Brine Question

[dbcooker]

I have been doing dry rubs and am now going to try brining my meats.I brined a couple of turkey's in an apple+ honey and spices at Christmas and it was the best and smoked with a dark cherry and apple wood . I am going to be doing Pulled Pork,Ribs and chicken at a bar this summer on a continuous basis and my question is this. The pork will brine for 24hrs once I pull my pork and put it in the smoker can I use the brine for another batch. The brine mixture will be a apple cider, apple vinegar and sea salt base.The brine should never be out of the cooler or out of meat any longer than a 1/2 hr.Any Input good bad or otherwise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gearjammer]

Hello and welcome to you.

Glad you decided to hang out with us here on this great site.

Do not  reuse  the brine, get rid of it, wash your brining bucket and make fresh new brine.

Someone that knows more than I do will be along shortly, I'm sure, to explain why.

Just don't reuse the stuff. 

Remember that pictures of your smokes are good things. 

Have fun with it.

                Ed

 

[dbcooker]

Thanks Ed and I figured the same but I couldn't seem to find an answer any were. This looks like the place to be and thanks for having me.
DB

 

[chef jimmyj]

If you Boil the Brine between uses it is Safe but, we are talking Salt Water and some flavorings. It will cost more in energy to Heat and Cool the Brine than just making a new one.. Not to mention you will have to measure the Salinity, buy a tool, and add salt and flavorings to return to original strength. If you have a good result, consistency is what folks pay for. If your meat taste great on Monday and Friday it is just so-so because the Brine is inconsistent, folks will notice. One restaurant I worked in had a big drop off in Sauteed Dishes every Tuesday. I was off on Tuesday and the guy that filled in added " his " twist to my recipes and what I trained him to do. Sales suffered because it was not consistent and not as good. 

...JJ

 

[dbcooker]

I had read some were that she boiled the brine and then injected her butts and that brought me to the question of whether I could or couldn't reuse the brine. I then read a article a out them having to top of the brine but that meat was for more of a cure.Just trying to save a buck were ever I can not worth it for sure.

 

[daveomak]

If you want to save time and money....  Inject the meat....

Tell me what you want to use for a brine on the pork and chicken and I will figure out an injection for you....  then you can adjust the injection to tweak the taste....

 

[chef jimmyj]

Injecting is a different story. You can make a large batch, inject what you need, usually a percentage of the meats weight, and add just a small amount to cover the exterior. As Dave points out, uses a lot less Brine and does not weaken it...JJ

 

[jasper7]

Hey db looks like your jumping in with both feet here.  You're living the dream, gettin paid to make barbecue.  Have a great summer, keep on smokin'.

 

[phatbac]

I agree with what some other people have commented if you are worried about getting it dry or want different flavor i would inject my butts. I usually don't brine or inject chicken  or pork and  its comes out super moist. but i have and can understand a chicken brine. If you are smoking large quantities. if you decide to inject and doing a lot of butts in a production kitchen type environment check out the Chopps power injector. might be worth the investment. 

Happy Smoking and Congrats on living the dream!

phatbac (Aaron)