If you have a stainless steel pot or a can then you can brine. Brining in a stainless steel pot, however, is different than brining in a standard can of pre-packaged chicken or beef broth.
When you brine in a stainless steel pot, the liquid comes in direct contact with the food to be cooked. The result is that the saltiness of the brine penetrates into the meat and becomes part of its flavor. This gives your whole meal an additional kick that’s hard to replicate otherwise.
What is bringing in a stainless steel pot?
Bringing in a stainless steel pot is similar to bringing in a can of pre-packaged broth except that you bring the liquid in direct contact with the food to be cooked. In other words, you put the food into the liquid and then put the liquid into your pot.
For this reason, it’s best to use a large pot (for instance, an 8 or 10 quart stainless steel pot) and not just any old pot. A large pot allows you to bring in more of the liquid than if you were using a smaller pot.
Bringing in a can
The same idea applies when brining in a can. Just like with a pot, the food is placed in the can, a salt/sugar/spice mixture is added, and the can is then covered and placed in a refrigerator. This is what happens during brining – the food is submerged in a salty liquid, which penetrates into the meat.
But there’s a big difference in terms of flavors. The flavors in a can of broth are inferior due to the lack of seasonings and other ingredients. In contrast, a brined meal in a pot or bowl gets all its flavors from the salt/spice/sugar mixture.
No need to brine in a can or pot
As mentioned above, you do not need to brine in a can or pot. Brining in a stainless steel pot is also known as “sea-cured”. This method has many advantages compared to brining in a can or other common containers.
First, the taste of the food is enhanced by the brining liquid.
Second, you can use any pot that’s large enough to hold the liquid, so there’s no need to buy a special brining pot.
Third, this is a healthier method because the salt/sugar/spice mixture comes in direct contact with the food, which means it’s more effective than using a can that’s sealed at the top.
Pros of bringing in a stainless steel pot
Permeates through the food giving it extra flavor.
This is impossible with any other method. – Saving on ingredients like sugar and spices since they don’t have to be replenished during brining.
– Brining in stainless steel is healthier since the ingredients don’t come in contact with any harmful bacteria.
– Doesn’t require a separate pot since any pot large enough to hold the liquid is enough for brining.
– Making your own brine is easy and inexpensive. – Can be done outdoors.
Cons of bringing in a stainless steel pot
There is no need to purchase a special brining pot. – The temperature of the brine can be affected by the pot you are using. If it’s too hot, the sugar will burn and if it’s too cold, the food will not absorb enough liquid. – This method requires some practice to get right.
A note about water: You must use water that has been boiled for at least 10 minutes. This will kill any harmful bacteria, which means you don’t need to worry about cross-contamination from raw meat or poultry products.
STEP 1: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil on high heat. You should have enough water for your entire brining process, but don’t make this much more than you need since the food is going directly into the pot anyway and you don’t want it to overflow. If you have leftover liquid from boiling vegetables or making pasta sauce, use that instead of plain tap water—it will be fine because it already has some salt in it since cooking was involved with its preparation.
STEP 2: Once your water reaches a rolling boil on high heat, add your salt/spice/sugar mixture so that all of it is completely submerged in the liquid (excess should overflow out of the pot). Add more salt/spices/sugar as needed throughout this step if your favorite flavor combination isn’t strong enough after adding all of these ingredients.
STEP 3: Place the brined chicken in a larger pot with enough water to cover the chicken completely. You should have about 1 gallon of water for this step. Bring this to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow the brining process to happen for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours (or overnight). If you need to cook your chicken faster than 8 hours, use a smaller pot and add more water as needed.
STEP 4: After 8-24 hours, remove the chicken from the brining solution and rinse off any excess salt/spices/sugar that is still clinging onto your meat (it will be very salty). Allow it to dry on paper towels while you prepare your grill so that you can give it an even cooking temperature throughout.
STEP 5: Preheat your grill using high heat, then place your chicken directly over direct heat on high heat and cook until desired doneness is reached. This will take between 15-30 minutes depending on how hot your grill is and how large the pieces are. Don’t rush this step, because if you turn up the heat too quickly or use too much charcoal, you could burn your chicken instead of cooking it through all the way!
Conclusion
If you have a stainless steel pot or a can then you can brine. Bringing in a stainless steel pot, however, is different than bringing in a standard can of pre-packaged chicken or beef broth. When you brine in a stainless steel pot, the liquid comes in direct contact with the food to be cooked.
The result is that the saltiness of the brine penetrates into the meat and becomes part of its flavor. This gives your whole meal an additional kick that’s hard to replicate otherwise. If you don’t have a stainless steel pot or a can, you can brine as long as you use a safe pot that’s large enough to hold the liquid.
But you don’t have to brine as long as you use a can or pot. And you don’t have to use a special bringing pot. And you don’t have to be as careful as you would if you were bringing in a pot made of stainless steel.