “how to” information.

If you’re in the Toronto area spices and herbs can be purchased at Bulk Barn, various grocery stores in Little India/China Town and House of Spice as well as at Kensington Market for the more exotic items. New York shoppers will find everything they need, and then some, at Kalustyan’s Oriental Trading. So get into the kitchen this holiday season and start brining so you can be a pro come the Summer!