Simple curing brine formula?

Hi guys,
Is there a simple salt to meat to water formula for creating a brine to cure small amounts of meat?

Most of the recipes I can find assume I'm working with more than 12 pounds, but I only have a couple of ounces. Yes, I do think it's worth the effort of curing such a small batch, it's a lambs tongue, so tiny, but needs to be in the brine today while it's still fresh.

I would love a simple, go to recipe for small amounts of brine that can have different spices added later - something like, per 1 oz meat, make a brine with x weight of (regular) salt and y volume water, cure for (about) z days. Anyone know a recipe like this? Please help.

trampledbygeese
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4 Comments

The L.
The L. March 24, 2014
A classic 1:1 brine is 1 cup of table salt to a gallon of water. In that there are 16 cups in a gallon & 16 tablespoons in a cup, this makes it very easy to scale a brine by the cup. So for every 1 cup of water use 1 tablespoon of table salt, or for every 1/3 cup of water use 1 teaspoon of table salt. The key here is table salt. If using kosher or sea salt, which weighs less by volume, you would need to increase the salt by 1.5-2x.
 
Regine
Regine March 24, 2014
You ll find the best guideline in Cooksilustrated.com

For 3 lbs of skinless and boneless breast of chicken, my best formula is 8 cups water plus 1/4 cup each table salt and sugar. Refrigerate for exactly 45 to 60 minutes. No less. Then rinse several times. I rinse 5 times.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

Ryan
Ryan March 24, 2014
Basic brine should have a 3 - 6 percent salt content. Here is Michael Ruhlman's basic brine:

20 - ounces water
1 - ounce *kosher salt

sugar and spices can be added to this. heat to dissolve salt into water. chill, then brine/cure your tongue away! (12 - 24 hours for 300 grams of meat)

*kosher salt does not contain impurities like other salts

20 - parts (oz., grams, pounds, kilos) liquid
1 - part salt
1 - part sugar, or less (optional either way)
T.T. - spices

*Brine times vary as to whether you will inject the brine and submerge or submerge only.
 
alp.aker
alp.aker March 24, 2014
You can take any brining recipe and divide the salt and water measurements by the same factor, but keep the brining time the same.
 
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