Brining before dehydrating?
I dehydrate my own pressure cooked chicken for camping trips where I add them soups and stews. I cook the chicken in a pressure cooker (rather than baking it or poaching it) to make it more tender and hydrate better on the trail. I wonder if brining the chicken for a couple of days before I cook it and dehydrate it would make the chicken even more tender? If not, why? And, what else could make the chicken hydrate quicker and better?
Best Answer
Brining is a process that hydrates...or forces liquid into the cell structure of the product...to slow or prevent dehydration. This would certainly slow your dehydration step, perhaps dramatically. Adding extra water and then eliminating as much as possible doesn't seem to make sense. Why not just dehydrate less in the first place?
Basing my thinking on the quick method for rehydrating dried beans, I would suggest using boiling water...or stock (maybe hard to come by on the trail)...to speed rehydration.
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How long should you dry brine?
Dry brining, also known as salting, simply means rubbing the turkey down with salt, letting it rest in the refrigerator for 24 to 72 hours, and then roasting it.Does dry brining dry out meat?
Brine is used rather than plain water because its salt content not only thoroughly seasons the foods but modifies the internal proteins to hold onto more moisture. This benefits most protein-rich foods but especially improves lean items such as chicken, turkey, and pork, which risk drying out over high heat.What is the purpose of brine solution?
Brining is the process of submerging a cut of meat into a solution of salt and water. It adds flavor, seasoning from the inside out, but it also changes the meat's physical nature. The salt in brine denatures the meat's proteins to allow the cells to retain more moisture.How long should you brine meat for?
How Long Does It Take to Brine Meat? A general rule of thumb is to leave your meat in its brine for roughly one hour per pound\u2014never brine your meat more than the prescribed amount, lest the proteins break down too far, turning it into unappetizing mush.7 BEGINNER TIPS FOR FOOD DEHYDRATING | What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Dehydrating
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Answer 2
In addition to hydrating, brining also makes meat more tender. You could give your dehydrator a head start by placing the brined chicken on a rack with a tray under it and letting it dry out, uncovered, in your fridge. You might want to turn it once or twice as the top will dry faster. It will still be a long time in your dehydrator though.
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