difference in flavor: the broth-brined chicken still had the
same hallmarks of a regular brined bird (juicy/wet texture,
bland flavor). What the heck’s going on?
There are two principles at work here. The first is that
while to the naked eye broth is a pure liquid, in reality, a
broth consists of water with a vast array of dissolved solids
in it that contribute flavor. Most of these flavorful molecules
are organic compounds that are relatively large in size—on
a molecular scale, that is—while salt molecules are quite
small. So, while salt can easily pass across the
semipermeable membranes that make up the cells in animal
tissue, larger molecules cannot.†
Additionally, there’s an effect called “salting out,” which
occurs in water-based solutions containing both proteins and
salt. Water molecules are attracted to salt ions and will
selectively interact with them. The poor proteins,
meanwhile, are left with only each other and end up forming
large aggregate groups that make it even harder for them to
get into the meat. When the salt breaks down muscle fibers
sufficiently to allow the uptake of water, plenty of water and
salt get into the meat, but very little protein does.
The result? Unless you are using an extraconcentrated
homemade stock, the amount of flavorful compounds that
make it inside your chicken or turkey will be very, very
limited. Given the amount of stock you’d need to make this
concentrated broth, it doesn’t seem like a wise move.
What Does This All Mean?
Well, let me end the way I started: I don’t brine my birds,
because I like my birds to taste like birds, not like watered-