Whole pig smoking question?

[pblaetz]

Great job! I'm pulling a ham out of the freezer this week.

[cecilh1986]

That looks like it came out awesome.

[Boomerang]

Looks tasty!

[nutterbug]

Thanks guys, it was good!

[Skunkboy]

That pork look great

[takoma]

looks great !!! good job !!! - c

[casilva43]

I want to try this now

[Ron]

Awesome.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Got one on ice at home... think I'll take out the hind quarters and try this brine thing y'all are talkin' 'bout...

[LennyWayne]

Put two 20 pounders on smoker awhile back. 225 for 5-6 hours and they were perfect. I soaked them for a week on ice.

X2!

[takoma]

Cool info about the brining process !!! check it out !!!!


Why should I take the time to brine my food?

We find that soaking many types of delicate white meat—from turkey to chicken, pork, and shrimp—in a saltwater solution before cooking protects it from the ravages of heat and guarantees tender, flavorful meat from the surface all the way to the bone. Brining also gives sometimes mushy poultry a meatier, firmer consistency.


How Does Brining Work?
Brining promotes a change in the structure of the proteins in the muscle. Many have attributed the added juiciness of brined chicken to osmosis—the flow of water across a barrier from a place with a higher water concentration (the brine) to a place with a lower one (the chicken). We decided to test this explanation. If osmosis is in fact the source of the added juiciness of brined meat, we reasoned, then a bucket of pure unsalted water should add moisture at least as well as a brine, because water alone has the highest water concentration possible: 100 percent. After soaking one chicken in brine and another in water for the same amount of time, we found that both had gained moisture, about 6 percent by weight. Satisfied that osmosis was indeed the force driving the addition of moisture to meat during brining, we roasted the two birds, along with a third straight out of the package. We would soon discover that osmosis was not the only reason why brined meat cooked up juicy.

During roasting, the chicken taken straight from the package lost 18 percent of its original weight, and the chicken soaked in water lost 12 percent of its presoak weight. Remarkably, the brined bird shed only a mere 7 percent of its starting weight. Looking at our test results, we realized that the benefit of brining could not be explained by osmosis alone. Salt, too, was playing a crucial role by aiding in the retention of water.

Table salt is made up of two ions, sodium and chloride, that are oppositely charged. Proteins, such as those in meat, are large molecules that contain a mosaic of charges, negative and positive. When proteins are placed in a solution containing salt, they readjust their shape to accommodate the opposing charges. This rearrangement of the protein molecules compromises the structural integrity of the meat, reducing its overall toughness. It also creates gaps that fill up with water. The added salt makes the water less likely to evaporate during cooking, and the result is meat that is both juicy and tender.

[BIG BONE]

im sooo hungry

[Maui-diver]

I was a fried turkey guy for years until i brined a turkey a few years back. Did the brown sugar, salt, juice of two oranges, lemons (slice and squeeze and throw skins in with mixture. good oils come out of citrus skin), one bunch of fresh thyme. Soak pig for 24 hours and thats it!! pull out, rinse off and there ya go...Da BOMB!!!

[manwitaplan]

Thanks for posting that! That explains the science and makes since!

Cool info about the brining process !!! check it out !!!!


Why should I take the time to brine my food?

We find that soaking many types of delicate white meat—from turkey to chicken, pork, and shrimp—in a saltwater solution before cooking protects it from the ravages of heat and guarantees tender, flavorful meat from the surface all the way to the bone. Brining also gives sometimes mushy poultry a meatier, firmer consistency.


How Does Brining Work?
Brining promotes a change in the structure of the proteins in the muscle. Many have attributed the added juiciness of brined chicken to osmosis—the flow of water across a barrier from a place with a higher water concentration (the brine) to a place with a lower one (the chicken). We decided to test this explanation. If osmosis is in fact the source of the added juiciness of brined meat, we reasoned, then a bucket of pure unsalted water should add moisture at least as well as a brine, because water alone has the highest water concentration possible: 100 percent. After soaking one chicken in brine and another in water for the same amount of time, we found that both had gained moisture, about 6 percent by weight. Satisfied that osmosis was indeed the force driving the addition of moisture to meat during brining, we roasted the two birds, along with a third straight out of the package. We would soon discover that osmosis was not the only reason why brined meat cooked up juicy.

During roasting, the chicken taken straight from the package lost 18 percent of its original weight, and the chicken soaked in water lost 12 percent of its presoak weight. Remarkably, the brined bird shed only a mere 7 percent of its starting weight. Looking at our test results, we realized that the benefit of brining could not be explained by osmosis alone. Salt, too, was playing a crucial role by aiding in the retention of water.

Table salt is made up of two ions, sodium and chloride, that are oppositely charged. Proteins, such as those in meat, are large molecules that contain a mosaic of charges, negative and positive. When proteins are placed in a solution containing salt, they readjust their shape to accommodate the opposing charges. This rearrangement of the protein molecules compromises the structural integrity of the meat, reducing its overall toughness. It also creates gaps that fill up with water. The added salt makes the water less likely to evaporate during cooking, and the result is meat that is both juicy and tender.

[takoma]

I was a fried turkey guy for years until i brined a turkey a few years back. Did the brown sugar, salt, juice of two oranges, lemons (slice and squeeze and throw skins in with mixture. good oils come out of citrus skin), one bunch of fresh thyme. Soak pig for 24 hours and thats it!! pull out, rinse off and there ya go...Da BOMB!!!

a++++++++++++++