Brined hog...update....

[bswiv]

So he's been on the fire for a few hours and the difference in appearence between the brined and unbrined pieces are very obvious.

The brined pieces are plumper and have a somewhat different color.

Poked the thermometer in a couple just to see where we were with temp. The brined piece was definatly holding it mositure better.

Of course the real test will be in the eating, which is still about 4 hours off.

 

[bswiv]

Considering the table manners and eating style of our family and friends it can be hard to tell what they really like. This being the case it was kind of hard to get a grip on whether the brined parts of the hog were a bigger hit than the parts cooked the regular way. Especially as when it was all over there was hardly enough for Louann to feed to her skunk, possums and cats.

Still based on what I noted as I served it up it seemed that the brined pieces retained moisture a little better, and they did have a slightly different color. And they did taste a little different, not better just different.

The brother in law who will be providing the hog, off his lease, for the next big cooking on Memorial Day said he thought the brined one was a little better. He said that if the hog we had yesterday had not been a lean swamp hog but rather one off his lease that gets access to corn (Not to mention the potato/sorgum/cabbage from fields next to his lease. ) which would make it a lot fatter that the brine would have really made a difference. He wants to give it another shot.

He may be right......it was a very lean pig.

I'm not convinced that it's worth the extra time or effort. But sense he'll be providing the hog we'll give it one more try.

 

[shortround60]

It couldn't hurt

I am happy to hear that all went well with your gathering. I hope that the next goes equally well or even better. Thank you for sharing.

 

[camper4lyfe]

I'd say that since it's all gone, it was a success!

 

[Gbro]

What was in the brine?
I use brown sugar and lots of garlic along with the canning salt.
I add soy sauce and ginger when I brine geese also.
How long did you let the brine set after injecting?

Did you get your better half a new chair? (like a Nerf one)

 

[2damnold4this]

What was in the brine?

That's a good question. It will be interesting to see what was in the brine and how long it soaked.

I like a brine with brown sugar, salt, a few cayenne peppers split open, garlic and I use equal portions of water and apple cider vinegar. I usually soak the meat for one day per every five pounds it weighs in the fridge before cooking.
: )

 

[bswiv]

Brine was composed of equal parts salt and sugar, one cup of each to the gallon. Sugar was the light brown stuff.

Beyond the sugar there was some cayane and some garlic.......neither of which I think were in enough of a concentration to be tasted in the final product.

Busted the hog up with the sawzall. Split off the ribs and went right down the backbone. Was not a overly large hog. I'd guess that the largest piece was about 5 pounds, maybe less.

Put the hog in the brine with the brine at room temp. Had already disolved the salt and sugar. After about a hour added a couple of zip-lock bags of ice to the brine/hog cooler to bring the temperature back down to 40 or so.

Pulled it out 14 hours later and slapped it on the grill.

Was told by one friend not to add more seasoning to the brined one as it would get to salty so I didn't. I think a rub without salt would have improved it some.

As for the chair.......... She came home from a garage sale with a replacement last week. And we went back after the turkeys on Wednesday. Did not hear or see a thing. Our season closed Sunday..................so now I've got to take her fishing.....and rods break real easy!

 

[2damnold4this]

What kind of salt did you use? I normally go with about 12 ounces by weight of Kosher (about two cups) or pickling salt in my brines.

I think I would have left the pork in the brine a bit longer.

 

[bswiv]

Used non-iodized.

You may be right in that the brine had not worked completely. Still it did make a difference, but another 1/2 day may have really improved ( Or ruined? ) things.

We'll see next time..........

 

[hogdogs]

Kosher don't mean "blessed" as I always thought... It means, "the salt used to cure meat that will later be blessed" otherwise, it is "Curing salt" the larger crystals, and not iodized, makes it the best for curing meats...
It is also called "Pickling salt" IIRC....

I also sent bswiv a PM regarding brown sugar... I don't buy the stuff... Since I learned that Brown Sugar is only white sugar with molasses added.

A $2.50+/- bottle of molasses makes several pounds. I can make it as light or dark (I like darker) as I wish. For a cup or 3, use a fork to mix, for a pound or more use the kitchen aid mixer...

Brent

 

[LSU12ga]

I'm pretty sure kosher salt is all about how they kill the salt.

 

[hogdogs]

LSU, I expect your post was in jest but to clarify...

The term "kosher salt" derives not from its being made in accordance with the guidelines for kosher foods as written in the Torah (nearly all salt is kosher, including ordinary table salt), but rather due to its use in making meats kosher, by helping to extract the blood from the meat. Rather than cubic crystals, kosher salt has a flat platelet shape. This is done in some salts by adding yellow prussiate of soda (sodium ferrocyanate). Because kosher salt grains are larger than regular table salt grains, when meats are coated in kosher salt the salt does not dissolve readily; the salt remains on the surface of the meat longer to draw fluids out of the meat.

Here is what I meant by my post...
Brent

 

[LSU12ga]

yes, it was in jest.

kosher salt, used for koshering meat.


There is an old joke, that pig is kosher, it's just how you kill the pig.


I don't know if you are familiar with Kosher dietary laws but the animal must be slaughtered in a very specific way for the meat to be considered kosher.

 

[taylorce1]

I brined a whole hog one time, talk about a redneck tale!

200lb carcass in a big contractor garbage bag, brine was mainly spices, sea salt, brown sugar, apple juice and vinegar about 20 gallons worth poured in with the pig. Threw him in the bath tub and buried him in ice. I'd roll it over every 24hrs and pile on fresh ice about every 12. I'd open the bag and stick him in the ham with a meat thermometer and managed to keep him around 40 degrees with all that ice.

Did this about 4 days before my buddies wedding and put him on the rotissere and managed to cook it all in about 12 hours. Just make sure you keep enough brine back to mop on while the meat is cooking. A lot of work but that pig sure tasted great. It sure is tough to get a wet pig out of a bath tub in a little bitty apartment.

 

[2damnold4this]

A $2.50+/- bottle of molasses makes several pounds.

That's a good idea.

 

[hogdogs]

BTW, The ratio for "average" brown sugar is 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon molasses... So the $2.50 12 ounce jar of molasses goes quite a long way.
Brent

 

[Gbro]

I like to inject brine with a large needle. Before I got my needle I would cut into thick parts to get the brine in.
I think that the refined brown sugar is plenty good for brineing, and would be very careful with adding mole-asses.
There are unrefined brown sugars on the market but I don't see where they would make much of a difference.

As for the chair.......... She came home from a garage sale with a replacement last week. And we went back after the turkeys on Wednesday. Did not hear or see a thing. Our season closed Sunday..................so now I've got to take her fishing.....and rods break real easy!

That may be so, but I think I would rather be wollopped with a chair over an ugly stick!

 

[hogdogs]

Gbro, refined means lesser quality IMHO...

I use refined white sugar and the same 9or better0 grade of molasses that is used to make commercial brown sugar. I am just making it on a smaller scale. Trust me, this is a great brown sugar and the little balls of unmixed product are avoided with more mixing... I made a brine just last night and I had quickly mixed my sugar and dissolved the molasses balls in the vinegar/water mix.

Was a great rack of ribs...

As I said, brown sugar (even store bought) is only white sugar mixed with molasses so don't go warning folks to avoid it, please...
Brent

 

[Goatwhiskers]

Hogdogs, just FYI. Apparently sugarcane is not raised in your area. Brown sugar is the product of cooking the syrup from squeezing the cane. The brown is then washed and refined into white sugar. Brown is also sold in stores as there are uses for it in cooking. Goatwhiskers

 

[hogdogs]

Brown sugar contains from 3.5% molasses (light brown sugar) to 6.5% molasses (dark brown sugar).

I spent several years in cane country.... but....

The molasses usually used is that obtained from sugar cane, because the flavor is generally preferred over beet sugar molasses. Although in some areas, especially in the Netherlands, sugar beet molasses is used. The white sugar used can be from either beet or cane as odour and color differences will be covered by the molasses.

In the days of old, you are 100% correct but them dern injuns kept raiding the sugar mills...

With high speed high output production, it would be hard pressed to find old skool brown sugar unless you pay prime dollar at them fancy "organic" stores... Last time I was in one they kicked me out for drinkin' too much free coffee and wine...
Brent