This Coca Cola Brine Recipe is one of my favorites to use when I am grilling or smoking meats! I always get the oddest looks when I say I use Coca-Cola to brine my meat. As many odds look as I have gotten they quickly stop when they try the meat after it’s done. Coca-Cola adds such a great flavor, and also tenderizes tougher meats! (I have included affiliate links to products I love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) In addition, this post contains affiliate links that will make me a small commission when used to order online.
Now, this is an easy brine to mix up and you can even add some changes. This poultry brine can be tweaked but the basic idea is easy to follow. I tend not to add more coldwater to the brine if I am using ice as the ice melts.
Classic Cooking With Coca-Cola
Coca Cola 57 Weird Interesting Uses & Recipes: Available worldwide but not fully appreciated. Read why.
Coca Cola Brine Ingredients:
- 5 Cans Of Coca Cola
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 4 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 4 Tbsp Salt
- Ice
Lea & Perrins Original Worcestershire Sauce, 15 fl oz – Pack of 2Kirkland Minced California Garlic, 48 ozSpices with Built-in Grinder Trader Joes Lemon Pepper, Garlic Salt, Everyday Seasoning and Himalayan Pink Salt-
How To Make Coca Cola Brine Recipe:
Find a container large enough to hold your liquid, ice, and meat in. A large bowl or even a large metal bowl as well if you can have a lid.
Pour Coca-Cola into the container, each can is about 1.5 cups Coca-Cola. (In this brine I used 5 cans of Coca Cola, I’ve used a whole 2 liter for big batches before)
Next mix Coca-Cola with the 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce with minced garlic to start the coke brine in the container.
After that add the dry mixture, it will bubble up with carbonation as you add other ingredients to it. You could mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl but that is not necessary.
Combine cola and seasonings well with a whisk to make sure it has mixed well. The seasoning and salt dissolves quite a bit during this process.
Next, add your meat into the brine, I recommend adding the rest of the pieces one at a time. This will allow you to monitor spacing in the container with the brine and meat. I did this with chicken legs and thighs, but you could do this with chicken halves or chicken leg quarters.
Add to the container with ice or more Coca-Cola, the sweetness of the soda can be smelled at this point.
Allow your meat to brine for at least 4 hours or longer in your large covered bowl or container It may seem like a long time but it’s worth it. If you are brining pork or another tough cut of meat I recommend at least a 24-48 hour brine to allow the cola’s high acidity and salt to tenderize the meat.
The most critical step of the brine is to keep the chicken in cold water, not room temperature.
Remove the chicken from the brine and place chicken pieces on a wire rack over a baking sheet, you could pat dry with a paper towel but not necessary.
Now if you don’t want to grill this you could heat oven and throw the baking sheet into the oven.
Fire up your grill or smoker to cook your meat!
You will want to cook on medium heat, not high heat. The sugar from the Coke will add to flame flare-ups.
Grill up, smoke up, or crockpot up your meat as you see fit and enjoy!! I love this brine-on chicken!
As with any meat be sure to cook it to a food-safe temperature using a meat thermometer.
Other Coca Cola Brine Recipe Ingredient Options:
Meats To Brine With Coca Cola Brine:
- Boneless BBQ Ribs
- Cornish Game Hens
- Chicken Legs
- Chicken Thighs
- Coca Cola Smoked Turkey
- Pork Shoulder Roast
- Chicken Leg Quarters
- Chicken Wings
- Pork Shoulder
- Flank Steak
- Rump Roast
- Whole Chicken
Do you brine meat? What ingredients do you put in your brine?
Coca Cola Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 Cans Coca Cola
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 4 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 4 Tbsp Salt
- Ice
Instructions
- Find a container large enough to hold your liquid, ice, and meat in. A large bowl or even a large metal bowl as well if you can have a lid.
- Pour Coca-Cola into the container, each can is about 1.5 cups Coca-Cola. (In this brine I used 5 cans of Coca Cola, I've used a whole 2 liter for big batches before)
- Next mix Coca-Cola with the 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce with minced garlic to start the coke brine in the container.
- After that add the dry mixture, it will bubble up with carbonation as you add other ingredients to it. You could mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl but that is not necessary.
- Combine cola and seasonings well with a whisk to make sure it has mixed well. The seasoning and salt dissolves quite a bit during this process.
- Next, add your meat into the brine, I recommend adding the rest of the pieces one at a time. This will allow you to monitor spacing in the container with the brine and meat. I did this with chicken legs and thighs, but you could do this with chicken halves or chicken leg quarters.
- Add to the container with ice or more Coca-Cola, the sweetness of the soda can be smelled at this point.
- Allow your meat to brine for at least 4 hours or longer in your large covered bowl or container It may seem like a long time but it's worth it. If you are brining pork or another tough cut of meat I recommend at least a 24-48 hour brine to allow the cola's high acidity and salt to tenderize the meat.
- The most critical step of the brine is to keep the chicken in cold water, not room temperature.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and place chicken pieces on a wire rack over a baking sheet, you could pat dry with a paper towel but not necessary.
- Now if you don't want to grill this you could heat oven and throw the baking sheet into the oven.
- Fire up your grill or smoker to cook your meat!
- You will want to cook on medium heat, not high heat. The sugar from the Coke will add to flame flare-ups.
- Grill up, smoke up, or crockpot up your meat as you see fit and enjoy!! I love this brine-on chicken!
- As with any meat be sure to cook it to a food-safe temperature using a meat thermometer.
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