From the article: Brining Turkey
While the basic method of brining remains the same there are as many different recipes and techniques as there are cooks. The question is, how do you brine a turkey? Share your ideas. Share your Ideas
Basic method with the greatest taste!
- Although there are many different ways to brine a turkey, the brining process is a proven success many times over. There are all sorts of brine recipes out there that will surely lavish your taste buds. I've been baking and frying turkey's for years without using a brine and I've been doing wrong that whole time until I first learned of brining. It's the way to go. Thanks for such a good article on turkey brining.
- —Guest kcamon
It's All Good
- From the point that the salt and sugar are added, I found that any combination of herbs and spices will do the birds very well. Don't be afraid to try different things. Oh yeah, Bone Appetight belts, :-P
- —Guest David P
soaking the turkey
- I have a large crock but a plastic can or tub will work as well. I put the turkey in a plastic bag with the brine. I pit that in the crock or plastic tub.Next I put water in the tub and this forces the brine around the turkey in the bag. With the brine around the whole turkey the plastic bag can be sealed or tied and the turkey does not need to be turned. When the time is done remove the plastic bag with the turkey. You have used less brine and the bag and turkey can be handled easier.
- —Guest wcarey
How sweet it is
- I just brined some chicken recently as you suggested before smoking and I also fried some-deeeeeelicioous!!!
- —Guest Shika
Turkey a-la-Peter ---> saline heaven!
- I usually step-up the salt a bit on my way to a Family Guy theme with "parsley, sage, rosemary, and Lowery's seasoning salt." Start with a larger container of seasoned salt (NO MSG!!!!) in 1 gallon of RO or distilled water, heat to a good 120F and stir. pour into a 4-gallon bucket with some ice (aiming for 2gal -- good luck). Next add the greens (parsley, sage, rosemary) to 2 cups vinegar (whatever flavor creams your twinkie, 5% acidity is the key) and 2 cups molasses and bring to a boil in a blender. What? It didn't get hot. Well slap my fanny and call me Sally! Get a real blender! Mix everything and drop-in a free-range bird and soak to taste. Soaking time can be drastically reduced if you inject a little of the brine and choose the SLOW-MO-FO option of cooking at 170-180F. Your grandma will taste it, get jealous, and then die within the first 2-3 minutes. Hope she leaves you more than mine left for me!
- —Guest foo
Juiciesy Turkey EVER!!
- I mixed: 1 gallon apple cider, 1 100% cranberry juice, 1 cup sea salt, 1 cup brown sugar, fresh ground black pepper (to taste), fennel seed (a good palm full), fresh thyme, 4-5 smash cloves of garlic, and fresh peeled & thinly sliced Ginger. I let the bird soak in a turkey oven bag in a cooler full of ice water outside overnight. Rinse bird well & inject with melted butter mixed with garlic powder & a little Cajun seasoning. You'll never not brine a bird again!! :-)
- —Guest I've heard the bird is the word!
Hoopster
- I brine for 24 hours in a 5-gallon clean plastic paint bucket with a trash can liner.-(in garage fridge). I like the Weber brine recipe calling for mix of apple cider/cranberry juice, brown sugar, kosher salt, pepper, smashed garlic gloves, fennel and thinly sliced fresh ginger...wow ---grill low and slow with hickory smoking chips for about 6 hours...usually put nothing in the turkey cavity except quartered oranges. We never have leftovers!
- —Guest Jim Deller
Wild Turkey
- try adding bourbon to the brine... truly incredible flavour!
- —Guest drunk bird
Don't use trash bag to brine
- They are not food safe and contain chemicals from the factory that can sicken your family.
- —Guest Wednesday Hugus
Brining
- I've been brining for several years, it's the only way to go. I'm always cramped for room in the frig. Last year I used a compactor bag and used an ice chest. Forced all the air out of the bag, sealed it and covered it with ice. Gave the room back I needed for other things. I brine for two days. Love it.
- —Guest George
What a surprise
- Last year was my very first year to cook Thanksgiving dinner all on my own. There were quite a few skeptics about brining a turkey....this year all of those skeptics called me asking me if I would mind making dinner again. Brining is the answer to a moist wonderful tasting turkey dinner. I went to my local spice shop and they already had a bag of spices made up just for brining turkey. I also used the ZipLock Gallon bags, sealed it put it in a cooler full of ice for 24 hours (10lb turkey) and cooked it in a tin foil tent. It was amazing!
- —Guest Rachele
kc cook
- I generally take a plastic trash can, use a regular plastic bag liner, ice it down and put it in the garage where it is cool enough to keep overnight
- —Guest dmd
Brining Precautions
- Be careful when you get ready to remove that turkey from the brining bag. I pulled an oven bag full of turkey and brine up from the styrofoam cooler to place in the kitchen sink, and the bag burst at countertop level. The turkey went crashing down, blowing apart the styrofoam cooler, and brine went everywhere! Lift the turkey out of the brining bag. Don't lift the brining bag.
- —Guest Dr Dave
Simple and Wet
- I brined for the first time ever... in an ice chest with a 5.33 lb. turkey breast and let it sit for 10-12 hours in the brine with ICE... turned out awesome... so I think 1 hour / lb is a bit short... just my 2 cents!
- —Guest awesome_guy
brining
- I start brining a couple of days early and I change the brine every twelve hours. I use the small side of my double sink which makes it easier to drain out the bloody brine and replace with the fresh one. Continue to add ice always and keep a thermometer so you know the bird is under 40 degrees. And you're right, you'll not go back to non-brined again.
- —Guest alaskaturkeyman
wine, oj and chicken stock
- our family recipe calls for bagging the turkey in a zip lock or tightly sealed kitchen garbage bag filled with a mixture of OJ, white wine and chicken stock.
- —fab_flavor
