Best Meat Breeds

[RUNuts]

but you've got me wondering if the salt in brining helps tenderize the meat.

I don't believe so. I've had salted meats that are tough. They soaked in brine solutions for a while and still were tough.

Acids and enzymes attack the proteins in the muscles to tenderize them. Aging meat also does this.

 

[Mosey2003]

I always swish the birds aggressively in a bucket of water before scalding. Lets me get them really good and wet, so the scalding water can do its job more easily and it rinses some of the blood off so that the scald water stays cleaner.