Dry Brine
The Secret to Amazing Food
Brining is the concept of adding salt to whatever is being brined. The typical brine is a solution of salt in water or other liquid. Traditional corned beef is a classic brine technique with salt and other flavors.
The dry brine is the salt and flavors without the water. The idea is to allow the salt to sit on the meat and let chemistry do the work. The dry salt will react with the moisture in the meat and dissolve. This highly concentrated salt solution will get pulled into the meat. The remaining liquid on the surface will dry out, but the salt inside the meat will retain moisture.
This sets up the perfect conditions for finishing because the nice crust on the outside of any meat is desirable. If we take raw meat or freshly cooked sous vide meat, the exterior is impossibly wet. It is difficult to cook off the moisture to get a crust and not overcook the interior. After sous vide, the interior is perfectly done so we are only concerned with getting that nice exterior finish. This is much faster and easier than other methods.
Salt: Coarse but not too coarse
A coarse Kosher style salt is ideal for dry brine. Too fine and there will be too much salt. Too chunky and it will take forever to dissolve. The amount we need depends on the thickness of the meat and how much salt flavor is desired. Very thick meat like a turkey breast will not dry brine well and this is one of the exceptions when I put the salt on before sous vide cooking. For very thin meat like a Coho salmon, go easy on the salt until you dial it in. Thicker cuts like a two-inch NY Strip can have a more generous sprinkle. If in doubt then go light and adjust as you get more comfortable.
Black pepper is an excellent pairing with the salt and helps with the crust formation for beef cuts.
I like to add turmeric for salmon brine to add a slightly nutty flavor and for more nutrition. Salt, turmeric and black pepper is my usual salmon dry brine. Of course, almost any spice can be added just note how it cooks in your system as most of the high heat finishing techniques will burn many of the spices. There are no rules so be creative.
Sous vide beef cuts usually require many hours or overnight for full penetration. As soon as the surface is dry the meat is ready to finish.
