"Weekend at Brining" (With Otter & Audeo)

[Audeo]

Over this weekend, Otter and I are trying our hands at brining turkeys and this thread is to document those efforts and comments along the way. We are collaborating in our efforts to try and discern the effects our different tactics produce and to compare notes at the end of our trials. It should be interesting (at least to us).

In each of our chosen methods, there are commonalities and differences. Here are the statistics and plans as we begin:

The Turkeys

Otter’s is 11.25 pounds.
Audeo’s is 11.08 pounds.

The Brines

Otter is following the Cook’s Illustrated brine recommendation of 1 Cup table salt dissolved into 1 US Gallon of water. No other ingredients will be included.

Audeo is making a brine of 1 US Gallon water with ¾ Cup Kosher salt, ¾ Cup Maple Syrup (Grade B, Amber), 1 large onion (chopped), 3 cloves garlic (minced), ¼ Cup ground black peppercorns, 3 sprigs thyme and 3 sprigs rosemary.

The Soaking/Drying Times

Otter will be soaking his turkey in brine for 12 hours, then air-drying for 8 hours prior to roasting.

Audeo will be soaking her turkey in brine for 4 hours, with no air-drying time before roasting. (Only drying, following rinsing, with paper towels)

The Cooking Methods

Otter will roast his turkey, on a mirepoix bed, in a 400-degree (F) oven for 45 minutes with breast side down , then for 50-60 minutes, breast side up. Temperature targets are 165 degrees in the breast and 175 degrees in the thigh.

Audeo will also roast her turkey, on a mirepoix bed, but the breast side is staying up throughout the roasting. Cooking will be at the identical temperature, with identical targets in finishing temperatures.

------

As of this moment, Otter is already underway. Completion for both of us is slated for tomorrow (Saturday) evening's meal.

(Otter, did I record your side of this correctly?)

 

[mudbug]

Stay tuned for exciting ringside action, folks. This is gonna be down to the wire!!!

 

[Otter]

Audeo and I have been bouncing things back and forth so often that it has become a bit confusing. On my 12 hour brining, Cook's Illustrated recommends 1/2 cup table salt per gallon, not 1 (1 is for the short 4 hour brining). Everything else she posted sounds on target. With all those interesting adds she's making, I may go to her house for dinner! I think we should do something like this every weekend, maybe pancakes, omelets, mac n' cheese or whatever.

 

[mudbug]

I am available to do color commentary

 

[Audeo]

Hey, come on down! Bring your turkey and an air mattress!

And, bug, any commentary from you would is colorful.... Just one of many things we require and expect from you nowadays!

PS: Sorry about the oops there, otter..... (I can't believe anyone [other than me] hasn't asked about the mirepoix!)

 

[Alix]

I'm asking! What the heck is it?

 

[mudbug]

Hey, come on down! Bring your turkey and an air mattress!

And, bug, any commentary from you would is colorful.... Just one of many things we require and expect from you nowadays!

PS: Sorry about the oops there, otter..... (I can't believe anyone [other than me] hasn't asked about the mirepoix!)

I know what it is (neener, neener), but I'm not tellin....

 

[Alix]

Oh REEEEEAL nice mudbug! And who was it that helped you with all your brining stuff?? Pleeeeease tell me!

PS...how did the training day go...how was the instrument of torture?

 

[GB]

What a great topic! I am on pins and needles waiting to hear the results!!!

 

[Otter]

Update so far:
I don't have a stock pot big enough to brine a turkey, so I went shopping for a container that would work. The ones that were wide enough were too shallow. The ones that were deep enough were too narrow. The ones that were both deep enough and wide enough wouldn't fit in the refrigerator. Finally I found one that was workable. Cook's Illustrated said two gallons of water would do for a turkey my size, so I mixed up a two gallon brine and poured it over the bird. The top of the breast was still protruding out of the water so I added some more brine, but the breast was still out of the water. What I found was that the front flap of skin stuck to the front of the bird and created an air pocket in the body cavity that would have kept the bird floating no matter how much more brine I added. Anyway, I brined it overnight. This morning I poured off the brine, patted it dry and put it in the refer to air dry for 8 hours. Unfortunately, the only drying rack big enough for the turkey was too big to fit in one of my shallow baking pans, The turkey seemed dry enough so I put it in the refer on the rack on a flat sheet. Apparently there was some retained moisture that released later , because the bottom of the refer soon had a layer of brine on it. Fortunately, it ran down the back and not into the fruit/vegetable bins, but I did have to do a meticulous refer clean-up, regardless. Well, it's been quite an experience so far - I hope the final result is worth it.

 

[chez suz]

Otter..too late now..but nxt time your turkey doesn't fit the pot put it in breast side down..as the white meat is what really needs the flavor and extra moisture that brining provides. Dk. meat by nature has more flavor and is moister... :roll:

 

[Otter]

Thanks, chez suz, I finally found a 20 qt Sterilite at Wally World that handled my 11.25 pounder, and looks like it could handle up to maybe 14 or 15 pounds.

 

[Audeo]

I'll update on my efforts so far.

Thanks to Otter's message to me yesterday about the amount of brine he required to cover his turkey, I knew I would need to double my recipe. I began by simmering the onions, garlic and herbs in 1 quart of water for about 45 minutes last night, and chilled the broth in the fridge overnight. This morning, I dissolved the salt in 1 3/4 gallons of cold water and added the broth and maple syrup. Fortunately, my water bath canner was large enough to hold the turkey and brine. (I did spend over an hour yesterday rearranging the contents and shelves in my fridge during a "dry fit" of the pot...)

The turkey began to soak at 9:00 a.m. today and will come out at 1:00 p.m. I just checked the turkey a moment ago and it has already taken on a bit of the amber color from the syrup. Looks good!

At 1:00 p.m., I plan to remove the bird and rinse the dickens out of it! Then I will dry the bird as well as possible using paper towels and rub it well with a mixture of canola oil and lots of fresh ground pepper. Next, it will be placed on a mirepoix (Thanks, otter -- love that word now that I know what it means...) lining the bottom of my roasting pan, then in to cook!

So far, so good! And if I can ever manage to get a picture posted here, I will.

A side note on the turkey: I was unable to find an "organic" turkey anywhere within a 15-mile radius of my home (which is pretty much dead center of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, for those of you keeping score at home), and ended up purchasing a Honeysuckle brand that has a stated 3% brine injection. Because of the existing salt content, I lowered the salt recommended in the recipes I found for four-hour soaks to 3/4 cup, instead of a full cup. Hopefully, the turkey will be palatable.....

More to come!

 

[Alix]

Still want to know what mirepoix is.

Also very interested in the rinsing and drying bit. I have never rinsed after brining, so wonder what effect that will have on the birds.

 

[Otter]

Alix, mirepoix is just onions, celery, carrots. Mirepoix is faster to say and less letters to type. I was somewhat reluctant to rinse after brining (didn't want to diminish my brining efforts), but imagine it is a saftey precaution if the rinse before brining didn't get all the bacteria.

PS: I was doing the 8 hour air dry after the brining, so it was probably more important for me to rinse, then if the bird had just gone straight into the oven.

 

[mudbug]

How's it going, guys?? Any breaking news on either front?


EDITED LATER: apologies all around. First to Alix - I see you got the definition of mirepoix. I was tired last night and went to be right after posting that last smart-alec remark.

Posted the above questions before I realized this thread had two pages. I see news has broken. Otter and Audeo, you both are giving the rest of us excellent play-by-play action!

 

[Otter]

I started much earlier than Audeo due to my 12 hr brining (to her 4) and my 8 hour air dry (to her 0), so it looks like her turkey has beaten mine into the oven. By 5:00 or so I should know if the extra time I spent was worth the effort.

 

[Audeo]

Well.....

The bird was removed from the brine at precisely 1:00:13 pm this afternoon and given a brisk and thorough bath in running tap water. The bird did a "drip dry" until my arms started hurting, and was then transferred to a bed of paper towels on the counter. While turning away to get more paper towels to dry the skin, Kitchen Kitty jumped on the counter and was just nearing the bird when I turned around. Kitchen Kitty was quickly encouraged to go outside and play (with the neighbor's schnauzer...). Skin was then blotted and dried as well as possible utilizing approximately 1/4 roll of paper towels.

I removed the rack from my roasting pan and added a mirepoix of 2 sliced white onions, 3 chopped stalks of celery, 1 chopped large green bell pepper and 2 pounds of baby carrots and spread them on the bottom of the pan. Turkey laid to rest atop of that and immediately placed into a preheated 400-degree oven at precisely 1:31:44 p.m.

I just took a temperature reading of a thigh, which registered 149.6 degrees at 2:29:??.

Geez, I wish you could smell my house!!! (Hungry husband a sons becoming a wee bit impatient....)

 

[mudbug]

and Audeo, your estimated time of presentation to hungry menfolk?

 

[Audeo]

PS: My new favorite word is "Mirepoix." I have been somewhat successful in inserting the word into almost every conversation today.

"My. You seem to be feeling a little mirepoix today. Hum?"
"There goes a right snappy little mirepoix up the street!"
"Heavens! Is that a mirepoix next to your Nellie R. Stevens Holly?"

Thanks, otter! LOVE the new word....!