Questions regarding brining meats, poultry, etc.

[Mare749]

We are using a brine more often these days than ever before, especially prior to grilling. For whole chicken, we brine overnight. My question is: If you are going to brine pieces of poultry or pork, then is a shorter brining time better? And, do you rinse or not rinse before cooking?

We brined a pork loin overnight the other day. Ron grilled it and it was wonderful. But...even though I did rinse it, it was a bit salty. Is overnight too long to brine? Or, is it just trial and error?

[DFen911]

I have never brined pieces. They cook up quick enough to stay moist. But when I do brine anything I rinse it and pat it dry.

Pork tenderloins are already a very tender piece of meat so, for me, I wouldn't brine. I have put them in to flavor brines like soy, ginger etc. But only for a couple of hours.

[Trixxee]

I have very limited experience with brining. I have tried brining pork loin chops and they still were tough and dry - I'm not even willing to try it again. I've brined bone-in chicken breasts for 4-5 hours, rinsed and they were good. I also brined a turkey for 24 hours, rinsed and it was great. The poultry has never come out too salty.

That is the sum total of my brining. LOL.

[cjs]

Well, a dissenting voice here. I brine almost all pork products. Chops and small hunks, I brine 3-4 hrs. Larger pcs-6-8 hours.

I don't brine chicken overnight. Whole chicken, maybe 6-8 hours and pcs. Same as pork pcs.

Favorite brine I use: to 1 qt. water/1/4 cup kosher salt/2 T. Each brown& gran. Sugar. Just swish all together, you don't have to heat, dissolve, cool. Whisking will do a good job of dissolving the salt.

Add any herbs, seasoning you want, but I rarely do, because I normally am adding flavors with how it's being cooked.

Rinse well, pat dry and go for it.

[Mare749]

Thanks everyone for your input.

Denise, I don't brine pork tenderloin either. Doesn't need it. We used a piece of "pork loin" around 3 lbs. and brined it because it can be dry if only a little bit overcooked.

Jean, it is your recipe that I use for brining. I think that my mistake might have been brining too long. Next time, I won't brine overnight.