Brining a Butterball Turkey?

[Sigma Man]

I got a not-frozen Butterball turkey at Costco to smoke for Thanksgiving and have a couple of questions. I had been planning to brine the turkey before smoking. Then I read someone's comments that they thought that kosher and Butterball turkeys has already been brined. I also read someone else's comment to look for a turkey that was marked 'minimally processed' and it probably would not have already been brined. This Butterball turkey does not say anything about being brined and it is marked 'minimally processed'.

Any suggestions?

Sigma Man

 

[Alix]

I personally have never used a butterball, but my sister does. From what I understand, they have stuff in them already so brining would be superfluous.

 

[GB]

I am with Alix. I believe they are already brined. I would call Butterball and ask them though. They will be able to tell you exactly what, if anything, was done to the bird.

 

[Andy M.]

Butterball.com says their turkeys are 'basted', whatever that means, so they don't need to be brined.

I suppose you could brine with some specially flavored brine and add some new flavors.

 

[GB]

I just called Butterball because I was curious (1-800-butterball). The woman who answered said that their fresh turkeys are not brined, but the frozen ones are.

I also asked what "minimally processed" means. She said that is means that the only things done to it are that it is cleaned. Nothing is added (including brine).

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks, GB. That info differs from what's on their website. At least the terminology is different.

 

[GB]

Yeah it looks like the site is trying to avoid the word "brine" for some reason. Instead they went with "deep basted".

 

[Gretchen]

Adding another--they are brined/ injected.

 

[Andy M.]

Yeah it looks like the site is trying to avoid the word "brine" for some reason. Instead they went with "deep basted".

I'd bet it's the fear of salt issue.

 

[jennyema]

Adding another--they are brined/ injected.

No not all of them are.

Like GB says, Butterball's "fresh" turkeys are not brined.

I have brined many of them over the years.

Their "fresh" turkeys can be held at temperatures as low as 28 degrees, so they will probably appear at least slightly frozen. But not as frozen 100 solid as their other birds.

CHECK THE LABEL. It must say if it's been treated with a solution. I wouldn't look for "minimally processed" or any othe euphamism -- it'll say pretty clearly if it's been injected with "broth" or sodium solution.

 

[Sigma Man]

I emailed Butterball and got a very nice email in return explaining the difference in processing of the fresh and the frozen turkeys. It even went on to tell about how they recommend doing the brining and cooking. Below is part of what they sent.

Thank you for contacting the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line via the Internet!
Actually the turkey you bought-a Fresh Butterball is fine for brining. Here is our information on brining.

Use only a fresh, non-basted turkey or breast of turkey if you plan to brine it. Butterball Fresh Turkey and Butterball Fresh Breast of Turkey are all-natural and contain no added basting ingredients. However, the breast meat of Butterball Frozen Turkey and Butterball Frozen Breast of Turkey is already basted with a patented recipe of ingredients to enhance juiciness and tenderness; therefore, brining a frozen and thawed Butterball Turkey or Butterball Breast of Turkey is NOT recommended. Brining a kosher turkey is also not recommended since kosher turkeys are salted in processing.

The purpose of brining is to season the entire turkey/breast of turkey, not just the skin. It may also make the turkey more moist by increasing the amount of liquid in the meat. There are many recipe variations but the basic ingredients in the brining solution are salt and a liquid -- generally water, or a combination of water and fruit (citrus) juice. A basic brining recipe follows. For additional brine variations log on to the National Turkey Federation website (www.eatturkey.com) or the Food Network website (www.foodtv.com).


Then they went on to explain the brining process and cooking the turkey.

Sigma Man

 

[Andy M.]

Good info, Sigma. Thanks.