In about a month, the meat will reach the “corned meat” state and can be served. If you notice that the brine is stringy or thick, follow the steps below to replace the brine. This is particularly important if you have several layers of meat. Once a week, remove the meat and re-pack it. Ceramic weights used to hold down pie crusts while baking will also work. For larger containers smooth, sanitized rocks, or a heavy plate could work. I ended up choosing two small glass storage containers for my weights, which worked well. If air is trapped, the meat will spoil incredibly quickly. Air is not your friend in this storage method. Fully submerge each piece of meat individually to prevent air from getting trapped between the layers. Use a heavy weight to hold the meat down.

The more salt the better! Cover the bottom of your container with ½ inch of salt.Īdd the meat to the water once it is cool. Go crazy with the amount of salt used, particularly if you have a lot of layers of meat. If it doesn’t, heat the water again and add more salt.Ĭoat each piece of meat in a layer of salt. Place a raw egg in the brine to see if it floats. Allow the water to cool completely, either to room temperature or to refrigerator temperature. Heat filtered or distilled water on the stove along with the salt until it is completely dissolved. Read The Basics of Brining for more info on salt concentrations. This recipe passed the egg float test, which pioneers used to use before exact concentrations were used. I used ¾ of a cup of kosher salt per 1 quart of water. If you are storing the meat in the refrigerator, you can get away with less salt, but if you are trying to brine meat without refrigeration, more salt is better.įor my test batch, I used a concentration of about 20 percent salt.

Concentrations between 15 percent and 20 percent salt work well at preserving meat.

The right ratio of salt to water is essential for brining meat. You can brine poultry, but it may be prone to spoilage because the meat is all in one large chunk. You can brine any meat, but for long-term preservation, stick to meat that can be cut into slices, like beef, pork, and lamb. I decided to put this preservation method to the test to see if it really could prevent meat from spoiling over a period of one month. Surprisingly enough, there is little information out there about this ancient preserving practice. Brining works because the salt in the water gets into the pores of the meat and prevents the spread of bacteria. Brining is the process of storing meat for long-term use without freezing.

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