Which sugar for brining?
I've come across various brining solutions that include sugars: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, etc. Are these sugars interchangeable? Is one sugar more desirable for a certain kind of meat over the other?
Best Answer
For a brine, no it doesn't really matter, except that granulated sugar will dissolve more nicely than raw sugar. The sugar is for flavor more than anything else, though it does help the brine some. It also promotes browning of the meat. If you change one kind of sugar for another, I'd use a 1:1 swap by weight rather than volume so you don't have to worry about crystal sizes.
Though the sugar does help the brining action some, the salt is the important component.
From Cook's Illustrated:
How does brining work? Brining promotes a change in the structure of the proteins in the muscle. The salt causes protein strands to become denatured, or unwound. This is the same process that occurs when proteins are exposed to heat, acid, or alcohol. When protein strands unwind, they get tangled up with one another, forming a matrix that traps water. Salt is commonly used to give processed meats a better texture. For example, hot dogs made without salt would be limp.
In most cases, we add sugar to the brine. Sugar has little if any effect on the texture of the meat, but it does add flavor and promotes better browning of the skin.
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Cookshack suggests using a ratio of 2/3 cup of salt and 2/3 cup of sugar for each gallon of water when making your brine. The source says you can use white, turbinado, or brown sugar for this solution.Can you use regular sugar for brine?
While water is water, and salt, salt (actually there's many different types of salt, but for a brine I'd just use regular kosher salt), you can definitely have some fun with the sugar. White table sugar is just fine to use, but brown sugar carries a different flavor, as does honey, molasses, and maple syrup.Can you use white sugar instead of brown for brine?
Type of Sugar The brown sugar in this recipe helps counteract the salt flavor of the brine. I like brown sugar the most for this recipe but it can easily be substituted on a 1:1 basis for white sugar, turbinado sugar, honey or even maple syrup.Does brown sugar tenderize meat?
Make a large batch of this easy-to-remember rub to use on beef, poultry, or vegetables: Combine 4 parts salt, 3 parts brown sugar, 2 parts sweet paprika, and 1 part cayenne pepper. It sounds like a lot of sugar, but it's not there just to tenderize\u2014it also assists in giving your steak a caramelized crust.Can you brine meat with sugar?
My introduction to seasoning meat with sugar came in the form of a once-a-year tradition: the dry brine for a Thanksgiving turkey. Along with salt, sugar (either brown or white granulated) is a dry-brine must-have, essential both for its browning capabilities and flavor-enhancing properties.How to Make a Basic Brine
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