Brining Turkey

[ella/TO]

I would like to know more about brining turkey.......I understand there are many methods. Who has T&T one?
Last time I brined a small chicken, it turned out too salty....what did I do wrong?....
So....last I read was for about a 14 lb. turkey. The recipe said:

Turkey Brine
12 cups water ( 3 L)
1/2 cup kosher salt (125 ml)
½ cup sugar (125 ml)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
Several leaves fresh sage

Brine
Remove giblets and turkey neck from turkey cavity and reserve for when roasting.
Combine all ingredients for brine in a large bucket or tub and whisk together until all salt and sugar is dissolved. Tub must be large enough to completely immerse turkey in liquid. Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Remove turkey from brine , pat dry.

I usually use a butterball turkey and follow their directions.....but, I'm always ready to try something new, ....that is, if it'll turn out better!!!!!....LOL.....Thanks in advance for your help.....ella

 

[Andy M.]

First of all, a frozen butterball is already "brined". It is injected with a salt solution to improve its juiceness. In the future, pick up a fresh butterball, they are not brined.

After brining, you should rinse the turkey inside and out with running water to wash off any residual salt. I brine a 14 pounder overnight.

Check out this brine recipe. I use it every Thanksgiving. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

 

[Alix]

Hey ella/TO, I just get out my stockpot and put the turkey in there. Then I use about 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup coarse salt. (That might be why it was too salty. Did you use coarse salt or table salt?If you are using table salt take it down to 1/3 cup) Put the salt and sugar in a measuring cup and pour about 1 cup of boiling water over it. It dissolves faster that way. Then pour that over your turkey and fill the stockpot with water. Since I usually do turkeys in the fall I put it just outside the back door overnight. Its cold out there, but close to the house it won't freeze. My fridge isn't big enough for the stockpot. Hope that helps! Oh, and my method is TNT for about 6 years now. Make sure the turkey is breast down in the pot. Thats what really needs the moisture.

 

[apple*tart]

Yes, exactly what Andy said! Lots of turkeys (especially turkey breasts sold separately) and chickens are already "enhanced" with a salt solution, which means you can't brine them or they'll be inedible.

I've only hosted thanksgiving once, but I used the same recipe as Andy, and I brined my turkey overnight as well. Well, I actually had to improvise a little on the recipe, as I realized that a few of the cartons of vegetable stock that I bought were out-of-date. I substituted maybe 2 quarts of apple cider. It was fantastic.

I also used Alton Brown's roasting method, as described in the recipe, which was awesome.

One thing to consider is that the drippings from a brined turkey are going to saltier than normal. To make life easier on myself I made a make-ahead gravy that was absolutely delicious, and can be made up to 3 days in advance. The only change I made to the recipe was to use fresh thyme.

 

[giggler]

I have been using this generic "how to" article for about a year..

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/ND01_ISBriningbasics.pdf

works very well for half chickens..

I guess you could add other flavors to it as well.

Eric, Austin Tx.

 

[TATTRAT]

In addition to what has already been mentioned in regards to pre-seasoned/brined/enhanced bird, don't be afraid to get creative with the liquid. I have had great results with apple juice and bruised sage, peppercorns, a little brown sugar and a bit of liquid smoke.