TO PREPARE: Pour 1 gallon cold water into a nonmetallic kettle or bucket. Stir in 2 cups kosher salt. Add the egg in its shell to the salted water. If egg does not float, add additional salt, 1 tbs. at a time (keeping track of how much salt you add), until egg floats to the surface. Remove egg, then add enough sugar to equal the amount of salt you have already added; stir to dissolve.

Add meat, poultry, fish or shellfish of choice, making sure that the food is submerged. Transfer kettle to the refrigerator and let stand for Brining time specified in Guide to Brining and Smoking, page 61

Remove meat of fish from brine; reserve and refrigerate brine for another use another time. Let meat or fish stand at room temp until a translucent glaze or pellicle forms on its surface, about 1 hour. Then smoke for period specified in Guide to Brining and Smoking, page 61

Makes 1 gallon. This brine can be stored in the refrigerator and reused 3 times, as long as each time, it is used to brine only the same food.

Posted to the BBQ List by Carey Starzinger on Mar 27, 1996.