topic Re: Turkey Brining in Recipes

Turkey Brining

springers — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 03:44:44 GMT

I liquid brined my first turkey overnight (not a dry brine). I let it dry before cooking so the skin could crisp. There is a lot of juice in the pan 1-2 quarts. I read some chefs prefer dry rub brine because turkey can absorb too much liquid. I haven’t eaten it yet, I will follow with that update but I wanted to know about the amt of liquid released. Thx

Re: Turkey Brining

blackhole99 — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 03:52:07 GMT

I brine my turkey if it's organic and not injected with water, salt and broth like most turkeys are. Brining it guarantees the bird will be moist and juicy if you roast it right. I've never brined a Butterball turkey. I've never used a dry rub for a turkey.

Re: Turkey Brining

springers — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 04:01:01 GMT

Follow up the liquid is about 2 cups (pint)
Makes great gravy seemed more when turkey was in pan. I’ve never had a bird release so much. Flavorful!

Re: Turkey Brining

ECBG — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 07:15:26 GMT

I don't brine the turkey, but, FYI Fresh Market sells turkey brining.

Re: Turkey Brining

Yahooey — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 11:24:27 GMT

My family doesn't eat turkey but my mom was gifted with one at the senior center. It was a frozen Butterball. I was intimidated

My friend told me to use Alton Brown's recipe. Calls for a brine where the turkey sits in it for 8-16 hrs. Brine is discarded. Turkey is pat dry.

It came out perfect - no basting needed.

there are 2 videos on foodnetwork - one to cook the turkey so both white and dark meat comes out great - one to prep

It might give you some ideas

Re: Turkey Brining

springers — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 14:37:20 GMT

The turkey was the most flavorful and moist ever. I just was amazed at the juices it released, which made the most flavorful gravy.
I guess once you brine you always brine.
I brined in a cooler outside so it was easy.

Re: Turkey Brining

denisemb — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 20:16:20 GMT

I've used this turkey brine recipe from allrecipes in the past with great success. Tender, flavorful, moist meat and I was pleased with the gravy.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/54614/turkey-brine/

Re: Turkey Brining

Allegheny — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 19:37:12 GMT

This year was my first try with brining. Did half a turkey breast. It came out very moist and I too was surprised at the amount of liquid it released.

This was an experiment on my part but I will certainly do it again. The next time I will probably add fresh lemons and place it on a rack.

Re: Turkey Brining

sfnative — Sun, 01 Dec 2019 19:50:40 GMT

We totally stopped all of this fuss and mess, once we discovered Trader Joe's Kosher Brined Turkeys. Fabulous doesn't describe this turkey. We've been purchasing them for 10 or so years now. Even my daughter, a retired chef, will eat no other turkey.

I highly recommend Trader Joe's Kosher Brined Turkeys!!!!!!

Re: Turkey Brining

Mothertrucker — Sat, 07 Dec 2019 11:44:13 GMT

I switched from wet brining to dry brining about 5 years ago and the results have been GREAT! I will never go back to the mess, and "ordeal " (think refrigerator space too!) of wet brining-

Another plus: You can dry brine before the turkey is totally thawed!!

The skin gets brown and very crispy, and the bird is incredibly moist and not overly salty-

I use the "Judy Bird" (Zuni Cafe) type recipe, which is easily found in a Google search

Re: Turkey Brining

gardenman — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 12:52:04 GMT

I did a dry brine this year and the turkey came out great. It feels a bit weird thawing the turkey a few days in advance, then coating it in kosher salt and pepper while it sits uncovered in the fridge, but it worked. You never really know if a turkey is good because you got a good bird, or if a technique worked, but things went so well I'll do it again next year.

Re: Turkey Brining

ChazzyLady — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 22:42:43 GMT

So glad to see folks using the dry brine method. I used it for the first time several years ago and love it. I don't have the refrigerator space for wet brining so the dry method works best for me and is much easier for me overall because of chronic back pain.

Has anyone tried dry brining for more than 24 hours? I have read that one can dry brine for up to 3 days but I never have; worry that it would be too salty.

Also, has anyone added other flavors to the salt besides black pepper? I have had great results adding both black pepper and poultry seasoning.

Whether wet or dry, brining is definitely the way to go.

Re: Turkey Brining

Mothertrucker — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 14:02:47 GMT

@ChazzyLady wrote:
So glad to see folks using the dry brine method. I used it for the first time several years ago and love it. I don't have the refrigerator space for wet brining so the dry method works best for me and is much easier for me overall because of chronic back pain.

Has anyone tried dry brining for more than 24 hours? I have read that one can dry brine for up to 3 days but I never have; worry that it would be too salty.

Also, has anyone added other flavors to the salt besides black pepper? I have had great results adding both black pepper and poultry seasoning.

Whether wet or dry, brining is definitely the way to go.

I usually dry brine Wednesday morning around 5 am before I go to work, so that is more than 24 hours before I roast, though not much- I HAVE done it 48 hours in advance and it was great, but a tad saltier..but really good- I think it was actually moister too!

Re: Turkey Brining

gardenman — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 14:27:56 GMT

I did the dry brine on mine on Tuesday night. That gave it about thirty-six hours. I've seen people doing it three days in advance. I'll probably do it the same way again next year also. You never really know if you just got a good turkey (there's a wide variance from bird to bird) or if the method/technique was better, but this turkey was delicious, so I was happy.

I always laugh at the shows where they buy one turkey from ten different sources and decide which brand is best based on that one turkey from each place. You might get a turkey that's a lazy bird who just sat by the food trough nibbling away all day, every day and decide it's the most tender turkey you've ever had and declare it the best. Another turkey, even from the same clutch of eggs and raised in the same building, might have been a nervous nelly, jumping up and running around like a chicken (or turkey in this case) with its head cut off at any and every sound and be as tough as shoe leather.

Turkey farms aren't generally exclusive either. (At least the big ones.) They sell their birds to whoever is offering the best price at the time. Five turkeys all from the same "brand" may have been raised on five different farms under five wildly varying conditions with different feed and care. Because of that, I tend to shop by price and control what I can control in the cooking process. By and large, it's worked out well for me. I can only remember one or two clunkers (overly tough or dry) turkeys in around forty years of cooking turkeys. (One cheapo bird came without the innards in a bag however and I almost turned the poor thing inside out trying to find them, not wanting them to melt in the bird. I figured they had to be in there somewhere. Nope.)