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Secrets of Brining

Brining has been a restaurant secret for years. Learn how chefs are creating brines with innovative flavors and ingredients.

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Brining has been a restaurant secret for years. A simple mixture of salt and water helps chefs deliver tender, juicy pork. Historically used to preserve food, today it’s used to improve the texture and juiciness of lean cuts, and the flavor of thicker cuts of meat.

Brining meat adds moisture to meat through osmosis. When meat is placed in brine, the meat's cell fluids are less concentrated than the salt water in the brining solution. Water flows out of the cells in the meat and salt flows in. The salt dissolves some of the fiber proteins, and the meat's cell fluids become more concentrated, drawing water back in. Brining traps moisture and flavor in the meat and produces a delicious, tender menu item that customers will order again and again.

While brine originated as a simple mix of water and salt, chefs began adding seasonings and other ingredients to impart new flavors to food. It began with sweet additions, like sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey and maple. Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly coined the term “flavor brining” in their The Complete Meat Cookbook, and now seasonings of all sorts are used in brining.

Pork is perfect for brining, especially the pork chop. It provides a versatile, flavorful canvas, and benefits from sweet brines with honey and fruit juices as well as savory brines featuring bay leaves, pickled herbs, garlic and coriander. Many casual restaurants and gastropubs use beer and spirits like bourbon, sake, vermouth, whiskey and brandy for their brines. Pork’s popularity in international cuisine means it’s ideal for brining with flavorful global ingredients.

After years as a chef’s secret weapon, brines are finally getting their moment in the spotlight. Anne Burrell, on The Food Network’s “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef,” provided her recipe for brining grilled pork chops. She uses water, salt, sugar, fennel seed, coriander seed, crushed red pepper flakes, bay leaves, onion, diced carrots, diced celery and garlic for her pork chop with wild fennel pollen and soft parmigiano polenta. The Girl & the Fig in Sonoma uses a brine of water, salt, thyme, coriander, fennel seed, chili flakes, black peppercorns, garlic powder and sugar for their Grilled Pork Chop with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary-Potato Gratin.

Now that the secret’s out, here are five trends to watch:

Sweet and Sassy: Sweet brines are hallmarks of menus across the country. The historic Mono Inn near the Sierra Madre mountains offers up a maple-brined pork chop using water, salt, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, juniper berries, cloves, rosemary, thyme, garlic and fresh ginger. It’s served with a quinoa pilaf and a roasted pear or apple chutney. Stella 12 Beech in Oxford, Ohio, uses a citrus brine for its 12-ounce grilled pork porterhouse which they serve with sweet potato-poblano mashed potatoes and pineapple salsa. Farmstead in St. Helena, California brines its Berkshire pork chop with water, salt, orange peel, star anise, all spice, cinnamon and coriander and serves it with braised greens, yam puree and apple butter.
Brines & BBQ: Barbecue restaurants are known for sauces, but they also use brines to help deliver flavor and tenderness. While not traditionally used with ribs and shoulder cuts, most barbecue restaurants will brine chops, even when using a smoker. Wolf’s BBQ in Evansville, Indiana brines chops with a bourbon base featuring water, salt, onion, bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, allspice berries, cloves, brown sugar, walnuts and hazelnuts. Mike and Ed’s in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has a basic brine to complement their sauce, made with salt, water, vinegar and lemon juice. The Peninsula Grill in Charleston features a brine of water, salt, sugar, celery seed, bay leaves, onion, garlic and peppercorns and serves up a double-cut pork chop with peppered collard greens and barbecue jus. And Famous Dave’s is known for their pork chop brine made with water, salt, garlic, Famous Dave’s Rib Rub, honey, chipotle in adobo, and pepper.
Raise Your Spirits: Beer and spirits are hot in brining. Chefs are spiking brines to give pork a little kick. The Ritz Carlton in Marana, Arizona serves up an applejack-brined pork chop with roasted peppers, herb and queso fresca polenta, brussels sprouts and bacon. Noted chef Gray Kunz of New York serves a pork chop made with a bourbon mustard brine featuring water, salt, whiskey, Dijon, paprika and honey. Tequila is the base for the brine at Gabrielle’s in Centerbrook, Connecticut. The brine is made with water, salt, tequila, cider vinegar, cumin, brown sugar, sage and thyme and is served with cilantro-pepita pesto, winter greens, roasted poblano and goat cheese mashed potatoes.
Not Just Seasonal, but Regional: Brines are the perfect way to enhance regional flavors. New Orleans’ Susan Spicer, a National Pork Board Celebrated Chef Alumnis, is famous for her Herbsaint-brined Pork Chops served with onion confit and pomegranate molasses. Kabooz’s in New York City serves up a Southern-influenced honey-brined Pork Chop marinated in a honey brine and served with a Creole mustard gravy, Cajun mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. Jack’s Gourmet in Columbia, Missouri serves up a brown sugar-brined and grilled chop with bacon braised red cabbage and mashed herb potatoes. Maverick Southern Kitchen in Charleston and Greenville, South Carolina are serving a regional twist on brining a sweet tea-brined pork with a roasted beet salad.
Brines Go Global: With interest in international foods growing, brines are becoming more creative and interesting. Mai Pham of Star Ginger in Sacramento used the nuttiness, saltiness and lactic tang of whey to brine her pork. She adds thyme, garlic and lemon peel and serves her whey-brined pork with roasted mushrooms and onions, creamy polenta, chives and Madeira-Calvados-prune sauce. Cindy Hutson, another National Pork Board Celebrated Chef and owner of Ortanique in Coral Gables, Fla., is famous for her Jerked Pork Chop with Guava Seven Tiki Spice Rum Sauce and South American Moros. She starts her signature dish with a citrus brine comprised of water, salt, garlic, onion, oregano, coriander, cumin, orange, lemon, lemon and honey.

From fruit and honey to beer and bourbon, inventive brine ingredients are the key to creative flavors and consumer satisfaction. Brining ensures the juiciest, most tender pork chops and adds layers of flavor to complement the final dish.

Success Stories

ChopHouse and Brewery

ChopHouse & Brewery serves up delicious pork dishes across their menu, from hickory-smoked bacon at brunch to a Fontina-stuffed chop in the evening.

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With four locations across the country, ChopHouse & Brewery has fashioned menus that appeal to regional tastes and stay true to their roots. ChopHouse serves up a host of delicious pork dishes, from hickory-smoked bacon at brunch to a tender Fontina-stuffed chop in the evening. They also handcraft a variety of beers in-house, perfect for pairing with pork.

We caught up with the folks at ChopHouse to talk about beer, breakfast, and pork.

NPB: Tell us about your restaurant.

ChopHouse:

At the ChopHouse you’ll find an upscale-casual restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere, friendly, professional service and a diverse menu featuring steaks, chops, seafood, and a great tavern menu in the bar. Fresh handcrafted Ales brewed on site, small batch bourbons, and an extensive wine list. The original ChopHouse set in the historic Union Pacific building is located in Denver’s LoDo has been a popular destination since it opened alongside Coors Field in 1995. It is one of the Mile High City’s favorite locations for meat-eaters and beer drinkers alike. The ChopHouse offers the classic meat cuts with several preparations to choose from. Another hearty classic is the bone-in pork chop stuffed with sage and fontina that has been a menu mainstay. Other offerings include lamb chops, catch of the day and side dishes of sweet potato fries, white cheddar mashed potatoes and asparagus.

NPB: You have four locations; D.C., Denver, Boulder, and Cleveland. How do you incorporate regional flavors into your dishes at each location?

ChopHouse: We look at a combination of current trends and other influences that are occurring and taking shape across the country and add a twist to the old world chophouse genera. To round out the menu, we feature other menu items that are inspired by global cuisine and flavors, all of which is a beautiful and perfect complement to our in house brewed beer.

NPB: You have Grilled Pork Chops stuffed with Fontina Cheese and Sage on your menu. What inspired this dish?

ChopHouse: The Grilled Pork Chops stuffed with Fontina Cheese and Sage has been entrée featured on the menu since the doors opened and has quite a reputation. Sage has always been a classic herb in pork and chicken preparation as well as used to flavor and preserve sausage. In our stuffed pork chop preparation, that distinctive herbaceous, peppery flavor of sage in combination with the mild, nutty and tart profile of fontina cheese makes this a ChopHouse must go-to entrée.

NPB: What’s your preparation method for the grilled pork chops? Do you brine them?

ChopHouse: In spirit of the classic chophouse tradition we brine our chops in a proprietary recipe that’s full of flavor. We use a brine solution of salt, sugar, a mirepoix of carrots, celery and onion with a blend of seasonings and fresh herbs. We rely on the brining process to increase the pork’s moisture and holding capacity resulting in a moister product when cooked in addition to incorporating flavor. The traditional or classic brine is made by dissolving the salt, sugar in boiling water with the addition of other aromatics and flavoring components, then we chill the solution completely before adding the pork and make sure it brines for the time required. The chop is then stuffed with a mixture of fontina cheese and sage and charbroiled to order in our Montague Broilers. The outcome is a perfectly crusted very flavorful bone-in pork chop with a melty fontina and sage filling. It’s accompanied with our homemade port-rosemary sauce and scratch made apple chutney to finish off this amazing plate.

NPB: You have many pork products like ham, bacon and sausage across your menu; why do you find pork to be a profitable protein for your business?

ChopHouse: The flavors of pork pair perfectly with other large cuts of meat as well as our starch sides, vegetables sauces and cooking preparations. Our brunch business is another great usage for other pork proteins as our hickory smoked bacon, grilled ham and sausage are a perfect complement to eggs and other breakfast items on our menu. In addition, with other fluctuating prices of other commodities pork offers an affordable way to fix the protein craves without breaking the bank.

NPB: Your Denver brunch location menu features a Brewers Breakfast, with Hickory smoked bacon, ham and sausage links. How does the brunch dish perform with patrons?

ChopHouse: Our brunch is another mainstay here at the ChopHouse. Our brunch menu is a hit and the popular place

for all get-togethers. We offer all the traditional breakfast sides and breakfast entrées that are accompanied with features like hickory smoked bacon, ham and sausage links. In the District ChopHouse we have the “Banker’s Omelet” which is three eggs stuffed with rosemary ham and white cheddar cheese with ChopHouse brunch potatoes. Another favorite is “Valdez’s Breakfast Sandwich” which is a flaky croissant stuffed with scrambled eggs, melted white cheddar cheese and rosemary ham. In the Denver ChopHouse we also have the “Steak Breakfast Burrito” that is a flour tortilla filled with steak, sausage, scrambled eggs, and topped with tomatillo salsa and melted cheddar cheese. These menu items are a great and popular way to be profitable with pork.

NPB: Why do you choose to serve Hickory smoked bacon? Do you think it adds a special something to your dishes?

ChopHouse: Yes of course! We believe the smokiness of the bacon adds another layer of flavor. The hickory smoking refers to smoking food over hickory logs or chips which help create that distinctive aromatic and flavorful smoke to infuse bacon. Hickory smoked foods are particularly popular in the American South, where hickory is a fairly common wood. Both hot and cold smoking techniques are perfect for hickory wood. It can even be mixed with other woods like apple, walnut, oak, ash, cherry, and maple, among others to create a unique flavor profile. Hickory is also one of those traditional smoking woods that guest can easily identify and tend to have a rich, faintly sweet flavor. Hams are often hickory smoked, since the flavor pairs well with pork and with the sugar frequently used in ham curing.

NPB: Do you have plans to add any new pork dishes in the future?

ChopHouse: Not sure just yet, but be rest assured that we are always slaving away in the test kitchen coming up with craveable, great and amazing new recipes to feature in our menus, and Limited Time Offering’s. You just may never know when pork might just be coming your way...

NPB: Tell us about the brewery aspect of your business. Do you have an in-house brewery at all four locations?

ChopHouse: All of our ChopHouse locations have an operating brewery and the expertise of our very talented

brewers on-site to handcraft our signature beers. The only exception would be our Boulder ChopHouse. The Boulder ChopHouse partners with the Walnut Brewery. The Walnut Brewery is one of our sister restaurants that is just a block up the way. We rely on the Walnut Brewery to provide and source our fresh, high-quality, fresh handcrafted signature beer to our guests.

NPB: Is there a special in-house made beer that you suggest pairing with the Grilled Pork Chops Stuffed with Fontina Cheese and Sage?

ChopHouse: The good news is our handcrafted, made-in-house signature beer pair’s perfectly with all of our menu offerings! With that being said, we invite you to try all of our beers with our stuffed pork chop next time you’re dining in one of our chophouses to discover which pairing you enjoy the most. The beer definitely pairs well with the pork chops as beer naturally cleanses your palette making each bite taste more and more sensational as you capture all the flavors in every bite.

Chef Feature

Chef David Kreifels

Chef David Kreifels of Laurelhurst Market in Portland, shares his first kitchen memories and brining techniques.

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Chef Dave Kreifels is chef and co-owner of Laurelhurst Market, Portland’s combination market/restaurant/butcher shop/neighborhood bar. A native Portlander, Kreifels grew up in the city’s vibrant food scene and has a deep love for fresh, seasonal Northwest ingredients. Laurelhurst Market opened in 2009 and features only all-natural and hormone-free meats. From pates and pancetta to sausage and smoked ham hocks, everything is cured, smoked and stuffed in-house. A nod to Kreifels’ appreciation for “all things meat,” Bon Appetit magazine named Laurelhurst Market one of the 10 Best New Restaurants of 2010. The steakhouse-style food and the neighborhood diner atmosphere combine to make Laurelhurst Market a city hotspot.

We caught up with Dave to discuss his love for Portland’s food culture, barbecue, and of course, pork.

NPB: Tell us about your restaurant and butcher shop.

Chef: Laurelhurst Market opened in May of 2009. My business partners, Jason Owens, Ben Dyer, and myself wanted a steakhouse inspired restaurant that focused on often forgotten cuts of meat; or at least ones typically not seen in the classic steakhouse. Cuts of beef such as the Teres Major, Bavette, Culotte and pork cuts like the Coppa and Shank are the headliners here.

With the adjacent butcher shop the customers get to see first hand what is on the menu that night. Most of our cuts of meat on the menu are also sold in their raw form in the case. Utilizing these great cuts of meat, we're able to keep our price point well below that of the downtown steakhouses. This definitely reflects in our clientele. On any given night, you can find a family from the neighborhood, a business outing, a couple on a date night, and a group of ladies all dining at the same time.

Another focus of ours are the side dishes drawing on goods from local farmers. We have a great relationship with about 10-12 great farms in the area who continue to surprise me at the beauty of their products. Over in the butcher case you can always find a dozen or so fresh sausages, pates and terrines, and a number of emulsified meats like mortadella and german bologna; all made in house. Our smoker is almost constantly running full of andouille, tasso, hams, bacon, and Canadian Bacon, among other things. Items like leaf lard, pork liver, blood, and house cured pancetta make us a valuable resource for any home chef.

NPB: How did you get your start in the kitchen? What is your first food memory?

Chef: Food and cooking have always been passions of mine. Nailing down one memory that started it all is difficult. My times spent camping as a child (and there were many) with a few coleman stoves set up around the site had a lot to do with it. My dad would always be so well prepared for cooking that it was barely “roughing it.” Some of our better meals were had around the campfire. Those times really had an affect on how I cook now. Foraging in the woods for huckelberries for the morning pancakes. Fishing all day for a mess of trout for dinner. It showed me that fresh, seasonal food tastes better and not to waste a thing. To this day, I am more comfortable cooking on an outdoor grill than in a professional kitchen. My entry into the restaurant world came when I was about 18 years old. While going to college in Montana, I was looking for a part time job around town in a restaurant with little luck. I decided to take a break from business school and attend culinary school back home in Portland, then return to Montana with a better opportunity to land a restaurant job. Well, that return trip never happened. After a few months in a restaurant kitchen, I knew cooking was what I wanted to do long term.

NPB: You cure and smoke all your meat in-house- why is this important to you, and how does it set your restaurant apart?

Chef: We wouldn't have this any other way.

Curing and smoking our own meats lets us adjust with time and temperature on the fly depending on variables in the meat like thickness and fat content. Not having that hands on approach and leaving it up to someone else would ruin consistency. House smoked meat also creates a flavor that no one else can match. In addition, smoking meats is a great way to take an inexpensive cut of meat like brisket or pork butt and turn it into something more delicious than any rib eye or tenderloin. Any barbeque restaurant has that down.

NPB: Laurelhurst Market offers a lot of pork, both in the butcher shop and on the restaurant menu- how is pork a profitable protein for you?

Chef: For whatever reason (and I'm not complaining here) pork is less expensive than beef and most times even chicken. It is also the one protein I couldn't live without. The versatility of pork is what makes it so popular in our shop and restaurant. That said, we are able to bring in whole hogs once or twice a week dramatically reducing our price paid per pound. We can sell the pork chops in our restaurant, use the shoulders for sausage or a stew, cure the bellies for bacon, render the fat back for leaf lard, and make head cheese with the head. Bringing in all those cuts would cost a fortune by comparison. Having a band saw in our butcher shop doesn't hurt either.

NPB: Why do you love to cook with pork? What’s your favorite pork dish?

Chef: Like I said above, the versatility of pork makes it my favorite. Also, whatever you feed a pig comes through in the end flavor of the meat and fat more so than any other animal in my opinion. Laurelhurst Market brings in a pig each week from Tails And Trotters, a local company who's pigs are fed a diet of hazelnuts, very abundant in the area, for their last 60-90 days. When you eat their pork, it is definitely a present flavor. Lately, my favorite pork dish to make has been an adobo with this coconut vinegar I picked up a few months back. It was a hit for my family the day after Thanksgiving when we were all craving something out of the norm. Here at the restaurant we've been loving braised pork shanks that we dredge in rice flour and deep fry to order.

NPB: You have a killer pork chop on your menu. Tell us about how you prepare it. Why is it a popular dish?

Chef: The pork chop featured on the menu from time to time is from Tails and Trotters. We keep a slightly thicker fat cap on it because that hazelnut flavor is present so well there.

When we break down the whole bone-in loin we get some Iowa chops and some classic rib chops; if the customer has a preference, we are happy to oblige. The chops are cut to about an inch thick, then brined for 12 hours. We then pat dry and cold smoke them for 30 minutes with apple. One of my (amazing) grill guys then takes them to the low side of medium and we pair it with a seasonal garnish. Popular sets in the past few months have been grilled peach vinaigrette during the late Summer, then into the Fall we did it with white beans cooked down with ham hocks and topped with cauliflower chow chow.

NPB: Tell us about how Laurelhurst Market uses brines in food preparation. What cuts of pork benefit from brining? Do you alter your brine mixture for different cuts?

Chef: Brining is a common tool around here. There's no better way to get flavor into a thick cut of meat. We brine cuts like our boneless hams for 2 weeks, and Canadian bacon for 1 week, injecting them every day until we smoke them. For those, we use the same brine, but for other cuts, we like to get other flavors such as chilies, herbs, or spices into the brine. It's a nice way to develop nuance in the dish.

NPB: You grew up in Portland- how has the food culture of the Pacific Northwest influenced you as a chef?

Chef:

The food culture here has erupted and continues to billow. Thinking about how many quality restaurants there were 15 years ago, it's amazing how far we've come. I would have thought you were crazy if you told me that one day Portland could support the number of steller places we have now. What's just as amazing is that our farmers and ranchers have kept up so well. It really speaks to the fertility of the Willamette Valley soils.

NPB: You’re known for using fresh, seasonal ingredients and for working closely with local farmers and producers. Why do you feel this is important? How does this impact your menu?

Chef: This area has so much to offer at every season. Eating out of season here seems odd. Farmers Markets go year 'round and in the summer there's one in every neighborhood once or twice a week. It sounds a bit cliché but I like vegetables to taste like vegetables. We don't do a lot to manipulate flavor. Working with local farms isn't a strange thing

in this town. There's a sense of pride for chefs here to feature their farmers goods. More often than not, the chef and farmer/rancher are close friends. Sometimes a little friendly rivalry can exist due to who has what product on their menu. I look at other menus at times and think, “damn... I wasn't offered that on my list this week!” The bottom line for me is that supporting local folks as often as possible is good for everyone. Keeping money in the local economy and reducing the total miles a product travels to get to you are important.

NPB: You started a Barbecue Wednesday lunchtime special, featuring pulled pork, ribs and sausages. What inspired this new menu offering? Do brining and barbecue mix?

Chef: This barbeque Wednesday deal we're starting has gotten us pretty excited. Barbeque has always been fascinating to me. Done properly, it's such a labor of love. People who do it professionally are some of the most passionate cooks there are. We are offering a barbeque plate on Wednesdays during lunch and it rotates from week to week. In our butcher shop we make some killer sandwiches at lunch but we decided to mix it up a bit. Riding on the success of our Fried Chicken Tuesdays, we thought a barbeque plate would kill it. Some weeks we'll have pulled pork sandwiches, some will be smoked hot links. St. Louis style ribs are in the future. Brining and barbeque are friends. With the help of an injecting needle, it's a great way to get flavor deep inside the thick cuts of meat like pork shoulder. Our catering company just bought a Caja China and we're fired up to start brining whole animals to cook in it for off site events like weddings. (Speaking of camping trips... damn, that would be fun).

NPB: In addition to being a butcher shop, market and steakhouse-inspired restaurant, you also are a popular neighborhood bar with handcrafted cocktails. How important is beverage and food pairing to your menu? What’s your favorite beverage to pair with pork?

Chef: Having the wrong drink with a dish can really ruin the experience. Our bar manager and sommelier do a great job with having a few great pairings for each dish on the menu. Cocktail pairing can certainly be more difficult than wine pairing but its doable.

Pork opens itself up to pairing with gin and whiskey, depending on the preparation, of course. For a simple grilled pork without many interfering flavors, woody herbs, lemon, juniper, and gin is a great bet. For a smokier preparation like barbeque, we like to go with bourbon. Take a pulled pork sandwich for instance. We pair an “American Trilogy”. Equal parts Apple Jack and Rye Whiskey, a teaspoon of good maple syrup, and a dash of cherry bitters... stirred with ice and served up.

Cooking Techniques

Brining
Learn the science behind one of the most culinarily innovative techniques.
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Background

Brine, also called “pickle,” is a solution of salt and water. While many people use the terms interchangeably, pickle is used to designate a salt-and-water solution that also contains nitrite or cure. Brine or pickle may also contain other seasonings such as dry spices, herbs, or aromatic vegetables that add appealing background flavors. In Italy brine is also called salamoia and in some Italian salumerie, meats, particularly beef or veal tongue, can be seen floating in large earthenware crocks in a spicy brine that includes juniper, peppercorns, allspice berries, bay leaves, garlic, and thin-sliced carrot, celery, and onion. Brined meats are typically boiled and served either cold as an antipasto or hot as a secondo, following soup or pasta. Apart from the enhancement the meat receives through its absorption of salt and seasonings, brining also has a tenderizing and moistening effect. Brining requires more or less time depending upon the thickness and density of the cut of meat. As long as the meat remains submerged in brine, the brine is absorbed and diffused slowly throughout the meat. I don’t recommend brining very thick cuts of meat, as those thicker than 3 inches may spoil at the center before the salt penetrates.

I use straight immersion brines primarily for pickling tongues and ears destined for cold antipasti, and for other trim cuts used in special cooked sausages that benefit from the additional seasonings, cured flavor, and color they pick up. Thin cuts of pork, such as boneless loin and tenderloin, as well as cubed meats from the leg or shoulder require a matter of three to five days to drink up the brine and are delicious skewered and grilled on a wood fire.

If you wish to make your own fresh ham, or brine denser cuts such as shoulders or heavy loins, it is wise to inject them first with brine using a brine pump before immersing them in brine. This is the surest way to introduce salt to the center of a dense cut of meat, where it is most vulnerable to spoilage. Submerging the meat afterwards in the brine allows the brine ingredients to diffuse and equalize throughout the meat.

The basic procedure for brining follows. I include this procedure in the event that the weights of the meat you wish to brine do not correspond to the recipes below. In such a case, it is important when working with percentages of salt or parts per million (ppm) of nitrite to understand the reasoning behind the recipes as the brine elements are based on the weight of the meat and the water it contains.

Procedure

When formulating your brine there are two calculations to make, the first to assure a minimum “brine strength” (or saline concentration) and sugar content, the second for the nitrite addition. Water content varies in raw meat between 60 and 70 percent. When making brine, the amount of salt is measured not only for its concentration in the water of the brine, but also in the water of the meat as well. If the amount of salt added to the brine were based on a percentage by weight of the water in the brine alone, the meat would, in effect, dilute it. In order to season the meat fully and to discourage the growth of bacteria, the brine strength should range between three to five percent salt in water. I use the average of 65 percent when considering the water-in-meat portion and, because I prefer more lightly salted meats, I add the minimum amount of salt to yield equilibrium brine strength of three percent. Sugar is added purely for its flavor–balancing effect on the salt at two percent and is calculated similarly.

For safety purposes it is important to make sure the meat is well chilled. The same applies to the water you use to make your brine, and the conditions of the refrigerator or cold room in which you are storing the meat. Ideally, meat, pickle, and refrigeration temperatures should not exceed 34 to 38°F at any point during the process.

I also observe the standard for nitrite addition, which is calculated in parts per million. The federal guidelines suggest an addition of 200 ppm for “immersion” cured meats. This level is based on the level for nitrite in the brine and in the meat at total equilibrium. This means that the quantity of nitrite is based on the total weight of the meat and the water in the brine.

For the sake of example, let’s say you want to brine-cure five pounds of boneless pork loin. Place the meat in a clean, nonreactive container large enough to hold it entirely submerged. Five-gallon plastic buckets are very handy for brining, as are square food-grade plastic Lexan containers available in restaurant supply stores. Determine how much water you must add to cover the meat by three inches by placing the meat in the container and pouring cold water over it, measuring as you go. For this example, three gallons of brine should be sufficient to fully immerse the meat. You would then calculate the amount of salt to add (the brine strength) as follows:

1 gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds
Water weight of loins = 5 pounds x .65 = 3.25 pounds water
3 gallons water = 25 pounds (rounded)
Weight of water +water in meat = 25 + 3.25 = 28.25 pounds
28.25 pounds x .03 = .84 pound salt
28.25 pounds x .02 = .56 pound sugar

Once you know the weight of the meat and the weight of the brine, use this simple formula to arrive at the amount of curing salt needed.

Raw weight of the meat = 5 pounds
Weight of the water in the brine =
25.00 pounds water
.84 pound salt
.56 pound sugar
Total brine weight = 26.40 pounds

Pounds Nitrite = 200 ppm x (total brine weight + raw weight of the meat)
1,000,000

Pounds Nitrite = 200 x (26.4 pounds + 5 pounds)
1,000,000

Pounds Nitrite = 200 x 31.4

1,000,000

Pounds Nitrite = .006 pure nitrite

As noted above, sodium nitrite is commonly sold as a curing mix, a blend of common salt and nitrite. The nitrite content must be listed on the package; the curing mix I recommend is 6.25 percent pure nitrite. Because the formula above gives the percent in pure nitrite you will have to divide the amount of pure nitrite by the percentage of nitirite in your curing mix. To do this, express the percentage of nitrite in the cure mix as a decimal (move the decimal two places to the left) and divide the amount of pure nitrite needed by the percentage of the nitrite in the curing mix:

.006/.0625 = .096 pounds curing mix

With such a small amount, it will be necessary to convert to grams. There are 16 ounces in a pound and 28 grams in an ounce, so:

.096 pounds curing mix x 16 ounces x 28 grams = 43 grams of curing mix

For the sake of accuracy, I convert the salt and sugar to grams as well:

.84 pounds salt = .84x 16 ounces x 28 grams = 376 grams salt
.56 pounds sugar =.56 x 16 ounces x 28 grams = 251 grams sugar

However, because a significant amount of salt comes along with the nitrite in your curing mix, you must deduct the amount from the total quantity called for. Again, assuming a curing mix that is 6.25 percent nitrite (and therefore 93.75 percent salt), calculate as follows:

43 grams of curing mix (6.25 percent nitrite) – 3 grams of pure nitrite (rounded) = 376 grams salt – 40 grams = 336 grams additional salt

You are now ready to assemble the brine:

3 gallons ice-cold water
336 grams salt
251 grams sugar
43 grams curing mix
5 pounds boneless pork loin

You can make a spicy version of this brine for use in curing tongues, ears, and small cuts of meat. The percentages of salt and sugar are the same.

Source: Cooking by Hand, by Paul Bertolli (Clarkson Potter, 2003)

Recipes

Double Cut Pork Chop

See what flavors Chef David Kreifels combines to make this savory pork inspired dish.

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Double Cut Pork Chop with Fresh Shell Beans, Ham Hock, and Chow Chow

ingredients

Brine

3/4 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 each yellow onion, quartered
1 head garlic, halved
1 TBL chili flake
3-4 each thyme, sprigs
2 each bay leaves
1 gallon water
6-8 each double cut pork chops

Beans

1 pound shelling beans, fresh (if using dry beans, like Cannellini, or Pocha soak overnight in water)
1 each yellow onion, medium, diced small
3 each garlic, cloves
1 each carrot, small, peeled, cut in half
3-4 each thyme, sprigs
1 each bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Reserved hock poaching water
To taste salt and pepper
As needed parsley , fresh, chopped

Hock Poaching Water

1 SMALL HAM HOCK, SMOKED
Water

Chow Chow

1 each cauliflower, medium head, break into small flowerets approximately 1/2"
10 fl oz white vinegar
6 fl oz water
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons celery seed
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 each green pepper, medium, small dice
1 each red pepper, medium small dice
12 oz wt yellow onion, small dice

Preparation

Cooking Directions

Brine:

In sauce pot, add all ingredients.
Bring to a boil, cool completely.
Submerge Chops and brine for 12 hours
Remove chops and dry with towels
In an electric smoker with apple wood, cold smoke chops for approximately 30 minutes. (If you don't have a smoker, throw a little wood on your coals while grilling. The smoke will penetrate just fine.)

Chef Notes: We use Tails and Trotters Pork, locally grown here in the Portland area, but source out the best product near you. These pigs are finished on hazelnuts which gives the fat a nice milky, nutty flavor that melts a lot better than most pork I've had.

Hock Poaching Water:

Cover 1 small smoked ham hock in enough water to cover
Poach until the meat easily pulls away from the bone
Reserve liquid to cook the beans
Pick the meat away from the bone, discarding any fat

Beans:

In a stainless steel pot, combine everything except the picked hock meat. You may have to add a bit more plain water to just cover the beans by about a half inch
Slowly bring to a simmer and cook. Stir as needed until beans are tender. You never want the liquid to boil as it will destroy the bean's texture
Remove from heat and add the ham hock
Cool at room temperature stirring occasionally until some of the liquid has soaked up. 5. Adjust seasoning to taste, and remove the thyme and bay leaf. Stir in the fresh parsley.

Chow Chow:

In sauce pot add water and a little salt. Bring to boil. Add cauliflower and cook for a couple minutes, until tender. Drain and cool.
In sauce pot, add vinegar, water, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric. Bring to a boil
Add peppers and onions and bring to a simmer
Cook for a few minutes, or until peppers and onions begin to break down
Cool and store in the fridge until ready for use
Make several days ahead, if you wish, and store in the refrigerator

Serving Suggestions

To assemble plate:
1. Over a medium high char-broiler, grill the chops to about 120 degrees, allowing for some carry over cooking. Watch for flare-ups as the fat renders. Create a safe zone on your grill where you can move the meat to if this happens

2. Rest for a few minutes before serving

3. In center of plate, place spoonful of beans

4. On top of beans, place grilled pork chop and garnish with a 1 TBL of the Chow Chow

Pork Shanks Osso Buco
Try this mouthwatering recipe, courtesy of Chef David Kreifels.
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Pork Shanks Osso Buco

ingredients

Pork Shank Brine

2 quart water
1 each onion, yellow, quartered
1 head garlic
1 TBL black peppercorns
6-7 each thyme, sprigs
3 each bay leaves
1 teaspoon chili flake
1 each lemon, cut in half, pan roasted flat side down until caramelized
1/2 cup salt
2 TBL sugar

Braise

As needed canola oil, or (Use a little leaf lard in its place you wish)
4 EACH PORK SHANKS, BRINED
1 each yellow onion, large dice
1 each carrot, peeled, large dice
1 each celery stalk, large dice
4-5 each garlic, cloves, peeled and crushed
2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons sage, chopped
2 teaspoons oregano, chopped
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, chopped
2 each bay leaves
3 strips lemon zest, no white pith
1/2 teaspoon chili flake
4 fl oz crushed tomatoes
2 TBL sherry vinegar
4 fl oz white wine
1 quart chicken stock, dark
To taste salt and pepper

Preparation

Cooking Directions

Pork Shank Brine:

In sauce pot, add all ingredients.
Bring to a boil, cool completely.
Submerge shanks in brine for 8 hours or overnight
Next day, towel dry and lay out in a single layer until ready to proceed. Can be done a day ahead

Brining the shanks overnight penetrates the meat with salt giving us consistent flavor all the way through to the bone.

Braise: yield 4 portions/shanks

Use pork shanks in a rather uniform size of 14-16 ounces each. Ask your butcher for skinless fore shanks slightly below the elbow. However, most cuts referred to as pork shanks will do. Just make sure they’re skinless.

In a Dutch oven or stainless shallow pot, add canola oil and heat Brown shanks on all sides. Set shanks aside. Drain oil and discard
In same pot, over high heat add oil. Add vegetables and brown, approximately 3-5 minutes. Stir as needed and scrape up fond left behind from the shanks
Add herbs and lemon zest. Sauté until scent is released
Add chili flake and tomato. Cook and stir until tomato begins to caramelize and stick to the pan
Deglaze with sherry vinegar and wine. Cook for a minute
Add stock and bring to a boil
Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper
Submerge shanks in braising liquid and cover. Place in 300 degrees oven for approximately 2 hours or until fork tender but still holding onto the bone
Cool in liquid at room temperature for an hour Remove shanks and keep covered tightly in foil
Strain sauce, skim fat and reduce by half over medium heat

Deep Fry Method:

In the refrigerator, chill shanks for another hour
Dredge shanks in rice flour
In 325 degree canola oil, fry shanks until hot internally. Approximately 7 minutes

What makes our shanks unique is how we pick them up to order in the kitchen. When the shanks are cool, we dredge them lightly in rice flour, then deep fry them until hot internally. We then submerge the shank back in the sauce for a minute before plating. This gives the shank a nice exterior texture contrast to the center.

Serving Suggestions

We like to serve ours over a little creamy polenta with some sautéed Brussels sprout leaves and Italian salsa verde. Pour a generous amount of the reduced braising liquid over top, of course.

Pork Florentine
This recipe was the brilliant concoction of Team Kahan at the 2011 Pork Summit.
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Pork Porterhouse Florentine

ingredients

Pork Rub

6 EACH CENTER CUT PORK LOIN CHOPS
1 1/2 cups porcini powder
1/2 cup sugar, granulated
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper, ground
1 TBL red pepper chili flakes

Brine

3 gallons water
2 1/2 cups salt
1 7/8 cups sugar

as needed ramps, grilled
as needed radicchio, grilled
as needed heirloom tomatoes, grilled
as needed artichoke bottoms, grilled
as needed salt & pepper
as needed salsa verde
as needed maldon salt
as needed aged balsamic vinegar
as needed basil, fresh, chiffonade

Preparation

Cooking Directions

Pork Rub:

In mixing bowl combine seasonings & mix well to combine.

Brine:

Combine all ingredients & mix well to combine.
Brine pork porterhouse for 1.5 hours.

Pork Preparation:

Drain pork porterhouses from brine
Evenly rub pork porterhouses with pork rub
Char steaks on grill & finish in oven until an internal temperature of 138 degrees internal temperature & rest 5 minutes before slicing
While steaks are in roasting in oven grill ramps, raddihio, tomatoes & artichokes season with salt & pepper to taste

Serving Suggestions

Serve steaks with salsa verde & grilled vegetables
On plate place grilled vegetables at 3:00
Place prepared salsa verde on bottom of plate at 6:00
Fan & shingle ham steak across salsa
Evenly sprinkle basil across ham steak

Bacon Pork Chops

These pork chops are wrapped with crispy bacon and covered with a sweet and savory BBQ glaze.

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Bacon-Pork Chops with BBQ Glaze

ingredients

4 6-OUNCE BONELESS PORK TOP LOIN CHOPS, CUT 1-INCH THICK
1 teaspoon coarse salt
4 SLICES BACON, PREFERABLY MAPLE-FLAVORED
4 TBL barbecue sauce
1/2 cup lager beer
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup chicken broth, reduced-sodium

Preparation

Cooking Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Season pork with salt. Wrap bacon around the edges of the pork and secure with a wooden toothpick.
Mix together 4 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce and 1/2 cup lager beer (or non-alcoholic beer)
Heat oil in ovenproof large skillet over medium-high heat.
Stand chops bacon side down in skillet, leaning against the side of pan if needed. Using tongs, in sequence, turn and stand chops along bacon-wrapped edges to lightly brown bacon, about 3 1/2 minutes (allow about 45 seconds to brown each section). Place chops, wide flat side down, in skillet and cook until underside is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Turn chops over.
Spread equal amount of maple mixture over top of each chop, letting excess run into skillet.
Place skillet with chops in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Transfer each chop to a dinner plate and let stand while making sauce.
Meanwhile, pour out fat from skillet, leaving browned bits in skillet.
Heat skillet over high heat until hot.
Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon, and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Top each chop with a spoonful of sauce and serve hot.

Makes 4 servings

Serving Suggestions

Serve with roasted potato wedges or smashed sweet potatoes.

Menuing Information

Pork And Brine On Menus

From fruit and honey to beer and bourbon, inventive brine ingredients are a chef's secret weapon.

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Restaurants consistently deliver tender, juicy pork chops, and the word is out. Brines are showing up prominently on menus across the country. From citrus and sweet tea to balsamic honey bourbon, chefs are exploring creative brine ingredients to add unique and innovative flavors to pork. Check out the menuing report to learn more about this chef’s secret weapon.

Sweet Peaches Add Flavor To Chops

Tommy Bahama offers a maple brined pork chop, 12 oz bone-in with peach chutney, and rainbow Swiss chard. (13 units, HQ in Seattle, WA)
Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar menus a spit roasted, peach bone-in pork chop; a slow roasted pork chop with fire roasted poblano and Texas corn grits, mesquite grilled okra and a Fairfield peach bourbon glaze. (1 location in Plano, TX)

Apples & Chops Are A Natural Pairing

Metrovino offers a grilled maple brined pork chop with gorgonzola creamed kale, pecans, roasted carrots, apples and mustard seed. (1 location in Portland, OR)
Silver Diner added Cajun Pork Chops & Local Apples, topped with onions and cinnamon apples, scallions, fresh veggies, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cranberry orange ginger sauce (17 units, HQ in Rockville, MD)
Bistro 921 features a grilled Carlton Farm pork chop marinated in a brown sugar brine with apple and pear chutney. (1 location in Portland, OR)
Grand Street Café’s Brunch Menu features a brined and marinated chop, apple-pecan compote, green beans, herb whipped potatoes, and ham hock sauce. (1 location in Kansas City, MO)
Nectar offers a grilled pork chop with peppercorn brine, braised red cabbage, apple compote and calvados sauce. (1 location in Santa Rosa, CA)

Teas Provide Unique Brining Flavors

Benjy’s features a sweet tea brined pork chop with creamed corn and apricot cardamom chutney. (1 location in Houston, TX)
Stoney River Legendary Steaks offers a double cut pork chop with an orange pekoe tea brine, char-grilled and basted in a brown sugar and apple cider glaze. Served with steamed broccoli and three-cheese mac. (10 locations, HQ in Nashville, TN)
O Yea menus tea brined fried pork ribs. (1 location in Boston, MA)

Menus Belly Up To Beer-Brined Pork

Karl Strauss features beer brined pork chops. Two grilled 8 oz. bone-in chops brined in Red Trolley Ale. Served with garlic mashed red potatoes, sautéed green beans, broccoli, firecracker sauce, and spicy mustard sauce. (1 location in San Diego, CA)
Vellos Brick Street Grill offers a Southern pecan pork chop; beer brined pork chop, bleu cheese mashed potatoes, apple pecan slaw. (1 location in Gainesville, FL)
Bridgid’s offers a beer brined pork chop; a massive chop slowly marinated and cooked in beer and spices, so its extra tender. Served over a delicious bed of sweet potato ravioli. (1 location in Philadelphia, PA)
Meritage menus a wild-raspberry ale brined pork rib chop with organic white mascarpone grits, house-made raspberry barbecue sauce and green tomato relish. (Restaurant for the Omni Hotel chain)

Pork Brined With Alcohol Sizzles!

Mermaid Oyster Bar features a cider brined pork chop with an escarole and mustard maple glaze. (1 location in New York, NY)
Alchemy Café features a bourbon brined pork chop grilled with thyme, apple, ginger, cherry and balsamic honey. (1 location in Madison, WI)
Not Your Average Joe’s is menuing a red wine-braised pork shank over creamy polenta with a lemon herb gremolta LTO. (15 units, HQ in Middleboro, MA)

Honey Brined Pork Is The Bee’s Knees

Galanga offers a honey brine marinated pork chop with roasted rice powder dipping sauce and sticky rice. (1 location in New York, NY)
Lavender Bistro features a roasted honey brined pork chop. (1 location in La Quinta, CA)
Anthony’s Bar offers honey and chile brined pork chop with a mustard sauce, warmed potato salad and braised Swiss chard. (1 location in St. Louis, MO)

Brined Ribs Are Fall-Off-The-Bone Fabulous

The Charcoal Grill and Rotisserie proudly menus Baby Back Pork Ribs that are slow cooked fresh daily in a hickory smoked brine recipe, then brushed with BBQ sauce, and finished off on the grill. (8 locations, HQ in New Berlin, WI)
Hogs N’ The Road BBQ truck offers ribs that are brined and smoked. (Located in Kansas City, KS)

Brining Takes Bacon To The Next Level

Karl Strauss offers Piggy Bank Mac ‘n Cheese: made with beer brined bacon, black forest ham, and andouille sausage. (1 location in San Diego, CA)
Green Land Café features cider brined bacon. (1 location in Salem, MA)

Pork On Other Notable Menus

The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille is offering a Bacon & Cheddar Stuffed Burger LTO. (26 units, HQ in Edgewater, MD)
Firehouse Subs introduced the King’s Hawaiian Pork & Slaw sandwich at select locations through March 4. The sandwich features smoked pork, Sargento pepper Jack cheese and house-made Hawaiian coleslaw on a King’s Hawaiian sweet sandwich bun. (401 units, HQ in Jacksonville, FL)
O’Charley’s is now offering NY Pizza Pasta, which is penne pasta with pepperoni, sausage, onions, peppers, red marinara sauce and lots of Mozzarella cheese. (230 units, HQ in Nashville, TN)
Perkins is offering a Bacon 'n Cheddar Potato Flip Platter LTO: A flavorful potato flip, stuffed with two large scrambled eggs, smoked bacon and Cheddar cheese. (463 units, HQ in Memphis, TN)
Olive Garden is now offering a three-course Italian dinner where one of the main entrée options is an Asiago and Roasted Garlic Tortellini with Grilled Sausage. (729 units, HQ in Orlando, FL)
Marie Callender’s is featuring BBQ Glazed Pork Shanks: Tender, Braised Pork Shanks glazed with tangy BBQ sauce nestled atop crispy onion straws. (126 units, HQ in Mission Viejo, CA)

What's Happening

Pork Summit 2012
This year's Pork Summit planning is under way, see when to mark your calendar.
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State and Regional Taste of Elegance competitions are wrapping up and we are gearing up for the 2012 Pork Summit, April 27-29. Plans are underway for the educational weekend held in Napa Valley, Calif. at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone Campus. The weekend will include farm to fork education, a wine pairing seminar, as well as butchering demonstrations and plenty of cooking.

Mark your calendars and we'll keep you updated as more details come together!