Basic Beer Brine + Flavor Variations
How to make beer brine suitable for pork, turkey, chicken, fish and beef brisket. Basic recipe + flavor variations. The total quantity yielded is sufficient for a whole chicken or an average sized pork roast. Scale as needed.
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Servings: 1 batch
Ingredients
- ¼ cup kosher salt*
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups water**
- 2 cups beer
- optional flavor additions such as peppercorns mustard seeds, clove, bay leaf, herbs, etc. to taste
Instructions
- Basic method: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the salt and sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the solution to the cold water to temper the temperature and let it cool down completely. Add the cold beer and any additional ingredients you are using. Submerge the food, cover with lid or plastic and refrigerate. Brine per the schedule below.
- Alternative method: Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the salt and sugar, whisk to dissolve and add 1 ½ cups of ice cubes plus the cold beer. Add any flavoring ingredients. Mix to combine, then add the food. Cover with lid or plastic and refrigerate. Brine per the schedule below.
- Brining Schedule***: Brine for 30 minutes to 24 hours, depending on the weight of the food and its size (ex. 4 pounds of pork chops need less time than a 4 pound pork loin).
less than 1 pound – 30 minutes
1 to 3 pounds – 45 to 60 minutes
3 to 5 pounds – 60 to 120 minutes
5 to 8 pounds – up to 6 hours
over 8 pounds – 12 hours and up to 24 hours
- Always discard a used brine.
Notes
The formula for all purpose beer brine is:
1 part kosher salt : 1 part sugar : 8 parts water: 8 parts beer : other ingredients to taste
Use the ratios to scale up or down as necessary. *If using Morton salt stick with the specified quantity. If using Diamond, increase by about 30 percent to get the same salinity. **You can divide this into 1 cup of water and 1 ½ cups ice cubes (for the faster method to make the beer brine). ***Do not over brine, especially smaller foods like shrimp - they can quickly become too salty and even dry out. Nutritional information is not provided as most of the brining solution is not consumed and simply facilitates juicier and more flavorful proteins.