Favorite brine recipe

[jabbur]

I usually get out of cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving since we travel to other family homes for the holiday. We're not traveling this year so it is up to me to cook the bird. I've not cooked one in over 30 years and have never done a brine for one before. Reading all the positives of brining I thought I would try it. However, there are a million recipes out there! What's your go-to brine for turkey?

 

[GotGarlic]

Wet-brining a turkey is rather out of favor these days, especially if you want a crispy browned skin - it waterlogs the skin which prevents browning. I like to season under the skin with salt, black pepper and dried thyme.

And before you brine it, make sure you buy one that hasn't already been injected with a salt solution.

https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11...ing-turkey-chicken-thanksgiving.html#dryorwet

 

[Andy M.]

A simple brine is 2 gallons of water combined with a cup of Diamond Crystal Salt and a cup of brown or white sugar. I brine it overnight. I rinse and dry off the turkey after brining and let it air dry a bit in the kitchen. Then I rub the skin with oil and put it into a 500ºF oven for 30 minutes. Then I cap the breast with foil and reduce the temperature to 350ºF for the most of the rest of the cooking time. For the last few minutes remove the foil and finish cooking.

This is my version of the well-known Alton Brown Good Eats turkey. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe-1950271.

His brine is a little more complicated if you're interested.

 

[jabbur]

Thanks Andy. I knew there had to be a simple brine. All the ones I was seeing used all these herbs, fruit and veggie peels, some used apple cider. We're a simple family and I think this may be the way to go. I hadn't heard of the dry brine method GotGarlic suggests. It certainly sounds easy enough though.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

my version is super easy, and requires no brining. In my cooking blog, lesson 48, you will find both a picture and technique for producing an amazingly juicy and tender roast turkey. The photo is not enhanced, or retouched. This is the actual bird after cooking
Left-click on either picture to enlarge it.

Seeeeeya; chief Longwind of the North

 

[Janet H]

here's mine:

1/2 gal apple juice
1/2 gal veg stock (low salt)
1 C salt
1/2 g water

½ C pickling spice
allspice seeds
4 bay leaves
1 stem rosemary

Bag of ice

Brine the the night before cooking.
Mix ingredients in 5 gal bucket and submerge cleaned bird. Cover with ice and lid. Keep bird cold and protected from critters. Ice should be sufficient to maintain temp but be mindful about doing this is warm climates

 

[strmanglr scott]

I start with the basic premise of a half a cup of salt and half a cup of brown sugar to a gallon of water.

Sometimes I'll back off the salt a bit to add in some Worcestershire.

I don't put much for spices in it. The brine by volume would need a lot of a spice to really impact the flavor, so I just put it on when I season the meat.

Occasionally, I will add a spicey sauce to the brine like Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot.