Brine Tips

Always brine in the refrigerator. Be sure the liquid is ice cold when the food goes into it. When seasoning a brine, overdo it because very little flavor actually permeates the meat, or poultry, or fish. For instance, for 2 quarts of brine, you would want 1/3 cup hot chile powder, or maybe 15 cloves of crushed garlic, or 2 cups fresh basil leaves.

Time Your Brining by Thickness or Weight:
Anything around an inch thick (pork chops, chicken breasts, etc.): Brine 30 minutes to 2 hours. (Fish is the exception. Its structure is delicate so brine it no more than 30 minutes.)

Whole chicken and Cornish hens: 1 to 5 hours depending on size (figure 1 hour per pound)

Turkey (12 to 18 pounds): 12 to 18 hours (figure 1 hour per pound)

Roasts: 1-1/2 to 2 hours per inch of thickness.