Text 7911, 99 rader
Skriven 2006-11-24 08:41:14 av DAVE SACERDOTE (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DALE SHIPP
Ärende: Pickling Spice & Brining
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DSac> 1 gallon of water
DSac> 1/2 cup salt
DSac> 1/2 cup brown sugar
DSac> 1/4 cup thyme
DSac> 1/4 cup mixed pickling spice
 
DSh> Does your pickling spice contain nitrates?  I.e. Same as Morton's
DSh> tender quick?  Or is it the mixed herbs, seeds and etc. ?
DSh> Was that fresh thyme or dried?

Whoops, I guess I need some clarifications. 

"Mixed pickling spice" contains no sodium of any kind (no salt, no
nitrates, nothing.)  All it is is a blend of mustard seed, allspice
berries, crushed bay leaves, broken bits of whole cinnamon, coriander
seeds, etc.  The actual composition varies by brand, but just go to
the dollar store and get a 99-cent plastic bottle of "pickling spice"
and you're good to go.

Or:  Make your own, it's pretty easy - but can be a little pricey
when you consider the number of different things that go into it
(here again, buying your spices at a job lot place or the dollar
store will help, as will going to a place like Whole Foods that 
sell spices in bulk.)

Here are the amounts for a good basic pickling spice:

1 cup whole mustard seeds
1/3 cup black peppercorns
1/2 cup whole allspice berries
1/4 cup cardamom seeds
1/2 cup crushed cinnamon sticks
12 bay leaves, crumbled
1/3 cup dill seed

You can also add:

1/2 to 3/4 cup ground coriander
1/4 cup whole cloves
crushed red pepper to taste
1 tbsp nutmeg
dried peel of 1 orange, crushed

I usually add the coriander, orange peel, and red pepper.
Be careful with the cloves. Some online recipes say you
should use 1/2 a cup (!!!!) of them in a batch of spice,
but cloves are STRONG and that much would really overpower
just about everything else in the mix.  Likewise with the
nutmeg (I only use freshly-shaved nutmeg, though, so it's
much more powerful than the ancient sawdust sold as 
nutmeg in the spice aisle of the supermarket.)

= = 

I rarely use "mixed pickling spice" for pickling.  However,
I use a lot of it for otherwise.  Makes a good crab or shrimp
boil, a few spoons of it in the water when cooking corned beef
gives the meat more flavor, and of course it gives brine a
pleasant flavor (gives my ribs that elusive "corned beefy"
flavor that Michael has commented upon.

= = 

DSh> Does your cooler keep it cool enough?   Gail and I are a little
DSh> worried about that sort of thing.  Wondering whether or not to get
DSh> containers to do in the frig.

[g] My attitudes towards refrigeration and spoilage must horrify
you guys.  

Seriously, though, I have a smallish cooler that Maryanne received as
a giveaway from ABB when she worked there. Night before last it held
the turkey and two cornish hens with plenty of room to spare.  I
recommend that you get a cooler you can use for brining - and use
it only for that from now on - the only thing you need to do is make
sure that it has a white plastic interior.  The white plastic used
for commercial food tubs and barrels, and all coolers, is FDA and USDA
approved for food contact.

Wash the cooler like you would with any other food container.  Rinse
it with a mild bleach solution if you really really feel skeevy about
it.  Put in the food, then pour on the brine until the food can be
submerged.

Then:  put a bag of ice on top!!  Don't open the bag and pour in the
ice, just put the bag on top.  Close the cooler.  You're good until
the next day, at least.

So the fast answer to your question is yes, the cooler keeps 
things plenty cool enough.





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