Mastering the Grill_ The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking - Andrew Schloss [261]
Brining thick fish and boneless poultry: 1 hour
Brining bone-in poultry, chops, and steaks: 2 to 3 hours
Brining roasts: 3 to 8 hours (depending on size)
GOOD WITH
Seafood: salmon or any other oily fish
Poultry: turkey, duck, game hen
Meat: beef, lamb, pork
INGREDIENTS (MAKES ABOUT 2¼ CUPS)
2 cups red wine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves (from about 3 sprigs)
1 tablespoon chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot)
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf, crushed
3 tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the ingredients in a gallon-size zipper-lock bag; seal and shake until the salt and sugar dissolve, about 30 seconds.
2. Put the bag in a bowl just large enough to hold it snugly. Open the bag and add the meat. Seal the zipper, leaving about an inch open; push on the bag to release any trapped air through the opening, and close the zipper completely. Massage the liquid gently into the meat and refrigerate for the suggested time.
Javanese Coconut Brine
This amalgam of coconut, hot peppers, lemongrass, soy sauce, seaweed, and lime is pure South Sea island. It is especially good with seafood and chicken or turkey breast, where the richness of the coconut milk adds needed fat. You can substitute light coconut milk for regular, but it will have less flavor and less richness. Make sure you don’t use sweetened coconut milk, also called coconut cream. See the sidebar at right to make your own coconut milk. Granulated kelp and other seaweed are sold in most health food stores.
TIMING
Prep: 5 minutes
FRESH COCONUT MILK
It’s easy to open a can of coconut milk, but making it fresh is a fun project and easy in its own right. The results are less thick but taste fresher than the canned version.
Makes about 4 cups
1 coconut, heavy for its size
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Punch holes into 2 of the coconut’s eyes with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Drain the liquid from the coconut into a bowl; drink or discard.
3. Put the coconut in the oven and bake for 20 minutes; remove and let cool. Lay the coconut on a sturdy surface and hit it with a hammer until the shell cracks into several large pieces.
4. Hold one of the pieces of coconut in your palm, protecting your hand with a folded kitchen towel. Pry the coconut meat from its shell with a flat-head screwdriver.
5. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the dark skin from the shelled coconut meat, and cut the pieces into small chunks. Grind in a food processor until the coconut meat turns into pulp. Add 1 cup very hot water and process for 30 seconds.
6. Put the mixture in a large mixing bowl and add 3 cups hot water. Massage the pulp with your hands, milking its contents into the water, until the water turns opaque, about 100 strokes. Strain out the pulp and use the milk as needed; discard the pulp.
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BRINING TIME
Brining small seafood and thin fish: 30 minutes
Brining thick fish and boneless poultry: 1 hour
Brining bone-in poultry, chops, and steaks: 2 to 3 hours
Brining roasts: 3 to 8 hours (depending on size)
GOOD WITH
Seafood: shrimp, scallops, any white-fleshed fish
Poultry: chicken, turkey
Meat: lamb, pork, veal
INGREDIENTS (MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS)
1 can (about 14 ounces) coconut milk
2 teaspoons ground dried lemongrass
2 teaspoons sriracha hot pepper sauce or other hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon kelp or other seaweed granules
Juice of 2 limes (about ¼ cup)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 large clove garlic, minced 2/3 cup water
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the ingredients in a gallon-size zipper-lock bag; seal and shake until the salt dissolves, about 30 seconds.
2. Put the bag in a bowl just large enough to hold it snugly. Open the bag and add the meat. Seal the zipper, leaving about an inch open; push on the bag to release any trapped air through the opening, and close the zipper completely. Massage the liquid gently into the meat and refrigerate for the suggested