How long per kilo do you brine poultry for?

Question

I always buy a turkey crown for christmas as it is easy to carve, but unfortunately this can result in very dry piece of meat. I have read a lot about brining and its merits but cant seem to find any information on how long to leave it in the brine in relation to its weight. Lots of websites give some good info about making the brine but all seem very vague when it comes to specific timing. can anyone help?

Answer 1

Being a former chef and knowing what a "Turkey Crown" is must be the most important part, as it is a dense piece of meat, your going first need to brine it a minimum of 48 hours and poke some small holes in area to allow the brine to seep in.

Because of the longer brining time your brine has to be the right salinity, I use a mix of salt, brown sugar for flavour and spices, for turkey a mixed poultry spice is nice and if you like a small amount of garlic, I use dried spices and add them to the boiled water that I have added the salt and sugar to.

Let this cool completely so as not to cook the meat, a large plastic pail available at wine making suppliers is good to immerse the meat completely in, make small holes with a paring knife or metal skewer around the ends and between the tied strings, then immerse the meat, a plate with a weight to keep it in the brine.

Once it has brined for the 2 days, rinse it off, rub it with oil/margarine or butter, season it lightly, start it at 400 d F for 30-45 minutes to brown, then lower it to 325 d F for 2-2 hours or more depending on its size a crown of 5-7 pound will need alast 2 and 8-10, 3-4 hours, when it is done let it rest for 20-30 minutes and then remove the strings and carve, I can assure you it will be the juiciest turkey you ever tasted, but the longer brine, slower cooking and resting time are key to this working right. A meat thermometer is a good investment and you want a temp of 175-180 internally for fully cooked.

Answer 2

It really doesn't have to do with weight but shape. Also, some brining is better than no brining.

If you had a kilo of breast filets, then I'd brine them 1 to 2 hours.

For a whole chicken or a turkey breast, I'd recommend 4 to 6 hours.

For a whole turkey, 6 to 12 hours depending upon the size and amount of salt used.

This website is pretty good and put out by Turkey Growers - containing tips on brining and cooking.
http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/cookinfo/brine.html

A final thing about turkeys, if you buy a basted turkey (one where the producer injects the turkey with a broth solution), then you don't need to brine. The labels will state whether the turkey has been "injected" or not.

Answer 3

I wish I knew what a crown was ? The brine i use for parts is 1/2 c salt 1/2 cup sugar 2 litre water brine parts 1-1.5 hrs in fridge rinse, pat dry (Chicken parts) I do whole turkeys 12-13 lb overnite in a cooler, chilled with zip lock bags of ice in brine.Good Luck

Answer 4

I always buy a fresh turkey, weighing about 24 to 26 pounds, and I put it in brine for at least 12 hours, or overnight. never had a dry one yet. and I also roast it breast side down, and turn it the last hour to brown it nicely. And if I can't get it browned like I want, I take a small propane torch and finish it that way.

Answer 5

Overnight is best...........at the very least 6 to 8 hours. You can also SALT the turkey (Kosher) , which is covering it with salt and letting it sit in the fridge....then rinse and season as usual if it is too big to put in a container with brine and refrigerate.

Answer 6

You are right. Brining makes the bird delicious and juicy. i just leave mine in the fridge overnight.

Answer 7

very confusing factor. search using bing and yahoo. this will help!