So you want juicy, tender meat?

Last week I had the privilege of serving as the kitchen of the week over at Happy to be at Home. On my last day I prepared a Maple Brined Pork that is quite popular in my house. A reader asked about the brining process, so I thought I might share a little more about it with you, too.

(And, no, I am not a kitchen expert. I was just fortunate enough to attend a cooking class several years ago that shared this super-easy way to make your meats juicer and more flavorful.)

A brine is basically a saltwater mixture with other flavors that you soak any meat in before cooking. It takes a bit of planning because you need to brine for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours before cooking.

The salt in the water allows the meat to hold the moisture while it is cooking (whatever cooking method you use) and it enables the other flavors in the brine to become absorbed into the meat, as well.

So brining is a simple way to make your meat juicer, tender and even more flavorful. You can do it with any meat: pork, poultry, beef and fish. And since it makes any meat juicier, it’s a great tool to make lesser cuts of meat taste better.

In brining you typically heat the water so the salt will dissolve and then bring the temperature back down before adding the meat.

The maple brine I used last week gave the pork a bit of a sweet flavor. You can check out last week’s menu plan for the Maple Brined Pork recipe.

Here’s another brine recipe that uses more ingredients, but is worth it for a completely different flavor. (I also use this one with cuts of pork tenderloin and then wrap each piece in proscuitto!)

Brine for Pork Proscuitto

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 tsp fresh sage

3 TB black peppercorns

10 whole cloves

4 bay leaves

5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

1 cup diced onion

Wrap all above in cheesecloth, a spice sack or a tea ball.

Add to large bowl with:

1/2 c kosher salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup boiling water

Once all is mixed add:

2 cups cold water

2 cups apple cider

Once brine is cool, add pork (or other meat), cover and refrigerate 4- 24 hours.

Have any of you tried brining in your kitchens? If so, please share some of your favorite brines so was can try them out, as well! Yum!

For some more kitchen tips, check out Kitchen Tip Tuesdays.

Or, for all sorts of solutions to life’s little challenges, check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer.