When you get into the world of brining, you will discover that there are many different methods of brining. One of the most common questions we get at Prochewaus is, “can you brine chicken and pork together?”
The answer is yes, it can be done. Chicken and pork may seem like two different animals when it comes to their meat but they are actually very similar in terms of their muscles, fat content and water retention.
So much so that if you soaked chicken for six to eight hours in liquid before cooking it, the same would also work for a pork roast after brining. It just takes a little bit more time and effort on your part.
Therefore, when we say that you can brine chicken and pork together it means that they work well together with each other when they get treated the same way as far as soaking them first goes. We show below some of our favorite ways to do this!
Add pork to brine
This is perhaps one of the most common ways of adding pork to a brine. When you add pork to a brine, you are adding pork fat to the brine.
The pork fat will stabilize the brine and help it to keep the meat juicy. So pork in a brine together with chicken will result in the same outcome as just brining pork or pork and chicken.
What if you only want to brine pork and not add any other ingredients to the brine? You can easily do that by adding extra water and spices to the already made pork brine. Here is an example of how you can do it.
You will need two gallons of water, one cup of salt, two tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of garlic powder. Mix all these ingredients in a sauce pan and then add them to your two gallons of water.
Next, add your pork chops and spices to the brine and let them sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
Add chicken to the brine
Chicken is another type of meat that you can certainly add to a pork brine. Add one cup of salt or one and a half cups of kosher salt to your gallon of water and then mix it with your chicken. Let the chicken sit in the brine for at least four hours and then take it out and either freeze it or grill it. Note that you should be extra careful when you brine chicken because the sodium in the brine can be harmful to chicken.
For a safer and healthier alternative, you can also make a dry brine. Dry brining does not use water and is, therefore, a much healthier method of brining. One easy way to dry brine chicken is to place the chicken in a ziplock bag, pour the salt and spices over the bag, seal the bag, and then let it sit in the fridge for up to a week.
This will help to draw the liquid out of the chicken while also keeping all the flavor in!
Make a dry brine
Another great way to brine chicken is to make a dry brine. Dry brining does not use water and is a much healthier method of brining. To dry brine your chicken, simply mix salt or Morton’s coarse kosher salt with any spices you would like your chicken to taste like.
For example, you can add some herbs, peppers, garlic, onion, ginger, black pepper and other favorite seasonings to make your dry brine. Then, simply mix the dry seasoning with the meat before you put it into your bringing liquid.
One easy way to dry brine your chicken is to place the chicken in a ziplock bag, pour the salt and spices over the bag, seal the bag, and then let it sit in the fridge for up to a week. This will help to draw the liquid out of the chicken while also keeping all the flavor in!
Make a sweet and sour brine
A sweet and sour brine is a great way to marry the flavours of chicken and pork. To make a sweet and sour brine, you will first need to add some sugar to your brine.
Once this is done, you will need to add some vinegar. There are many types of vinegar you can use. Apple cider vinegar is often used because it is a healthier alternative to regular white vinegar.
Once these ingredients are added to your brine, you can then let the chicken sit in your brine for up to four hours. This will help the chicken to absorb all the flavours that are being added to the brine.
Make a mustard brine
A mustard brine is another great way to add flavour to your chicken and pork. To make a mustard brine, you will first need to add some brown mustard to your brine.
Once this is done, you will need to add some sugar and Worcestershire sauce. There are many different types of mustard you can use. We recommend using Dijon mustard as it has a good balance of flavour between the mustard and the Worcestershire sauce. Once these ingredients are added to your brine, simply let the chicken sit in the brine for at least four hours. This will help the chicken to absorb all the flavours that are being added to the brine.
Can you brine turkeys together?
Turkey is actually a type of domesticated waterfowl. At one point in time, turkeys were only raised for their meat but now they also have a place in the world of backyard chickens and backyard livestock.
Turkey is a great meat to brine and is even suitable for both dry and wet brining. Dry brining allows you to use less salt and spices while wet brining is often the preferred method.
It is important to remember to rinse the turkey well to remove all the salt and spices from the turkey. A good turkey brine recipe is 1 cup of salt per gallon of water.
Mix these ingredients together and then add the turkey to the brine. You can also use a brining bag if you want to keep the turkey completely submerged in the brine. Cover the turkey and let it sit for between 6 and 24 hours.
Can you brine lamb and beef together?
Lamb, like turkey, is a domesticated waterfowl and a great addition to your backyard flock. Like with turkey, it is important to rinse all the salt and spices out of your lamb before you brine it.
A good lamb brine recipe is 1 cup of salt per gallon of water. Mix these ingredients together and then add the lamb to the brine. You can also use a brining bag to let the lamb completely immerse in the brine. Beef is a type of domesticated cattle and is also a great addition to your backyard flock.
A good beef brine recipe is 1 cup of salt per gallon of water. Mix these ingredients together and then add the beef to the brine. You can also use a brining bag to let the beef completely immerse in the brine.
Summary
When you get into the world of brining, you will discover that there are many different methods of brining. One of the most common questions we get at Prochewaus is, “can you brine chicken and pork together?”
The answer is yes, it can be done. You can add pork to a brine, add chicken to a brine, make a dry brine, make a sweet and sour brine, make a mustard brine and can also brine turkeys together.
