Time for a bath…
Moisture loss is inevitable when cooking meat; normally it loses about 30 per cent of its weight during cooking. But if you soak the meat in brine first, you can reduce this moisture loss during cooking. Brining in a mild salt solution also increases juiciness by dissolving some of the proteins in muscle fibres, turning them from solid to liquid.
Brining basics
How long to brine depends on the size and type of meat you’ve got. Larger meats like a whole turkey require much more time for the brine to do its thing. Small pieces of seafood shouldn’t sit in brine for more than half an hour while corning for corned beef or corned silverside, which is brining by another name, takes up to five days.
How to brine a chook
To brine a chook, make a brine from ½ cup salt dissolved in 1.2 litres water. In a container, submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate for 2 hours then rinse bird thoroughly and dry before cooking. Properly brined meat shouldn’t taste salty, just juicy and tender.