Brine for pigs?`

[crabo]

I hope to get a pig or two this weekend. A guy I met at a birthday party told me he gets a large cooler, fills it with ice water and salts the meat and lets it soak. He says he changes the water once a day for 3 days. Does this sound right?

[Matt3357]

I don't know why it wouldn't work. I know my girlfriend will brine pork chops over night with some seasoning and it makes super moist and tender. Also makes it taste really really good. Now that I think of it, she also brines her turkey. Most moist turkey you'll ever eat.

Matt

[45nut]

so,, if I have this right, its a swine brine?

[GabbyM]

Morton sells a brine mix in a dark blue bag called Tender Quick. For brine curing of meets.
Contains salt, sugar, 0.5% sodium nitrate, 0.5% sodium nitrite, propylene glycol.

I've never done a whole animal with it but works for chops and chicken breast.

[lonewelder]

Got a pig in ice,salt water in the cooler as we speak.We had a cool front move in so,its time to butcher.I've done this long as I can remember.Everything from limb rats to pigs.Dad said it was to draw blood from the meat.We change the water about 2x a day for 2-3 days,then cut up and process

[Idaho_Elk_Huntr]

I like to put them in a salt box for about 6 weeks and them prepare them into country hams and hickory smoke them

[10 ga]

Brine relly is good if you do it right. I use salt at about 1/4 cup per gallon of liquid and use 50-50 water and juice. Sometimes apple juice, sometimes orange juice, sometimes a bit of beer too. You can also rub with your favorite seasoning to flavor it before putting in the brine. Remember to KEEP IT REFRIGERATED or in the cooler with ice. The brine is not a preservative. It works for game, poultry, especially ducks and geese and turkeys, and of course the typical barnyard beasts. Alton Brown has an especially good trieste on brining and why and how it works, I recommend you look it up. Now I'm hungry. later, 10

[home in oz]

Salt box?

[Changeling]

I like to put them in a salt box for about 6 weeks and them prepare them into country hams and hickory smoke them

I've never shot/had a wild pig but that is how we cured or hogs on the farm, but 6 weeks sounds like a long time.


As for brine if you want to see/taste something startling, when you cut up a chicken for frying or whatever soak the cut up parts in big pot with 1/2 cup of salt for at least an hour or over night with a little less salt.
Wait till you see all the **** that comes of that bird! Rinse the pieces well and cook however. Once you do it this way you will never go back!!

I'm, soaking some legs right now

[10 ga]

Dittos, changeling, dittos! 10

[Old Goat Keeper]

Guys there are two very different things being talked about here. One is "brining" and the other is "curing for storage". Brining enhances the flavor and taste if done right but won't make the meat keep. And it is ALWAYS done using a liquid solution. Curing makes the meat so that it will not spoil even hanging in the air. It can be done with either a brine solution or dry cure and then smoking to finish it.

Tom

[DIRT Farmer]

I do miss the family get togather for hog killing. We had the smoke house and hosted. Several hogs would be butchered and some of the family diden't raise any so they would buy from Dad. Start early work hard and eat well. After the meat was worked in the salt box several weeks it was hung and smoked. When cool enough a beef was killed and hung in the smoke house for the winter. I do rember though how good fresh squirrel was as the pork might be a slight strong come August though.

[Bullshop]

Does pig brine come out of a pig or go into one?

[fourarmed]

I'm thinking you want to keep the ice and the brine separate. My wife has a wild turkey recipe that involves putting a couple of bags of ice (IN THE BAG) in a big ice chest, then putting the turkey into a big heavy trash bag. Put that into the ice chest, and then add the brine to the trash bag with the meat. That way the brine doesn't get diluted, and you can lift it out to change the ice if the weather is warm.

[Old Goat Keeper]

Bullshop the brine is the liquid you soak the meat (of any kind) in. There will be some exchange of fluids while the brining is happening but it starts from OUTSIDE of the pork/meat.

Tom

Does pig brine come out of a pig or go into one?

[Moonie]

I brine poultry and pork, 1/3 cup salt (kosher) 1/3 cup sugar to 1 gallon of water. Time in the brine depends on the thickness of the meat.

Whole turkey 8-12 hours, chicken breast or thin pork chops 1 hour or so.

Smoke the turkey, amazing...

The salt works its way into the meat through osmosis taking water with it, the sugar keeps it from tasting too salty.

BUT, do not use any seasonings on the meat afterward that contain salt, it will be way too salty.

Don't ask me how I know

[Changeling]

I brine poultry and pork, 1/3 cup salt (kosher) 1/3 cup sugar to 1 gallon of water. Time in the brine depends on the thickness of the meat.

Whole turkey 8-12 hours, chicken breast or thin pork chops 1 hour or so.

Smoke the turkey, amazing...

The salt works its way into the meat through osmosis taking water with it, the sugar keeps it from tasting too salty.

BUT, do not use any seasonings on the meat afterward that contain salt, it will be way too salty.

Don't ask me how I know

Hi Moonie, I brine chickens all the time before cooking, are you saying to add some sugar also, do you add regular white or brown sugar, please explain?

[Moonie]

Any sugar works, even molasses will work. It is just to cut the salt flavor.

[SciFiJim]

Got a pig in ice,salt water in the cooler as we speak.We had a cool front move in so,its time to butcher.I've done this long as I can remember.Everything from limb rats to pigs.Dad said it was to draw blood from the meat.We change the water about 2x a day for 2-3 days,then cut up and process

2-3 days of brining for processing. How long would you brine a pig before roasting whole?

[lonewelder]

Can't say,never roasted a whole pig.But I think 2-3 days would be good.I roast the front shoulders and loin on the grill/smoker.They come out really good