Posted on 09/07/2019 8:36:22 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
Sorry, it is NOT an option. If you are preparing turkey you MUST brine your turkey. As I explain in this video, brining changes the chemistry of the turkey to the extent that it changes both the texture and the color of the turkey as well as its taste. The main ingredients to make a brine are 2 cups of kosher salt and 2 cups of brown sugar. You can also add rosemary and thyme along with other herbs along with whole peppercorns and crushed garlic for flavoring. Prepare your brine mixture by heating one quart of water but not to boiling and then mix in the ingredients. Pour over the turkey and add in cold water until it is completely covered. Let the turkey sit in the brine mixture for at least 2 full days.
If your turkey is too large to fit in the bottom shelf of your refrigerator, you can use a large bucket or a sealed plastic bag.
Remember, if you don't brine your turkey for Thanksgiving, I might be showing up at your table and punish you by grabbing your turkey and tossing it in the garbage for committing the gastronomic crime of not brining your turkey.
Is this a “No Knock Warrant” offense?
Bring it on, turkey boy.
It sounds harsh but not as harsh as serving your guests unbrined turkey.
I could imagine needing brine for the frozen birds.
Submerge the turkey in a rum bath.
Once it is completely blasted, lower it into the fryer..
Maybe.
Haven’t the Turks been through enough?
I am totally not a cook, but the brown sugar...interesting. I never considered that as part of a brine.
Rosemary and Sage are a MUST!!!
Looks like “Corned Turkey” :)
No, mainly because I always smoke it. However, when I smoke it, I place the turkey on an aluminum tray atop a bed of vegetables.
Correct. Brining means you can’t have the delicious stuffing inside the bird. I never brine and the turkey is always fantastic. Brining is for people who rarely cook and don’t know the correct way to roast.
The pic isn’t actually my turkey. The one you see in the video is the turkey I brined last February.
I want to save this recipe.
The brown sugar acts as a pleasing counter-taste to the salt. You don't really taste much saltiness but what little you do is mixed in with the sweetness provided by the brown sugar.
“Tonight, we report on the rise of a new addictive pastime! Smoking turkey! Are your children addicted to the smurks? Find out tonight!”
Brine = Australian for “bring”
Just by a kosher bird.
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