Why brine a turkey before cooking

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Shop for a Cause. Here's the real scoop. Pros of Brining a Turkey Brining a turkey adds moisture and flavor, particularly when you use a flavorful brine. Cons of Brining a Turkey Of course, brining does have its cons, not the least of which is that it's a big pain. From the Organic Authority Files. Aloe Gorgeous. Vegan Collagen-Boosting Powder.

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So here it goes…. Add the rest of the water in the base of the turkey. Sprinkled with Montreal steak spice and Done! Then I placed bird into a degrees oven and cooked it uncovered for 30 minutes. This brought the temperature of the bird up quick and gave it its gorgeous color! I then added my lid. Turned the oven down to and cooked it for another 1. Basting every 30 mins At that point I checked my thermometer.

It read I pulled it out and let rest for about 45 mins. When I took the lid off — oh my word the smell of the cinnamon, Apple, onion mixture was beyond expectations! My turkey was falling off the bone cooked to perfection!

Then add your foil. Place into your oven to reheat and your meat will get warm and NOT dry out. How COOL is that!!! You can also warm up anything that way. Anyways message is long but it will NOT be wasted! All the comments have been helpful but nobody has asked if you can brine a butter infused turkey. I imagine you can because everything remains chilled and plan to try it placing it frozen, into a stock pot with the brine, into the fridge for a few days.

Likely 5. Any thoughts? I tried this brine for the 1st time on Thanksgiving last year. I have tried turkey in every way imaginable and this recipe is by the greatest. I had guess over who said they do not eat turkey but they could not stop eating the one I cooked with this recipe. I am planning in having turkey for the Saturday before Superbowl, saving the left overs carcas and bones for a soup on Superbowl Sunday.

Perfectly flavored, tender, juicy, wonderful! I normally add a little bit of water to the bottom of the roaster. The turkey juices will drip down and collect in the pan for later use. Easy recipe, makes flavorable turkey stock from bones and skin later. I used dried and freeze dried spices, and doubled the water. Also made great gravy. It might be too strong if spices are used full strength, but we prefer subtle flavors.

This brine made my turkey so good everyone raved about the flavor. I will definitely use this recipe from now on. So good!! Made this for our 16 pound turkey this week and just brined it in a big stockpot in my fridge for 24 hours.

I was worried to leave it in too long and be too salty, but it was amazing! So juicy and tasty! I just took my bird out of the brine and gonna let it dry. Do you let the turkey come to room temperature before rosting or take it out of the fridge and into the oven? Thanks in advance. Absolutely, you should brine it before frying. Just make sure to give it ample time to dry out before placing in the fry oil.

I would use less water to make sure the brine is strong. Brine for hours. Then let the turkey dry out several hours before roasting. This will be the 5th time I have used this brine and I will never make a turkey without it!

But this year I am going to make a turkey breast instead of a full bird, is there anything I would need to change with the brine or time for the smaller size? I am doing turkey pieces this year, 4 wings, 2 thighs and 1 breast all bone in all from Whole Foods. Should I change anything as to amount of salt?

Hi, I have 8 gallons of water in the cooler. Should I double up on the brine ingredients or just the salt? Is it 1 cup of salt per gallon for 24 hour brines? Planning to use this for my Thanksgiving this year. Does turkey need to be thawed before brining? You can put a frozen turkey in the brine and let it thaw as it brines, if you give it enough time… Maybe days. If i have a frozen 20 pound turkey how long does it need to be in the brine for it to defrost and brine?

Will the ice last more than 3 days or do i need to keep adding ice as each day? I would put the turkey in the brine about 5 days before cooking. The amount of ice needed will be determined on the quality of your cooler and where you keep it. Check the water every day and add ice if the water is not ice-cold. I used this brine once back in August this year on a 20lb turkey which I cooked in my smoker and it turned out amazing. It was hands down the most flavorful and juiciest turkey I ever made and the family loved it.

I will brine those turkeys Wednesday night. All turkeys will be smoked again in my pellet smoker. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Totally the best brine ever! How big of a cooler do I need for a 13 lb Turkey? Also, howling does it take to dry the turkey? You can use a quart cooler for most turkeys.

Then I always dry it overnight before Thanksgiving. My turkey is 22 lbs. Would it be wise to use 3 gallons of water and 3 cups of salt? Would I add more herbs and spices as a result? Also, I only h and very one oven and need it for all the other side items, so I use a roaster to cook my turkey….. I used your brine recipe and it was delicious!!

Had to hunt for juniper berries Walmart. What I did different were; used Kosher salt 1cup, 3 cups of apple cider and 2 gallons of water. Brine 2 days. Dry 1 day. The cooler method is awesome. I used 3 iced water bottles. Had to a changed them every 12 hours to keep cooler at 40 degrees. I did it all in the basement near laundry sink except the baking part. Bake time was 3hr 20mins for 19lbs. Thank you very much!! However the brown sugar from the brine drips to bottom of pan and gets burnt and totally ruins my gravy.

What am I doing wrong? Not allowing it to drain and dry enough? In this brine, there should not be enough brown sugar left on the turkey to cause any burning. It will mostly stay in the cooler when you lift it out. However, it is very important to let the turkey dry out, so the skin can turn brown and crispy.

Yes, sorry about the typo! I will brine 24 hours then let it dry for another 24 hours want the crispy skin. I rinsed the turkey before roasting; it was great. I was sceptical that it may be too salty? Hope that this helps , John Clifton. It was the second time I have brined a turkey — ever. I am 65 yrs. This was the BEST turkey we have ever had, hands down! Thank you for sharing. From now on, this is the way I am roasting a turkey.

The gravy was so flavorful all I had to do was whisk in some flour and add a few cups of water and it was amazing. If you are worried about your homemade turkey gravy being too salty, you can rinse it off. I just met you!! I would appreciate receiving your recipes on email. Can you please help me to be able to do this? Put the container in your fridge or, if you don't have room in your fridge, use ice bags to keep it cool. If you have a frozen turkey, you can thaw it while you brine it a la Alton Brown, but plan on it taking two days to defrost.

When the big day arrives, remember to rinse off excess brine before roasting so that you don't end up with insanely salty pan gravy. Because good gravy is the best part of any feast. Check out this Chowhound recipe for brined roast turkey with cream gravy.

Dry brining means just rubbing your turkey with salt -- on top of the skin and below -- and letting it sit in the fridge for a day or two before cooking. It helps your bird retain moisture without watering down the flavor. Lopez-Alt says to use 1 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat. Before you begin salting, loosen the skin of the breast by using your hand or the handle of a wooden spoon, and then rub some salt under the skin and all over the bird.

Put the turkey on a large tray or baking sheet and pop it in the fridge -- uncovered -- overnight or up to 48 hours. Dry brining is step one of this Chowhound recipe for easy roast turkey. You can also make your brine part marinade to add a bit of flavor to your bird.

Martha Stewart has a flavored brine recipe that includes bay leaves, garlic, thyme, dried juniper berries, fennel seeds and a bottle of Riesling. Do you have a tried-and-true method for preparing a Thanksgiving turkey?