118 brine recipes

Sweet 'n' sour squash medley: zucchini, yellow squash, and green beans simmered in a cinnamon-spiced brown sugar and white wine vinegar brine. A refrigerator side that lasts for days.

Best corned beef cures your own brisket from scratch in a spiced salt brine, then simmers it tender. Real-deal homemade corned beef with garlic and pickling spice, far better than anything from a packet.

Louisiana crawfish boil with liquid crab boil, cayenne, bay leaves, honey, and citrus: 50 pounds of live crawfish cooked for 7 minutes, then soaked an hour to absorb spicy-sweet brine.

Sugar-free marinated cucumber salad with vinegar, garlic, and black pepper. Salt-brined thin slices release their water, then soak up a tangy dressing for a crisp, diabetic-friendly side dish.

Cure your own corned beef at home with a 7-day salt and pickling spice brine, then simmer in beer and bake for the best homemade deli-style corned beef sandwiches.

Favorite dill pickles: garden cucumbers packed with fresh dill and garlic in jars and covered with a hot vinegar brine. The classic homemade dill pickle, ready in 3 to 4 weeks.

Sauerbraten is a classic German pot roast marinated 2 to 3 days in a spiced vinegar brine with peppercorns, bay leaves, and cloves, then braised until fork-tender with a sweet-sour gravy.

French seafood stew (matelote) with canned salmon, prawns, mussels, white fish, and mushrooms simmered in cider-stock broth with basil and lemon: hearty mixed seafood soup.

Turkey breast soaks in salt brine, then slow cooks on a bed of sliced onions with garlic powder and paprika in this effortless crockpot dinner that delivers juicy, flavorful poultry every time.

Old-world pickled beef brisket or tongue brined for 19 days with garlic, bay leaves, and pickling spices. A traditional Jewish deli-style corned beef you can make at home from scratch.

Korean dongchimi made with turnip, scallion, ginger, and garlic in a light salt brine. A refreshing, mild water kimchi that ferments at room temperature and keeps for a week in the fridge.

Dill pickles brine whole cucumbers in a hot vinegar, water, and salt solution with garlic and fresh dill. Old-fashioned canning jar pickles ready to crack open in 3 to 4 weeks.

Sauerfleisch, a German sauerbraten-style pot roast where beef marinates two days in a tangy brine, then braises tender in a dark, sweet-sour roux gravy. Serve with potato or bread dumplings.

Old-fashioned stone crock pickles made over 15 days with a salt brine, alum soak, spiced vinegar cure, and sugar layering. A heritage pickling method that produces crisp, sweet pickles that keep indefinitely.

Stuffed eggplant pickles filled with minced cabbage, red bell pepper, garlic, and dill, tied with softened celery ribs and fermented in vinegar brine. A traditional Middle Eastern style pickle ready in 2 to 3 weeks.

Quick-pickled Japanese-style radish greens with a salt-sugar brine and a splash of soy sauce. Zero-waste side dish ready in 30 minutes that tastes nothing like the leaves you almost threw out.