Brines are a great way to add moisture to meats and marinades are a great way to add flavor. Find out even more about the difference between a brine and a marinade, and when to use each one.
What’s the Difference Between a Brine and a Marinade?
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Brines and marinades both have a role in the kitchen, and very important roles at that! But you shouldn’t use them interchangeably. Here’s what they are, and when you need them.
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A brine is a salt-based solution that is used to help make large pieces of meat juicier. Brines are very useful for meats that tend to dry out when cooking – think whole turkey, whole chicken, or pork roasts.
The simplest brine is simply salt and water. But it can also have sugar and other flavors (like peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, or other spices). Brines work on osmosis. All meat has water inside. The water is contained in little balloons, called cells. The cell walls (the outside of the balloon) will let water in and out of the cell.
When you soak meat in a brine, the first thing that happens is that water actually leaves the cells and goes out into the brine. As the brine gets less salty (because now it has more water), the water goes back into the cells. And when the water goes back inside, it takes salt (and some of the flavors) inside the cells with it. Since there is now “extra” salt inside the cells, the water stays there, even when you cook it. This keeps your long-cooking meats juicy and moist. This episode of Good Eats gives a great basic explanation of brines and how they work.
How to Brine Meat
You can brine meat simply by soaking your large cut of meat in a salty solution from a few hours to overnight. The meat should stay refrigerated during the brining. I use a large drink cooler like this one to keep everything chilled and to save on refrigerator space. If you have space in your refrigerator, large containers like these are perfect for brining.
Marinade
Marinades don’t add a lot of moisture to meat, but they can add lots of flavor, and make meat more tender (sort of). Marinades are sauces with an acidic base (like vinegar, citrus, or wine). The acid in a marinade breaks up the structure of the proteins in the meat. Water (from the marinade) gets caught between the proteins and makes the meat seem more tender.
Marinades only work on about the outside 1/4 inch of the meat. Not a lot of liquid will get into the meat, but a lot of flavor will be absorbed into the meat. Marinades are good for smaller, more tender pieces of meat like chicken breasts, steaks, and pork chops. Soaking meats too long in marinades can backfire on you – the meat can actually start to dry out and get very tough.
How to Marinate
To marinate, you need to soak a smaller cut of meat in a marinade for as short as an hour or two (for fish or chicken), up to 8-12 hours. The key with a marinade is to make sure that as much of the surface of the meat is in contact with the marinade as possible. Large Ziploc bags are perfect for marinating. Keep the sealed bag inside a container in your refrigerator in case of any leaks. This post has even more tips on marinating.
I love brining larger pieces of meat before I cook them. And I have really started to embrace the marinade! What’s your favorite marinade to use?
Enjoy!
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