less moisture.
So, which method is better: brining or extended
salting? From the chart alone, you’d guess brining;
the meat retains an entire extra percentage point of
moisture. But is this all good news? I can hear you
all now saying, no more dry pork, chicken, or
turkey? Sign me up! Not so fast. There’s a major
trade-off when it comes to brining, and it’s got to do
with flavor. You see, while your meat may end up
juicier, remember that much of the juice it’s now
holding on to is nothing more than tap water. This
can have a pronounced effect on the flavor of the
meat. With salting, on the other hand, all of the
juices in there naturally occur in the meat.
I’ve repeated this test numerous times with
everything from turkey to pork chops and always
come to the same conclusion: salting and resting
your meat is superior in every way to brining.

CHICKEN TEMPERATURE

AND SAFETY

Take a look at the USDA’s basic cooking

guidelines, and you’ll see that they recommend
cooking foods to higher temperatures than anyone in
their right mind would want to eat them at. They