Posted on 02/02/2019 5:16:11 AM PST by PJ-Comix
It is the question that has confronted humanity since ancient times... Does brining a turkey really make a difference? For years your humble correspondent has declined to brine his turkeys due to some people saying it is okay not to do it. I used that as lazy excuse. However, I finally decided to find out for myself if brining a turkey makes a noticeable difference.
In this video, I smoke my turkey the same away I have always done so previously. The only difference is that I let the turkey soak in brine for 20 hours. After the turkey was finished I gave it the taste test to make the final determination as to whether brining a turkey does indeed make a difference.
Or would you prefer that I not show you money saving tips such as how I was able to score free breakfasts for most of last month? Oh, and it wasn't cheap powdered eggs or anything like that. I am talking about jumbo eggs (10 dozen), smoked bacon cut as thick as I wanted, pork sausage rolls, etc, etc...
Tomorrow I will show how you have to be insane to ever pay full price (or anything close to it) for Tide Pods.
My wife brines our turkeys. She swears by it.
We brine the turkey too, not sure it makes a huge difference, but I do want to try it with pork chops. I have been putting them in the Stubb’s marinade (and they come out great) but I want to try just brining them.
Two years ago I brined a turkey for Thanksgiving, and it absorbed so much salt that it was inedible.
Won’t make that mistake again.
Just curious. Did you rinse the bird before cooking?
Most of the popular birds (e.g. Butterball) are already brined when you buy them. But you have to read the packaging carefully to find out.
Absolutely and thoroughly. I didn't show that in the video but I emphasized that a couple of times.
Do you thoroughly wash it after brining? I made sure to do that. Also I used Kosher, not regular, salt. In addition I added in brown sugar to the brine.
I brined our turkey last Thanksgiving. It was the first time I ever did that.
I used salt water only, but seasoned the turkey while it sat to reach room temp.
It did make a difference. The meat, especially the white meat, was very juicy.
I’ve been told that Butterball turkeys don’t need brining. They’re brined at the turkey factory so they can charge for the extra salt water added to the weight of the bird. I don’t know if this is true, but I thought I’d mention it.
Anyway, it’s well worth the extra process to achieve a perfectly cooked, tender, juicy turkey dinner.
Had a Chinese friend who cooked professionally. He put everything in a salt bath. Chicken, beef, fish - didn’t matter. It removes undesirable blood, moistens the meat and adds a touch of salt. Worked every time.
I seasoned my turkey after brining with Everglades seasoning, Badia Sazon Completa, and Garlic Sriracha.
Hmmm... I wonder if I should do that to iguana meat if I ever work up the never to eat it?
I’ve been brining for the last eight years.
Not only does it make a difference, but different recipes make for strikingly different flavors.
My favorite is cranberry brine, but this year I did a Jack Daniels/molasses recipe that wasn’t bad.
Try a cranberry brined deep fried turkey sometime. I’m usually too lazy to run the fryer (and I have a kid with peanut allergy, so a lot of the kits are no good). But the last one I did, using canola oil and the cranberry brine, was the best ever.
As you point out, a five gallon food grade bucket will do the job nicely. Up here, it’s usually cold enough by Thanksgiving to brine it on the porch, which eliminates the refrigerator space problem.
I started brining our turkeys overnight in the fridge and found them very tender and juicy. The whole family loved it and I would not do it any other way now. I never found them to be too salty if at all. I take care to rinse the bird by plunging it in my brining container (a big orange igloo water jug reserved just for this) two or three times with fresh water changes in between and dry thoroughly before cooking.
I also started grilling the bird with smoke on my gas grill. Family loved this too. I followed Americas Test Kitchen recipe. It does state that large birds don’t work so well on the grill. I’ve done up to 16 lbs. Hope this helps others to give it a try.
It does make a difference, or believe me, I wouldn’t go to the trouble.
Kosher salt is better for brining, too.
You are correct. Almost any store-bought turkey has too much salt already, and other sh*t as well.
We only do fresh turkeys, so that’s not an issue. The year my 14-year old daughter blew the head off a turkey with a 20 gauge was - different, but we live very close to a farm that sells 400 fresh turkeys every year, so supply is not an issue.
“Most of the popular birds (e.g. Butterball) are already brined when you buy them. But you have to read the packaging carefully to find out”
We bought a BB Turkey breast (comes with the full two breasts) to supplement our Honey Baked Ham for Christmas. The wife brined it overnight. I cookeded it low and slow in our smoker. We never had so many compliments for Turkey.
“Just curious. Did you rinse the bird before cooking?”
Oh yes - followed Alton Brown’s recipe to the letter.
The turkey was a non butterball, and had not been pre-brined.
Don’t know what I did wrong, and may try it again sometime, but definitely NOT on Thanksgiving!
Chinese food, anyone?
That's a great way to cook turkey. Did you finish it under the broiler to get the skin crispy?
I've also done them sous vide. Finish by searing with really high heat on the grill (600+ degrees F) to get the outside crisp.
Ironically, I just cooked a BB turkey breast in the oven this morning for lunchmeat. Lazy.
Tell ya whut, chicken breast meat soaked in A1 and Worcestershire tastes and feels like steak!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.