Brine that Bird.

As the text went, “Bad Wolf, Bad Wolf, we have two gobbler class turkeys under the ice.” This was the signal to many that juicy, flavorful, and tender turkey would soon land on their plates.

This is a wet brine method as opposed to a dry brine / rub that I would use on a roast or prime rib.

Two items of caution here.

First of all, make sure your turkey hasn’t already been brined or injected with a saline solution (water is ok). If it has, it should say so right on the packaging.  Turkeys labeled “kosher,” “enhanced,” or “self-basting,” are usually already brined.  IF THIS IS TRUE, DO NOT DO THIS!

If you are not placing the birds whilst brineing in the refrigerator, get a alarming thermometer set it for 36 degrees, and insert into the thigh of the bird. Add ice when the alarm goes off.

All that said, why do this:

• The bird will cook quicker
• It will be juicer
• It will be more tender
• It will be well seasoned.

From Wikipedia:

In food processing, brining is treating food with brine or coarse salt which preserves and seasons the food while enhancing tenderness and flavor with additions such as herbs, spices, sugar, caramel and/or vinegar. Meat and fish are typically brined for less than twenty-four hours while vegetables, cheeses and fruit are brined in a much longer process known as pickling. Brining is similar to marination, except that a marinade usually includes a significant amount of acid, such as vinegar or citrus juice. Brining is also similar to curing, which usually involves significantly drying the food, and is done over a much longer time period.

Brining is typically a process in which meat is soaked in a salt water solution similar to marination before cooking. Meat is soaked anywhere from 30 minutes to several days. The amount of time needed to brine depends on the size of the meat: More time is needed for a large turkey compared to a broiler fryer chicken. Similarly, a large roast must be brined longer than a thin cut of meat.

Poultry Brine

Before you roast'em, you gotta soak'em

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Brine Time 1 day d

Total Time 1 day d 30 minutes mins

Course Prep

Cuisine American

Servings 5 gallons

Calories 622 kcal

Equipment

• Food safe 5 gallon container w/lid

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 5 cups apple cider
• 2 gallons water
• 5 tbsp Poultry rub https://www.roguechef.com/?p=1820
• 4 cups Kosher Salt
• 4 cups Dark brown sugar
• 5 tsp Minced Garlic
• 10 lb Ice
• 1 Gallon Turkey Stock Regular Sodium

Instructions

 

• Add all but ice to a large pot
• Stir to dissolve , and bring to boil
• Remove from heat and allow to cool
• Place thawed turkey, with giblet packet / neck removed in container
• Pour brine over, add ice, cold water to cover
• Keep in cool place for up to 24 hours, check ice / temp often
• Whence brining is done, rinse turkey with cold water, pat dry.
• Discard brine, roast / smoke turkey according to recipe

Notes

Basic brine, basic method.

I always brine poultry for roasting / smoking.

I usually go a little light on the normal 1 cup salt / 1 cup sugar to 1 gallon of brine, as I do have other flavors and I do go for a very long (24 hours) brine time.

ONE NOTE:  First of all, make sure your turkey hasn’t already been brined or injected with a saline solution (water is ok). If it has, it should say so right on the packaging.  Turkeys labeled “kosher,” “enhanced,” or “self-basting,” are usually already brined.  IF THIS IS TRUE, DO NOT DO THIS!

 

Nutrition

Calories: 622kcalCarbohydrates: 159gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 68073mgPotassium: 455mgFiber: 1gSugar: 151gVitamin A: 105IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 283mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Brine

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