Adding salt to a marinade to brine?
I have a marinade I really love for chicken that has a base of pineapple and lime juice, aromatics, and a little canola oil. There's no salt in the marinade and I don't season the chicken before putting it in either. I tried using this marinade overnight, but found that the flavor wasn't as intense. I think this could be solved by marinating for longer and/or adding some salt to essentially brine the chicken.
I know that a typical wet brine is around can be up to 20% salt, and this is what I'm thinking of doing for the marinade. However, I'm not sure if I'd ruin a big batch of chicken with this much salt. Given that it already has all of these ingredients, should I lower the salt content and marinade for longer, or just bite the bullet and go with the standard brine ratio?
Best Answer
Marinating is basically a surface treatment. Marinades don't penetrate more than a millimeter or two. Most flavor molecules are just too large. So, if you like the flavor after a short bath, just keep it at that. A longer marination generally doesn't help.
Now, salt does penetrate, that is why brining works. However, don't confuse brining with marination. The added salt will not improve the effect of marination. Only the salt will penetrate.
These are two different processes.
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Can you add salt to a marinade?
Whereas most marinades don't do much for tenderizing or anything for moisture, salt does. It will help the flavors in the marinade penetrate and remain behind after cooking. And of course, salt is a flavor enhancer by and of itself.Does salt ruin a marinade?
Salt: Salt will help the water-soluble flavors in the marinade penetrate the tissues and remain behind after cooking. Salt also restructures the protein in the meat to create more gaps for moisture to fill in. It also loosens the muscle fibers to make tough cuts easier to chew.Why do you not put salt in a marinade?
The salt in your marinade is important, but overly salty meat can lead to a dry and tough finished product. Keep this in mind when you're preparing your marinade and don't go crazy with the salt, because it pulls the moisture out of your ingredients.Do you need salt in a brine?
For a traditional brine, all you need is water, salt and a little time\u2014that's it; you barely even need a recipe. I like using 1 tablespoon of kosher salt for every cup of water. For smaller cuts, like chicken breasts or pork chops, 4 cups of water will be sufficient to cover the meat completely.Why you should (almost) always brine your chicken
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