How to Brine With Honey
- 1). Choose a honey with a strong, distinctive flavor that will complement the rest of your ingredients. Some are citrusy, some are floral, some are herbal and others have caramel or butterscotch notes.
- 2). Clear enough room in your refrigerator for the meat or poultry to rest while it brines overnight.
- 3). Prepare a pot or food-grade plastic container, large enough to hold your meat or poultry. Pour water into the container until it is full, then remove the meat item and measure the water. This is how much brine you will need to make.
- 4). Bring water to a boil for your brine. For every gallon of brine needed use at least one cup of salt, or more as desired. Add other flavoring ingredients to the brine if you wish, such as black pepper, bay leaves, cloves or fresh herbs.
- 5). Remove the brine mixture from the heat and let it rest for 20 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of honey for every gallon of brine. If honey is added to the brine while it is boiling, it will lose much of its flavor.
- 6). Chill the brine, either by refrigerating it or by preparing it with half the amount of water, and then adding enough ice to make the other half. Immerse the bird or meat in the honey brine, and refrigerate overnight.
- 7). Remove the meat or bird from the brine and pat it dry. Roast or smoke the brined meat as directed in your recipe.
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