Brining a Turkey

Mos Eisley · Nov 20, 2017

Who here successfully brines their turkey? I tried it once years ago and it sucked. It was too salty. I can't remember if I rinsed it after like you're supposed to. Just wanting some good brining tips that aren't too salty and come out juicy as advertised.

Cohiba · Nov 20, 2017

Youtube.....youtube....youtube.

1. Don't let salt be the only ingredient in the water. We use to use Williams Sonoma....I can't remember what flavor....did the brining bag and have done the bucket. Yes...rinse after brining.

YouTube has recipes for.your brining and tips with store bought packages.

YouTube.

Personofinterest · Nov 20, 2017

Put the bird in a clean 5 gallon bucket and cover with water. Take the turkey out and measure the water. Add one cup of Kosher salt per gallon of water (don't use the same water you did the measurement with). Cover and let sit in a cool spot overnight. Rinse and put in the oven or smoker till done. Cooking times will vary with the weight of the bird and if stuffing is placed in the cavity. (The salt seals the cell structure of the meat and traps the moisture inside them and keeps it from drying out.) the white meat will get done before the dark meat. Most people cook poultry to 165 degrees when a meat thermometer is inserted in the meatiest part of the thigh.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.

deerwhacker444 · Nov 20, 2017

Made a brine last night, turkey goes in this morning and will get cooked on Thursday morning.

I've used this one for a few years, it works well, and it isn't too late to brine one.

Brining will increase the saltiness of the bird, but just a little bit and it isn't perceivable if done correctly. High concentration salt water(brine) is drawn by osmosis across the semi-permeable meat cell membranes, where the salt concentration is relatively low. Basically it makes the turkey juicier by adding more moisture to the individual cells.

Wash all the brine off before cooking, inside and out. I also cook the turkey in a bag inside a roasting pan. Keeps all the juices from boiling off and aids in making gravy.

IME, the turkey is not only juicier, but the texture of the meat changes a little bit. Seems to get easier to chew and less stringy.

BuckFuller · Nov 20, 2017

I have brined my turkeys for years now and have never been disappointed. I brine them for about 24 hours and then rinse well and cook in one of those big turkey cooking bags. Always moist and tasty. I usually use a gallon or two of brine, depending on the size of the bird. The bird needs to be completely submerged while brining. For each gallon of water I start with I add one cup of regular salt and one cup of granulated sugar for a base. Then I add some sage, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves, some herb de provence, a medium wedged yellow onion, and a wedged fresh orange. Looking forward to it again this year.

CHenry · Nov 20, 2017

Deep fry it and avoid all that hassle. Juicy and tasty every time.

BuckFuller · Nov 20, 2017

CHenry said:
Deep fry it and avoid all that hassle. Juicy and tasty every time.

I have done both but in my opinion, mixing a brine and soaking a bird in it before roasting is nothing like the hassle of setting up the propane fire ring, heating up 5 gallons of oil to 350 degrees in a very large pot and then submerging a cold wet bird into the hot oil and dealing with the mess afrerwards.... but that is just me. Both are very good.

Shadowrider · Nov 20, 2017

1) Get the salt concentration right and it won't be too salty.
2) Use a fresh bird, most are injected with a salt solution already, that's not what you want.
3) 12 hours is about the max time and that's for a really big bird. 8 to 10 hours is about right.
4) Rinse, rinse, rinse.

I let my 1st one go for a good 18 hours and it was moist, but also mushy as heck. Remember you are brining not curing.

CHenry · Nov 20, 2017

BuckFuller said:
I have done both but in my opinion, mixing a brine and soaking a bird in it before roasting is nothing like the hassle of setting up the propane fire ring, heating up 5 gallons of oil to 350 degrees in a very large pot and then submerging a cold wet bird into the hot oil and dealing with the mess afrerwards.... but that is just me. Both are very good.

True, lol. I have a buddy who does mine. He loves to cook and he has about 10 people bring him a bird to fry on Thursday morning. He has 2 fryers going so just bring him a thawed out bird. Drink a beer, BS and make a fun morning out of it. Perfect setup for us who don't have a fryer.

MacFromOK · Nov 20, 2017

FWIW, there was a topic on deep-frying turkeys on the local news today.

One main point they stressed was to DRY the THAWED turkey before frying ('cause water splatters like crazy in hot grease).

Another was to make sure you use the proper amount of oil, so it won't spill-over when you SLOWLY lower the DRIED AND THAWED turkey in.

And finally... in case something goes wrong, don't do it in or near any structure you don't want damaged. :drunk:

Brining a Turkey

Mos Eisley

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Cohiba

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Personofinterest

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deerwhacker444

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BuckFuller

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CHenry

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BuckFuller

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Shadowrider

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CHenry

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MacFromOK

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