Expert: Keith Patton - 12/18/2008

Question
I have two legs of a young hog in my freezer,how long would i Have to leave them in a brine before I cooked them?What kind of brine? Thank you!

Answer
Jacque:

You may not have to brine it at all if it is a young hog.  The only meat that might have boar taint are older boars.  

If you really want to brine them, about 3 days would be adequate if they are not too large.

Most brines are made to impart flavor and moisture to the meat.  So it depends on what kind of flavor you want to impart.  You could make a brine with apple juice concentrate in it, or add cloves, cinnamon and brown sugar to it.

There are a lot of basic brins out there, here is one:

Brine Recipe:

3/4 cup coarse kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 gallon cold water
1 tablespoon pepper

A heavy-duty plastic tube, stainless-steel bowl, or resealable plastic bag can work as a brining container, as long as the pork is fully submerged. Weight with a plate, if necessary, to keep the meat fully covered by the brine.

To determine how much brine you'll need, place the meat to be brined in your chosen container. Add water to cover. Remove the meat and measure the water.

Dissolve salt and sugar in the boiling water. Add it to the cold water; add pepper and stir to combine. Chill brine completely in the refrigerator before adding pork. Place your pork in the water and place in the refrigerator for the time required.

Experiment with seasonings. Salt is essential, but everything else is optional. Consider garlic, ginger, fresh herbs, juniper berries, clove, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, mustard seed, coriander seed, star anise, hot pepper flakes or Sichuan peppercorns. To give pork a sweet edge and encourage browning, add 1/2 cup sugar to each 2 quarts of water.

Rinse pork twice after removing it from the brine solution; discard brine. If you are not ready to cook at the end of the brining time, remove and rinse the meat. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Do not salt brined meat before cooking. Cook pork according to your favorite recipe. Do not overcook your brined pork. Once brined, the pork cooks faster so be careful and use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat.

The chart below shows how to substitute the two most popular brands of kosher salt for ordinary table salt.


Table Salt (without iodine) - 1 cup

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt - 2 cups

Morton Kosher Salt - 1 1/2 cups