BillBeer247
Well-Known Member
how long do YOU usually brine for? the recipe i was looking at said the night before...but i was thinking of putting the turkey in the brine tomorrow until thanksgiving(4 days)
how long do you brine?
- Thread starter BillBeer247
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I brine my turkey overnight. I'd be interested to hear if longer is better. Mine has come out great in the past, but greater is better 
Normally, 24 hours but last year it was a bit longer. This year, I'm going back to 24 hours, though, since I can (with my work schedule).
jmcquesten
Well-Known Member
passedpawn said:I brine my turkey overnight. I'd be interested to hear if longer is better. Mine has come out great in the past, but greater is better
Can you share your brine mix? I tried brining a few years ago, but I wasn't fully committed (didn't trust it/afraid of extra salty turkey) and only soaked it 10-12 hrs. I want to do it right this time, and we are cooking 2 turkeys so we'll have a backup. The brined one will be fried, backup will be traditional slow roasted in oven. For some reason, I thought the brine time was supposed to be at least a day or two, but I've found several different recommendations online so I'm not sure. Any info/experience is appreciated.
bquirolo
New Member
Brining is a very powerful tool in a kitchen. I would not brine for four days depending on how much salt is added to the brine it can make the meat very salty.
The brine I used at Masa's in San Francisco was
1 gallon/ 4 liters water
1 cup/ 225g salt
1/2 cup/ 125g sugar
And the seasoning that would be used for the pork, bird or whatever other type of protein I maybe serving that day.
The time on a turkey depends largely on the size of the bird
10-15lb/ 4-7kg turkey will be 24hrs
15lb/ 7kg and over will be from 24hrs to 36hrs.
And if you like brined birds a 2lb chicken is 3hrs
If you have questions on suggested spice I would be more than happy to answer that one as well keep in mind a gallon of water is just enough to cover a 2lb chicken and not much more than that.
The basic spice blend for a one gallon batch of brine which I use at home and not in the restaurant is
25g thyme
25g parsley
2 ea bay leaves
1 head garlic halved
1 onion sliced
30g black pepper
1) I will bring half my water content to a boil with the spice, salt and sugar.
2) And pour over ice (1g=1ml for water) I will weight out my ice and chill the solution
3)when the solution is chilled all the way I will brine my protein for the proper amount of time.
The brine I used at Masa's in San Francisco was
1 gallon/ 4 liters water
1 cup/ 225g salt
1/2 cup/ 125g sugar
And the seasoning that would be used for the pork, bird or whatever other type of protein I maybe serving that day.
The time on a turkey depends largely on the size of the bird
10-15lb/ 4-7kg turkey will be 24hrs
15lb/ 7kg and over will be from 24hrs to 36hrs.
And if you like brined birds a 2lb chicken is 3hrs
If you have questions on suggested spice I would be more than happy to answer that one as well keep in mind a gallon of water is just enough to cover a 2lb chicken and not much more than that.
The basic spice blend for a one gallon batch of brine which I use at home and not in the restaurant is
25g thyme
25g parsley
2 ea bay leaves
1 head garlic halved
1 onion sliced
30g black pepper
1) I will bring half my water content to a boil with the spice, salt and sugar.
2) And pour over ice (1g=1ml for water) I will weight out my ice and chill the solution
3)when the solution is chilled all the way I will brine my protein for the proper amount of time.
I go with Alton Brown.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/honey-brined-smoked-turkey-recipe2/index.html
I've added peppercorns and some other spices (I think star anise and crushed coriander), but I think I'm just doing it simple this year.
BillBeer247
Well-Known Member
i guess Alton has several recipes, i was going to go with this Altons brine:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html
Thanks! That's the exact one I used last year. I was looking for that.
lgilmore
Well-Known Member
second and third for food network's atlton Brown's brine.
I would not go much beyond 24 hours, overnight is usually good enough. Too long and I think you'll kinda regret the outcome. I usually threw mine in a brine bucket for about 14-16 hours (overnight) and have turkeys come out that are really juicey and good eating.
I would not go much beyond 24 hours, overnight is usually good enough. Too long and I think you'll kinda regret the outcome. I usually threw mine in a brine bucket for about 14-16 hours (overnight) and have turkeys come out that are really juicey and good eating.
hillbilly61
Member
Try this brine I started using it a couple years back use a large enough pot or cooler mix 4 -64 oz cranberry pomegranate juice ocean spray brand is what I use add 2 cups kosher salt let set in fridge over night ( 8 to 10 hours)
hillbilly61
Member
After I take tithe bird out I rinse well with cool water and pt dry and cook as normal
That's the one I use also. Sort of. I boil some celery in the brine, and some carrots and onions and skip the candied ginger. It's awesome, either in the oven or on the grill. I've also used beer in the brine (very good), or apple cider (ditto).
wolfstar
Well-Known Member
I will brine for 3 days with this...all amounts are rough since I just wing this sh*t most of the time
2 gallons of apple juice.
1.5 cups kosher salt
3 cups course chopped cellary
2 cups couarse choped carrots
3 tbs course FRESH ground black pepper
(optional) 1/4 cup crushed juniper berries
I brine in an oven bake bag and move things around every 6-8 hours if possible.
This allows for some very subtle but very well balanced flavors to enhance the turkey.
When I use the juniper berries I will smoke or grill the turkey over hickory...We are butterflying the bird and grilling over hickory this year.
If I use more salt, I will brine for shorter periods, but I am left with the impression that the brine does not fuly penetrate the bird this way.
2 gallons of apple juice.
1.5 cups kosher salt
3 cups course chopped cellary
2 cups couarse choped carrots
3 tbs course FRESH ground black pepper
(optional) 1/4 cup crushed juniper berries
I brine in an oven bake bag and move things around every 6-8 hours if possible.
This allows for some very subtle but very well balanced flavors to enhance the turkey.
When I use the juniper berries I will smoke or grill the turkey over hickory...We are butterflying the bird and grilling over hickory this year.
If I use more salt, I will brine for shorter periods, but I am left with the impression that the brine does not fuly penetrate the bird this way.
I went 48 hours last year but can't find the recipe this year, it had the generic merquia (sp) celery, carrot, onion in it but I can't seem to find it
Friendly chef advice...
A brine is not a marinade. The sole purpose of a basic brine is to boost inner moisture content and to preserve the meat. Not to inject flavor per se. That would be a marinade.
If you toss herbs, citrus, vegetables, sugar, salt, etc. into cold water and then drop in your turkey is not going to do much in terms of flavor (FYI - sugar was in a lot of old brines, but it is more for preservation purposes and can be excluded altogether nowadays).
Back to the complicated brine... For all of these items to go to work for you, you would need to simmer the brine first for flavor extraction. This is a sort of brine-marinade hybrid. It would then need to be cooled down before you add your turkey.
A lot of home cooks do not want to go through these extra steps and just want a simple brine. For a simple brine, dissolve 120 grams (or about 1/2 cup) of kosher salt for every 4 liters of cold water . If you brine a turkey with salt, you will still need to generously salt the skin before cooking or you will have bland meat.
The total time spent brining should be between 18-32 hours for optimal benefit.
More time = more dry. Possible water-logging / flesh become rubbery.
More salt = the meat will be a ton more dry.
Less time = less of a moisture/texture benefit from the brine.
Less salt = your brine isn't really doing anything.
For those who want added flavor without wasting all those ingredients in your cold brine without extracting it first via heat, I would suggest making a compound butter with rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper. Mix the softened butter with the minced herbs and seasonings. It should be pommade consistency.
Rub the compound butter all over the room temperature turkey prior to cooking. Toss a few chopped vegetables and the organs on the bottom of your roasting pan, add the roasting rack, place the buttered turkey on the rack. Bake low and slow at 265 F for 2-4 hours depending on the size. Baste with the drippings every 30-40 minutes during cooking.
When internal temp. of leg reaches about 145 F, remove from oven, and rest for 1 hour with a tented foil cover. Then post-sear for 10-15 minutes at 500 F to create a crispy skin. No more resting is required since the juices already had an hour to assimilate. -- The carryover cooking via the rest, plus the hot post-sear will give you a fully cooked leg, and breast meat that is not also insanely dry (partly from the brine, mostly from not severely overcooking it past 160 F).
Use the brown bits on the bottom of your roasting pan to make a gravy with some flour and stock.
A brine is not a marinade. The sole purpose of a basic brine is to boost inner moisture content and to preserve the meat. Not to inject flavor per se. That would be a marinade.
If you toss herbs, citrus, vegetables, sugar, salt, etc. into cold water and then drop in your turkey is not going to do much in terms of flavor (FYI - sugar was in a lot of old brines, but it is more for preservation purposes and can be excluded altogether nowadays).
Back to the complicated brine... For all of these items to go to work for you, you would need to simmer the brine first for flavor extraction. This is a sort of brine-marinade hybrid. It would then need to be cooled down before you add your turkey.
A lot of home cooks do not want to go through these extra steps and just want a simple brine. For a simple brine, dissolve 120 grams (or about 1/2 cup) of kosher salt for every 4 liters of cold water . If you brine a turkey with salt, you will still need to generously salt the skin before cooking or you will have bland meat.
The total time spent brining should be between 18-32 hours for optimal benefit.
More time = more dry. Possible water-logging / flesh become rubbery.
More salt = the meat will be a ton more dry.
Less time = less of a moisture/texture benefit from the brine.
Less salt = your brine isn't really doing anything.
For those who want added flavor without wasting all those ingredients in your cold brine without extracting it first via heat, I would suggest making a compound butter with rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper. Mix the softened butter with the minced herbs and seasonings. It should be pommade consistency.
Rub the compound butter all over the room temperature turkey prior to cooking. Toss a few chopped vegetables and the organs on the bottom of your roasting pan, add the roasting rack, place the buttered turkey on the rack. Bake low and slow at 265 F for 2-4 hours depending on the size. Baste with the drippings every 30-40 minutes during cooking.
When internal temp. of leg reaches about 145 F, remove from oven, and rest for 1 hour with a tented foil cover. Then post-sear for 10-15 minutes at 500 F to create a crispy skin. No more resting is required since the juices already had an hour to assimilate. -- The carryover cooking via the rest, plus the hot post-sear will give you a fully cooked leg, and breast meat that is not also insanely dry (partly from the brine, mostly from not severely overcooking it past 160 F).
Use the brown bits on the bottom of your roasting pan to make a gravy with some flour and stock.
