# Stainless Steel for brining



## disco

I have a large stainless steel pot that would hold a lot of pork for back bacon (you call it Canadian bacon in the US) or buckboard bacon. I have been using variations on Pops Brine. Stainless steel is generally considered non reactive. Can it be used to brine bacon for up to two weeks safely?

Disco


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## daveomak

Yep....  SS is good....   Dave


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## disco

DaveOmak said:


> Yep....  SS is good....   Dave


Thanks, Dave. Your wisdom is only surpassed by your good looks!

Disco


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## dirtsailor2003

Stainless steel is fine, copper and aluminum are not. Same goes for making brine that requires cooking on the stove, use stainless, or an enamel pot.


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## disco

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Stainless steel is fine, copper and aluminum are not. Same goes for making brine that requires cooking on the stove, use stainless, or an enamel pot.


Thanks, Case.


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## dward51

Here is something I use when I brine turkeys and I don't see why it would not work for a long term brine of any meat. 

I have a large square but tall plastic pail that another food product came it.  Being sanitation conscious, I decided to take one of the large brown in turkey bags to use as a disposable liner.  An added plus of the bag is you can close up the top expelling all the air before tying it off to ensure all the meat remains in contact with the brine.  Then just set the whole container into the fridge for the duration of the brine.  Clean up is a breeze as the bag can be tossed and you don't have to worry about the container taking on any odor of what you brine.  You can usually find the brown in bags in the same isle as the foil and clear plastic wrap in the grocery store.  They also make smaller ones for chicken which would work for smaller cuts of meat.


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## dirtsailor2003

dward51 said:


> Here is something I use when I brine turkeys and I don't see why it would not work for a long term brine of any meat.
> 
> I have a large square but tall plastic pail that another food product came it.  Being sanitation conscious, I decided to take one of the large brown in turkey bags to use as a disposable liner.  An added plus of the bag is you can close up the top expelling all the air before tying it off to ensure all the meat remains in contact with the brine.  Then just set the whole container into the fridge for the duration of the brine.  Clean up is a breeze as the bag can be tossed and you don't have to worry about the container taking on any odor of what you brine.  You can usually find the brown in bags in the same isle as the foil and clear plastic wrap in the grocery store.  They also make smaller ones for chicken which would work for smaller cuts of meat.


I too use a food grade plastic container to brine my meats. I like the idea of using the bag as a liner and I'll give that a try next go around.


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## kathrynn

Disco....ditto on what the guys said.  I do find the SS pots are easier for me to move around and they don't seen to want to buckle or fold up with I try and move them.  Mopping is not one of my favorite jobs for spills.

Kat


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## jirodriguez

If you look in the "storage container" section of stores like Kmart, Walmart, Fred Meyers/Kroger....and maybe Target you will find Ziploc storage bags. My local store (Fred Meyers/Kroger) has 3 gallon, 5 gallon, and 20 gallon bags, they have a double seal and hold brine and meat very well. For things like chicken, pork butts, and what not I use the 3 gallon bags, briskets fit a 5 gallon bag with room to spare, and you can put two 20 lb. turkeys in the 20 gallon and still have lots of room for brine.

Very easy to use and they keep the mess and clean up to a minimum!


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## dirtsailor2003

Even though I agree that the bag idea is a good one, I have a hard time that it is a "one time" use item. Especially since it is an item that can't be recycled like foil can be.I've always wondered how many here actually recycle the foil that they use.


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## disco

dward51 said:


> Here is something I use when I brine turkeys and I don't see why it would not work for a long term brine of any meat.
> 
> I have a large square but tall plastic pail that another food product came it.  Being sanitation conscious, I decided to take one of the large brown in turkey bags to use as a disposable liner.  An added plus of the bag is you can close up the top expelling all the air before tying it off to ensure all the meat remains in contact with the brine.  Then just set the whole container into the fridge for the duration of the brine.  Clean up is a breeze as the bag can be tossed and you don't have to worry about the container taking on any odor of what you brine.  You can usually find the brown in bags in the same isle as the foil and clear plastic wrap in the grocery store.  They also make smaller ones for chicken which would work for smaller cuts of meat.


Good idea. Thanks.

Disco


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## disco

KathrynN said:


> Disco....ditto on what the guys said.  I do find the SS pots are easier for me to move around and they don't seen to want to buckle or fold up with I try and move them.  Mopping is not one of my favorite jobs for spills.
> 
> Kat





JIRodriguez said:


> If you look in the "storage container" section of stores like Kmart, Walmart, Fred Meyers/Kroger....and maybe Target you will find Ziploc storage bags. My local store (Fred Meyers/Kroger) has 3 gallon, 5 gallon, and 20 gallon bags, they have a double seal and hold brine and meat very well. For things like chicken, pork butts, and what not I use the 3 gallon bags, briskets fit a 5 gallon bag with room to spare, and you can put two 20 lb. turkeys in the 20 gallon and still have lots of room for brine.
> 
> Very easy to use and they keep the mess and clean up to a minimum!





dirtsailor2003 said:


> Even though I agree that the bag idea is a good one, I have a hard time that it is a "one time" use item. Especially since it is an item that can't be recycled like foil can be.I've always wondered how many here actually recycle the foil that they use.


I have a hard time throwing out one use items too. That is why I bought stainless steel for other cooking. I try to stay away from disposable foil pans and buy cheap metal ones that last for a couple of years. I think I will be staying with my small enamel pot and my large stainless steel one.

Thanks for all the input.

Disco


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## dward51

Our local Kroger had the two packs of turkey roasting bags marked down to $0.39 per two pack after Christmas.  They were usually in the $3 range. Guess they figured all the turkey baking was over until next year.  I snagged all they had at that price. It was the Reynolds brand name ones too!   I'm set for brining bags for a while.

Watch you local stores after Thanksgiving and Christmas.  You might get lucky.


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