Is MSG able to penetrate meat like chicken breast and steak when dissolved in a brine?

I am trying to figure out whether adding MSG to a water based brine will allow the MSG to 'penetrate' the meat. I know it is soluble, but I'm not sure whether this means it will be able to diffuse into the meat in the same way regular salt does. I remember reading a claim (a comment online) that the size of the molecules involved in the MSG means it will not work.

Is this true? I am hoping to actually try this out, but it would be helpful to know the basic food science/chemistry behind it to figure out the optimal concentrations etc.

meat brining msg

Best Answer

Yes, MSG will penetrate, and it appears to diffuse about 1/3 as fast as table salt. You will learn a lot from this link. You'll need to scroll down quite a bit, or search the page for MSG.

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Quick Answer about "Is MSG able to penetrate meat like chicken breast and steak when dissolved in a brine?"

Yes, MSG will penetrate, and it appears to diffuse about 1/3 as fast as table salt.

Can you add MSG to a brine?

And MSG won't work in the place of salt when brining a turkey. But, to make your Thanksgiving dinner with less salt, MSG is a good replacement for salt that is used as seasoning in side dishes and even gravy.

Can you dry brine steak with MSG?

I guarantee beefier, juicier and more tender steak if you dry brine with MSG instead of ordinary salt. I dry brined two ribeye steaks, one with salt and one with MSG, and then reverse seared them.

Can you inject chicken in brine?

Brining and injecting both have the desired effect of adding moisture and flavor to whatever you are cooking. Turkey and chicken benefit greatly from this practice, but pork, beef, lamb and even fish can benefit from one of these two treatments.

How do you brine chicken in MSG?

For the dry brine:

3 tablespoons fine sea salt.

1 tablespoon MSG.

1 tablespoon white sugar.

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.

1/4 teaspoon paprika.

Why you should (almost) always brine your chicken

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Pixabay, Aaron Johnson, Vidal Balielo Jr., Erik Mclean