Can we talk about using leftover brine as a basting liquid?

I tried basting my pork shoulder with leftover apple juice brine halfway through a 10-hour smoke last weekend and it gave the bark this amazing caramelized crust. Has anyone else experimented with reusing brine for mopping, or is that a food safety risk I missed?

3 comments

3 Comments

park.riley4d ago

A buddy of mine who cooks competition BBQ told me he tried this once and got mixed results because the sugar in the brine can burn if you're not careful with the heat. He said it's a solid move as long as you don't let the smoker get too hot too fast.

dylanh974d ago

Huh, that's interesting. Your buddy's right about the sugar burning thing. I've run into that exact problem with a honey brine on chicken thighs. Had the smoker around 275 and the skin came out almost black in spots. Did he mention what temp he actually runs for this method? Because I'm curious if you have to baby it at like 225 the whole time or if you can push it a little hotter once the sugar sets. Also, was he doing this with a dry brine or a wet one? I figure a wet brine with sugar would be way worse for burning since it's more concentrated on the surface. Just trying to figure out if it's worth messing with on a pork butt or if it's only for stuff that cooks fast.

wright.jesse4d ago

Yeah no kidding. Sugar plus high heat is a gamble. Your buddy's probably running closer to 225 for the first hour or two to let the sugar set before bumping it up.