How do you brine a turkey for thanksgiving?

Question

hello, i am making my first thanksgiving turkey and i heard brining is what u must do 2 flavor the turkey. so how do i do this?

Answer 1

I just brined a large chicken (8 pounds) last week, as sort of a test for thanksgiving. I had never brined anything before, and wanted to try it out beforehand to see how I liked it.

As a general rule you want 1 c. of salt (or 1.5 c if Kosher), per gallon of water. You can match that with equal parts sugar if you want, but it's not necessary. You can also toss in a few herbs if you want, but again, it's not really necessary as brining is not about flavoring the bird, it's about loading it with as much liquid as possible.

Remember HS biology? Osmosis and Diffusion? The idea is liquids are always going to try to be equal both inside and out of a cell, so if you throw your turkey in a big pot of salt water, the liquid will diffuse (via osmosis) into the cells, which are less water-filled, and swell them up. Flip that over to cooking, and you can roast that bird all you want, but it's going to take a BIG mistake to overdry it.

ANYWAY, here's what you do: Rinse your bird inside and out, and then add it to a very large pot. You want the turkey to fit in, so it can be completely covered with water, but of course you also want the pot to fit in your fridge. In a seperate container, mix the (cold!) water with the salt (and sugar if desired), to the proportions I mentioned above. Pour over the turkey, and continue in this way until the bird is completely covered.

Put it in the fridge and leave it alone for 24 hours.

If crispy skin is important to you, remove your bird from it's bath about 12 hours before roasting, and let it sit uncovered in the fridge, elevated on something like a roasting pan, so airflow can circulate all around it. If crispy skin is not important, you can toss it in the oven whenever you're ready.

IMPORTANT: Two things I discovered with my "test"chicken. Brined birds cook much faster than non-brined birds, so keep a close eye on your temp. Also, my pop-up timer no longer worked after soaking in the brine with my bird. Don't remove the timer prior to roasting, or brining, for this reason, or you will leave a very large, gaping whole for juices to escape while roasting (your bird will dry out). Just leave the timer in place until the bird is cooked, but don't rely on it for temp.

One last note. Don't brine if you don't like ham. A brined bird has a texture very similar to that of ham. It is much firmer than non-brined birds. For this reason, my thanksgiving turkey will not be brined this year.

Good luck, and I hope that helped!

Answer 2

Wolfgang Puck Turkey Brine

Answer 3

Brining is actually done with salt, not sugar (there is some sugar in the recipe). Here is a link to Alton Brown's method for brining and roasting a turkey. I have used this recipe before and it turned out great. Just be sure to read the recipe ahead to make sure you have the specialty equipment, ie 5 gallon bucket.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_8389,00.html

Answer 4

Another thing to keep in mind is you should NOT brine a self-basting bird like a ButterBall self baster. These birds are already treated at the processor. These birds already contain a solution of water, salt, modified food starch, sodium phosphates and natural flavors, so there is no need to flavor brine them.

Answer 5

It does not "have" to be done. I use a brining recipe with citrus fruits and sugar and herbs in it. You need lots of ice to keep adding to the brine so the turkey does not spoil. Mine takes 12 hours in the brine. You can use other recipes where no brining is needed. For the first time, I would suggest alternate methods.

Answer 6

This is a really great recipe, and it's very easy:
http://www.gourmet-food-revolution.com/thanksgiving-turkey-recipe.html

Answer 7

I don't use brine for mine but I did see Wolfgang Puck do it on TV. He had a great recipe for that. Look him up.

Answer 8

20-lb-bird
i use apple cider
brown sugar
sea-salt
soy sauce
garlic-powder
onion-powder
sage
celerysticks
fresh-lime-juice
pineapple-syrup-(drain-canned-pineapple-juice )
mix and bring to a boil
let cool
place defrosted-bird in and cover and seal with a plastic wrap ,place in a cool dark spot and let stand for at least 6-hours remove place on rack and roast per instructions baste with butter and fruity-wine mix ------ENJOYISH

Answer 9

Here's a link to my article about turkey, complete with instructions for brining.

http://www.foodforthoughtonline.net/

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Answer 10

Sugar and water... you just soak it. It doesnt really add flavour... just keeps it juicy. You can add some herbs to the water as well...