Basic Brine for Smoking Meat

40 Reviews

Prep: 10 min
Ready In: 10 min

“This is a very basic brine recipe for preparing meats and fish for smoking. Add any personal taste preferences to the brine for additional flavor enhancement. I like to add white wine, soy sauce, and various herbs and spices. Anything that you like will work, so experiment at will.” - by Smokin' Ron

Ingredients

1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 cups water

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Metric US

Original recipe yields 1 quart

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the salt, sugar and water. Whisk vigorously until all the salt and sugar is dissolved. Then pour this mixture over the meat, poultry, or fish that you are preparing. Soak for several hours, or overnight. (Note: Make certain the meat is fully submerged in the brine, and make more brine as needed to fully cover the meat.)

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Reviews (40)

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190

BIG MIKE

Feb. 25, 2004

"I've been using the basic recipe for over a year now. I make a 2-3 or 4 gallon batch and use a tote bin I got from Wal-Mart. When I smoke I smoke between 4-10 turkeys and various other meats. If you ..." See moreget the turkies split-they brine better, they stack better to utilize the space in the brine and the smoke permeates the birds better. I've added apple juice,hot red pepper,onion soup mix,fresh onion and peppers from the garden,and seasonings like worcestershire sauce,soy,teriacki and jamican jerk to spice up the brine. I like to "pickle" my meats 2-3 days about 38-40 degrees.I also like to inject some of the brine into them. Just lay em on the racks for 8-12 hours depending how hot your smoker is, and your good to go. Slow and low-the best way to go. Share your ideas and recipes here. Keep Smokin Ron!"

Tom

Jan. 25, 2004

"My dad uses this recipe for smoking ribs..." See more"

ComputerUp

Jan. 25, 2004

"It did its job! I added rosemary and cajun spices to it, and the turkey (applewood-smoked free-range) was phenomenal. Use the recipe on this site that includes cola. It was the best. This brine was ve..." See morery easy to prepare. Although I had to prepare the equivalent of 45 servings to cover a 12 lb turkey. And it was still difficult to cover. But I used an oven bag, which added in the process."

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