Can I brine meat after cooking it?
I cooked up a bunch of beef to slice into luncheon meat, and did some reading afterwards... and have decided that I want the meat to be brined, so it is more tender and moist, like the storebought stuff.
...except, I already cooked it. I now know that the brining should be done before it is cooked, and that is what really helps with moisture retention. But would I pick up any of the benefit by brining it now? Thanks!
Best Answer
It won't do anything useful.
Brining works on raw meat by denaturing some of the proteins inside the cells so they gel and hold tightly onto their water. It also gets tasty salt in.
Cooked meat has already had its proteins denatured by heat. Brining will not cause the meat to hold on to any new water.
Basically all it will do is wash away some of the surface flavor into the brine.
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Quick Answer about "Can I brine meat after cooking it?"
You cannot brine after cooking but you could slice the meat and place it in a jus. You see this commonly with "Italian Beef" and "French Dip" sandwiches. Take whatever drippings you have left and add supplement with beef/chicken/vegetable stock/broth/.Can you brine cooked meat?
Can you brine at room temperature? According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it's safe to keep raw and cooked meats at room temperature for up to two hours (or one hour if the temperature is above 90\xb0F). That said, we usually brine anything that goes longer than 30 minutes in the refrigerator to be safe.Does brining meat make it juicier?
Whether we are roasting a turkey or grilling chicken parts, we have consistently found that brining keeps the meat juicier. Brining also gives delicate (and sometimes mushy) poultry a meatier, firmer consistency and seasons the meat down to the bone.How long after brining do you have to cook?
First, brining ahead of time is one less thing to do the day before Thanksgiving. Two, letting the bird to sit (uncovered) in your fridge for at least 8 hours will allow the skin to dry out and when cooked, it will become perfectly brown and crisp.Does brining meat make it salty?
Nope. Brine's saline content has nothing to do with how salty the finished product will be, it's way more scientific than that. Salinity, depending on its strength, partially dissolves meat's muscle fiber (that which makes it tough), making it tender.How to Brine Meat and the Science Behind it (Dry and wet Brining)
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Answer 2
You cannot brine after cooking but you could slice the meat and place it in a jus.
You see this commonly with "Italian Beef" and "French Dip" sandwiches. Take whatever drippings you have left and add supplement with beef/chicken/vegetable stock/broth/. Slice and place the meat in the jus until serving which may get you closer to the outcome you are looking for.
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