No more dried out shoe leather; brining adds moisture to extra-lean cuts of meat

Saturday morning is my ideal time to roam among the meat cases on the hunt for what looks good and tickles my creativity. I always make the trays of locally raised, grass-fed, freshly-ground beef my first stop.

A simple reason has landed grass-fed ground beef in my cart every week for the last few months: taste. Hamburgers made from that beef, whether ground sirloin, round or chuck delivered clean, beefy flavor like hamburgers from my childhood.

Nearby I spied beef flank steaks at $12.99 a pound. Lean flank steak cooked medium-rare and given a 5-minute rest stays moist thanks to a paper-thin strip of fat running through it. And, then I spotted some even-leaner, deep-red bison flank steaks at $9.99 a pound. What a bargain!

After selecting a bison flank steak that weighed almost a pound and quickly cruising around the store, I headed home thinking about how to prepare my steak.

One issue with any lean meat like chicken breasts, pork chops or my extra-lean bison steak is the moisture loss when cooked to a safe temperature. Searing at a high temperature's not the answer, since that method only produces a more complex flavor profile; it does not lock in the juices - that's truly a myth.

My solution's a solution: brining. For almost any lean meat or seafood, a brine bath adds moisture, flavor and tenderness. Not a bad deal for an easy mix of water, salt, sugar and, perhaps, some spices.

Not familiar with brining? Here's the basics.

Brine starts with water and I prefer bottled spring water since brine migrates into the meat. Adding fast-dissolving kosher salt unwinds (denatures) the meat's protein strands; helping the protein hold moisture, tenderizing them. Adding sugar creates a subtle flavor note (and almost no calories) and helps the meat brown. Many folks stop there, although other seasonings may be added, such as black peppercorns or a bay leaf.

A one-gallon, zipper-locking freezer bag makes it easy to both shake-up the brine and soak the meat. When I first started to brine meats, I'd seal the bag and toss it in my fridge for 12 hours. I don't generally meal-plan that far ahead anymore, so now I go with a more heavily salted brine that takes a short 40 minutes to mix and use.

For my bison steak I scored the meat (shallow cuts at one-inch intervals from edge-to-edge at 45-degree angles to the grain; forming diamond shapes) for better brine absorption and quicker cooking.

While my bison steak spent 30 minutes bathing in brine I mixed-up a healthy salad of greens and julienne-cut fresh vegetables, and whisked-up a light white wine vinaigrette.

Three to four minutes before my bison brining was done, I set a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and misted its surface with olive oil. I pulled my bison steak out of the bag, patted it dry with paper towels and laid it in my hot skillet, where it seared for about 4 minutes on each side.

While my cooked steak rested on my cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing, I dressed and tossed my salad.

How was my bison steak? Tender, surprisingly juicy and absolutely delicious. And, I learned not to shy away from extra-lean meats because it could end up being dry and tough.

My next experiment is to brine extra lean hamburger to see if I can boost it's moisture and if it works I'll let you know how it turns out.

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