Anyone ever "brine" their Thanksgiving turkey?

[MadzMom]

If so, do you still stuff it? And does it cook differently (longer, shorter, etc.)?

Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated! I'm trying it this year... *fingers crossed*

Thanks,
mm

[stimied]

Yes. Brine is a must for wonderful juicy turkey. Stuffing is best cooked outside a brined turkey because of the salt involved. Stuffing should always be cooked outside anyway because to ensure correct doneness of the stuffing, the breast must be overdone and dry. You can always stuff after for presentation. Mean Chef has a very good apple brine here somewhere. Let me see if I can locate it.

[stimied]

Apple Brine by MEAN CHEF
Maple Brine by MEAN CHEF


Alton Browns Turkey Brine.

[MEAN CHEF]

MadzMom wrote:
If so, do you still stuff it? And does it cook differently (longer, shorter, etc.)?

Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated! I'm trying it this year... *fingers crossed*

Thanks,
mm

Once you brine you will never go back. You will be hooked. I do not stuff turkeys for all the reasons mentioned in previous threads

Apple Brine

Maple Brine

[Chef #48136]

I made a turkey using Mean's Apple Brine just last weekend -- I'd definitely recommend it. We've been eating leftovers all week, and I still find the taste is delicious.

[MadzMom]

Thank you all so much! I can't wait to try it!

[P4]

Don't bother looking - here it is.

Apple Cider Brine. Who do you think he got the recipe from???


Anyway - brined turkey is moist and delicious. Ever since I tried it, I've been hooked and won't make one any other way.

A few tips.

1. You have to submerge the turkey in the brine. This can be a problem. I solved that problem for myself by getting a large food grade icing bucket from my local bakery (they get icing, fillings, etc. in these huge tubs - they are food-grade plastic, so they are perfect for this application). I made the brine 2 days before cooking and chilled in the fridge. The day before, I submerged the turkey in it. Weight it down by putting a plate a little smaller than the bucket's opening on top of the turkey and then stacking a couple of more plates on top to keep the turkey submerged.

Now the problem of where to put it. It's poultry, so it has to be cold. Some people use their fridge, but this takes up a lot of space. If you have an extra refrigerator, that would be perfect. I do not, so I am lucky enough to live in place where the outdoor temperatures are routinely in the 30's and 40's at Thanksgiving. So I take the bucket into my garage, where it's very cold, cover with a lid, and let it go.

I have a friend who brines hers in a huge cooler. You could also probably use a huge plastic bag, but it has to be food grade!

Anyway, the next day, take it out of the brine, discard the brine, rinse the turkey, pat dry, and proceed as usual. The only difference in cooking is that you will have an incredibly moist bird in the end.

Even my father in law, who complains about EVERYTHING loves my turkey.

Stuffing cooked outside the bird, please.

Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

You should try brined pork chops someday, on the grill. So incredible you will never prepare them any other way again.

[Chef #48136]

I didn't have anything big enough to completely submerge my turkey, so I just turned it over every few hours.

[MadzMom]

O.k., here's one more question. My mom is concerned that the flavor of the brine will "overpower" the turkey. From Mean's reviews of the Apple Brine, it doesn't sound like it will, but what is your opinion? Did the turkey taste prevail, or the other flavors?

Thanks again.

*edited to say, no I'm not completely anal, but mom takes turkey very seriously.

[Chef #48136]

I found the flavour to be subtle, not overpowering. I think there are some other brine recipes posted that seem more mild.

Like this one.

[P4]

The cider brine is very mild. It will not overpower at all. When you taste it, you almost swear it had been basted in apple cider, but that's about as far as it goes.

MadsMom - why don't you do this? Get yourself a chicken, make a half-recipe of the brine, and do a test run this weekend or this week. Just brine the bird overnight and then roast it the next day the way you would a turkey.

Then you can see how it works and see how you like the flavor.

I also cook my turkey on the grill, so I get a lovely smokey flavor.

[MadzMom]

PetitFour wrote:
The cider brine is very mild. It will not overpower at all. When you taste it, you almost swear it had been basted in apple cider, but that's about as far as it goes.

MadsMom - why don't you do this? Get yourself a chicken, make a half-recipe of the brine, and do a test run this weekend or this week. Just brine the bird overnight and then roast it the next day the way you would a turkey.

Then you can see how it works and see how you like the flavor.

I also cook my turkey on the grill, so I get a lovely smokey flavor.

Great idea, PetitFour. I'll do this tomorrow & we'll have it this weekend. Thanks for all of your helpful input! (I must say I'm strangely excited about the whole thing! Guess it's a testament to my extremely boring life! )

Thanks again to everyone.

[Judy-Jude]

MadzMom wrote:
If so, do you still stuff it? And does it cook differently (longer, shorter, etc.)?

Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated! I'm trying it this year... *fingers crossed*

Thanks,
mm

We put the turkey in a brine every year and we also stuff the turkey. We have never had a problem with it being salty.
We use a solution of:

1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
to each gallon of water

We brine for 24 hours in the refrigerator, wash the outside and inside of the turkey and pat dry. We set it in the refrigerator, uncovered, for another 24 hours to dry.
It's really wonderful.

[MEAN CHEF]

MadzMom wrote:

PetitFour wrote:
The cider brine is very mild. It will not overpower at all. When you taste it, you almost swear it had been basted in apple cider, but that's about as far as it goes.

MadsMom - why don't you do this? Get yourself a chicken, make a half-recipe of the brine, and do a test run this weekend or this week. Just brine the bird overnight and then roast it the next day the way you would a turkey.

Then you can see how it works and see how you like the flavor.

I also cook my turkey on the grill, so I get a lovely smokey flavor.

Great idea, PetitFour. I'll do this tomorrow & we'll have it this weekend. Thanks for all of your helpful input! (I must say I'm strangely excited about the whole thing! Guess it's a testament to my extremely boring life! )



Thanks again to everyone.

Makes you feel tingly all over doesn't it?

[Roosie]

Questions:
1) It would be okay to brine just a turkey breast, correct? As mean's recipe says, the apple brine is suitable for pork, beef or turkey.
2) Is it important to use kosher salt or would regular table salt be suitable?
3) Does the brine keep or is it best to just make it as-needed?
4) Is there any way to sub ground cloves for the whole cloves? I have 2 jars of ground cloves for some ungodly reason and no whole cloves... I really would like to use up those jars but cloves are such a pungent spice that it is quite difficult...