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I love brining and I do it all the time. There are 2 tricks to it. The reason it works is chemistry. And to get the correct chemical reactions, you need (1)salt and (2)acid. The acid can be vinegar, fruit juice, or even a bottle of cheap wine. I do add herbs and spices. And orange/lemon rinds if I have them.
You need to collect all your ingredients and dump them in a big pot. Heat it up till it comes to a full boil for 20 min or so. Makes the house smell great. Cover and cool till it's cold enough to go into the fridge. When the brine is cold, unwrap your cold but thawed turkey, wash it thoroughly and remove the neck and giblets. Some people use bags but I have a huge bucket with a lid only used for brining. I put the turkey in the bucket, add the cold brine and add cold water and blocks of ice. Enough to cover the turkey. Then I leave it. The advantage of using the bags is that you can put the whole thing back in the fridge. I have to watch the temp on mine and add ice. I want the turkey to stay at about 38 degrees. Usually it is cold enough outside that I can just put the bucket on the deck or patio and not have to worry about it. I usually brine a large turkey overnight or up to 24 hours.
Remove the bird from the brine and wash thoroughly in cold water. Rub all the skin and make sure the inner cavity is washed well too. For a large turkey, it should have 15 min or so of fresh water time. Then dry it off, season, and cook. If you use the drippings to make gravy, don't add salt till you taste. Brined turkey has more salt in the skin than what you are used to. Brined turkey is pretty no-fail. It will turn out well.
My story:
I bought two Utility grade turkeys on sale. They were about 8-9 lbs each.
Not knowing that smaller birds are often tough, I cooked the first one in the usual way...seasoned and oiled, put in roasting pan, in the oven at 350. That little bird was as tough as a pig's hide. I ended up using it to make soup and even the soup was tasteless.
Hmm, so I had another turkey that I knew would be as tough as the first one, so I did a search online on how to cook it.
I brined it overnight in the fridge: (salt, water, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar). I washed it off, patted it dry, and then put it into my slow cooker using NO liquid, at 7 am on med-low. I took it out mid-day, turned it, and returned it to the slow cooker for another 4-5 hours. There was about an inch (from the bird itself) of liquid in the bottom to keep it moist.
It was ABSOLUTELY delicious, juicy, and tender. The meat fell off the bones.
NOTE: it is not recommended to cook a larger turkey in a slow cooker because of the slow cooking time and possibility of spoilage.
My story:
I bought two Utility grade turkeys on sale. They were about 8-9 lbs each.
Not knowing that smaller birds are often tough, I cooked the first one in the usual way...seasoned and oiled, put in roasting pan, in the oven at 350. That little bird was as tough as a pig's hide. I ended up using it to make soup and even the soup was tasteless.
Hmm, so I had another turkey that I knew would be as tough as the first one, so I did a search online on how to cook it.
I brined it overnight in the fridge: (salt, water, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar). I washed it off, patted it dry, and then put it into my slow cooker using NO liquid, at 7 am on med-low. I took it out mid-day, turned it, and returned it to the slow cooker for another 4-5 hours. There was about an inch (from the bird itself) of liquid in the bottom to keep it moist.
It was ABSOLUTELY delicious, juicy, and tender. The meat fell off the bones.
NOTE: it is not recommended to cook a larger turkey in a slow cooker because of the slow cooking time and possibility of spoilage.
id think the young turkeys would be more tender...
thanks for sharing!!!
I haven't seen too many 8-10lb turkeys sold in the stores,,,except for lil butterballs(in this region) most of the sizes start at 10-12lb average for hens
Ina Garten was on line yesterday for an hour answering questions and she said she never brines turkey. I was surprised. She never did say why not.
I have a 6 lb breast and DH bought a $12 huge pot at the grocery store for brining it. I haveno idea what it is made of but it can't be too good at only $12. I have 2 questions:
Can I just put it on the stove to mix up all my brining ingredients to bring to a boil and after it has cooled put the breast in it?
Will all that salt ruin the pot? I want to be able to use it again.
Why do all the recipes say use Kosher Salt?
Regarding IslandCityGirl's recipe for brine....some of those amounts are more than I've used all year. I'm 69 years old and I doubt I have used 1/4 cup allspice in my entire lifetime!!!!! And I bake a lot.
But I really liked her post. It had great info.
I tried to brine a turkey, after all of my friends raved about how wonderful it was. Those friends live in places where it's cold enough to put the turkey in a bucket on the porch, or in the garage. I don't. I used bags and put it in the fridge. It leaked salty turkey water all over my fridge and all over my kitchen floor.
I have brined chicken before and it's great, so I'm sure the turkey would be too if I had some way to keep it cold enough during the soaking time.
I use a countertop roaster oven to cook my turkey and it's very moist and juicy compared to turkey cooked in the oven.
Can anyone clarify as to what sort of turkey should be brined (Kosher, frozen, ect)? I think the Kosher ones are processed with salt, but I've read back and forth as if this increases the salt load on the meat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by no kudzu
Ina Garten was on line yesterday for an hour answering questions and she said she never brines turkey. I was surprised. She never did say why not.
I have a 6 lb breast and DH bought a $12 huge pot at the grocery store for brining it. I haveno idea what it is made of but it can't be too good at only $12. I have 2 questions:
Can I just put it on the stove to mix up all my brining ingredients to bring to a boil and after it has cooled put the breast in it?
Will all that salt ruin the pot? I want to be able to use it again.
Why do all the recipes say use Kosher Salt?
Regarding IslandCityGirl's recipe for brine....some of those amounts are more than I've used all year. I'm 69 years old and I doubt I have used 1/4 cup allspice in my entire lifetime!!!!! And I bake a lot.
But I really liked her post. It had great info.
If the pot is stainless, you should be in good shape. Aluminum should be fine, too. If you are really concerned, you can always get a brine bag. Just don't use a garbage bag since they are not food grade plastic. I know it's getting late in the season; Amazon Prime is probably out, but BB&B might have some as well as Target or WalMart. Don't forget you can use a oven roasting bag if it's big enough to hold everything.
I tried brining last time I made turkey and think it is great. Will do it in future. The only problem is, the turkey cooking starts few days before Thanksgiving instead of day before.
Tues: Thaw the turkey (almost takes 1/2 day for that)
Wed: Brine in salt & lemon water. I used a big plastic bag with turkey and water inside for a day.
Thursday morning: I marinated the turkey in spice and butter & left it in refrigerator until baking time.
Just scanning the threads and I didn't see mention of which turkey to get. Didn't want you to end up with a salt lick. I've had good results with brine in a bag and kept in a cooler on ice overnight. Rinse. Dry. Roast.
Brining is part of the process. What you really want to happen is make a 'tea' that will compliment your meat and have that flavor ride along with the salt through osmosis into the meat. I made a Italian turkey one year by using Italian seasonings in the brine as well stuffing the cavity with fresh herbs.
We brine the turkey, it comes out great every time.
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