JSP - Johnny Smoke Porter - Beer Brine

Brining is one of the simplest tricks to adding great subtle flavour to meats whilst tenderising at the same time. Not only do you get the benefits of ‘seasoning’ (ie salt, pepper, etc), the beer allows these to permeate through the meats and by using JSP you get a lovely subtle, smoky flavour that is to die for. You can use any meat you would like but personal favourites are beef brisket, pork loins, chicken chops and Atlantic salmon tails.

Ingredients:

1 litre of water, cold
¾ cup ground rock salt
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey, local variety
2 tbsp. mixed peppercorns, ground
1 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
½ garlic head, peeled and chopped
6 fresh or 10 dried bay leaves
1 each orange, halved, and squeezed (can use 200ml juice)
500ml bottle of JSP
Up to 1.5kg of chosen meat

Directions:

In a large pot, bring the water, salt, sugar, honey, peppercorns, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and orange to the boil, stirring through-out. Turn off heat and let sit, to infuse the flavours, and put in fridge to cool. Once cold, add your meat to be brined. You want the meet to be 2/3 submerged at this point. If not remove some of the brine. You can then add the JSP until the meat is submerged. Mix the liquid well. This method means you don’t waste any valuable JSP, using enough only for the meat you wish to brine.

Place the cooled brine and meat mix in a sealable container that is large enough to hold the brine
and the meat. Place in fridge to keep cool.

Brining time will vary depending on the type of meat and the size of the pieces. It will vary depending on your tastes but as a general guide:
Beef: 28-32 hours per 1kg*
Pork: 24-28 hours per 1kg*
Chicken: 16-18 hours per 1kg*
Salmon: 12-16 hours per 1kg*
* Note: this is for one piece of meat, reduce proportionally if smaller pieces

Remove the meat at least 12 to 24 hours before cooking. This will help the meat dry and continue to distribute the flavour. Cook as per normal. Personal favourite is either in a smoker or in a Webber. Nothing can beat the taste of a piece of brined meat done over real coals.