November 25, 2008 9:27 PM
Brining your Thanksgiving turkey
The first Thanksgiving after I started blogging, we had a discussion here at MommyLife on how people cooked their turkeys. You may have a tried and true method, but if you're still trying to perfect your Thanksgiving dinner, you might want to glance at Your Turkey Experience - especially the comments - for some new ideas.
The idea that grabbed my attention was brining as it promised a more moist turkey. And I must admit: no matter how good our turkey looked, I always thought it never lived up to its potential.
While we didn't try the brining method until the following year, we were completely sold on it and will never again cook a turkey without preparing it this way. In order to free up our oven, we use a roaster to cook our turkey - but no matter what method you use for the actual cooking, you will experience the best results if you brine first.
Since Greta was the person who turned me - and who knows how many others - on to brining in the first place, and since she has spent years as a caterer and knows her stuff, I asked her to write the directions for anyone who wants to give it a try:
The best turkey is a brined turkey!There are some things in life that once you have discovered them, there is no turning back. Brining poultry, especially turkey, is one of those things. As a caterer, I was always looking to perfect any recipe I came across. We all know the challenges of roasting a turkey - the meat, even when you haven't overcooked it, tends to be dry. It is next to impossible to not overcook it, which only exacerbates the problem. The issue is that dark meat is fully cooked at a higher temperature (165-175 degrees) than white meat (152 degrees), so in order for the dark meat to be done, the white meat gets overcooked and turns to sawdust. Brining is the answer!. Not only does it keep the meat juicy even when "overcooked", it seasons the all meat (not just the skin) and draws the blood out of the meat (similar to koshering).
The science behind all of this is quite fascinating. Meat is, of course, muscle. Muscle fibers, when cooked, begin to shrink and loose moisture at 120 degrees. Anything above 140 degrees causes major shrinking and loss of moisture. This is where brining can help. Water passes in and out of cells always towards the strongest concentration and away from the weakest. There is a lot of water inside muscle cells, but it contains many dissolved substances and is held by the proteins. The liquid inside these muscle cells is quite strong in concentration, so that when a piece of meat is placed in a salt and sugar liquid (brine), the liquid from the brine flows into the cells of the meat. In with the liquid goes whatever seasonings the cook adds to the brine. This added liquid keeps turkey moist even when cooked beyond desired temperatures.
Basic Brine
1 ½ cups kosher salt
½ cup dark brown sugar
Cold water to completely cover the bird
Additions
1 6 oz container of frozen OJ
Bay leaves
Peppercorns
Sage
Rosemary
Any citrus sliced
Any other herbs you like
(I like the addition of citrus and peppercorns, but use what appeals to you)
Dissolve the salt and sugar in 1 quart of hot water. Cool the liquid with 3 quarts of cold water. Completely submerge the turkey adding more water if necessary. Brine for at least 8 hours in a cold location. I prefer overnight. You can brine the turkey in the fridge, but I have found a cooler to be the ideal spot. You can put the cooler in the cold garage, or outside in the cold. If you live where it is hot, fill the cooler with ice. I love what is easy, so I put two CLEAN garbage bags in the cooler (one inside the other). I place the turkey in the bags, pour the brine over the turkey and draw the bag close so the bird is completely covered. Twist or tie the bag securely. It is easy to lift the turkey out the next day, pour the brine down the drain and toss the bags. There is no need to rinse the bird, just pat dry with paper towels, and roast. Do remember to allow any meat to sit at least 15 minutes before carving to keep juices from spilling out.
Believe me, you'll never go back.
May God bless you all richly. May we feel profound gratefulness to our Savior as we do simple tasks, such as making that turkey, for the precious ones He has given us - our families.
Love,
Greta
I just want to add that this is one thing that your hubby may be very interested in being involved in. Tripp has always taken charge of the turkey, so he was happy to add the brining process.
This year, of course, he's sidelined. But even though our turkey is 22 pounds, I figure with four big sons here, we can muddle through.
Thanks, Greta, for adding to the quality of life in the Curtis house!
Posted in Thanksgiving | Permalink
Comments
Can you cook a 'brine'd turkey in a cooking bag? I will be trying the brine method. Thanks!
Posted by: Lisa J | November 26, 2008 7:16 AM
hee hee - here's how I cook a Thanksgiving turkey.
Wednesday night, remind my husband tomorrow is Turkey Day.
Watch him set the alarm.
Wear earplugs so his alarm doesn't wake me up.
Sleep in! :)
Believe it or not, I have never cooked a turkey for a holiday (I have cooked them for regular days - turkeys are cheap eats for big families!) What a blessing to be married to a man who loves to cook!
He doesn't brine, but he does use a meat injector. We cook it upside down so the breast will be juicy, then flip it towards the end to get a browned breast. We also cook two smaller turkeys instead of one big one because everyone fights for drumsticks.
Posted by: Milehimama | November 26, 2008 10:05 AM
Yes! You certainly can cook a brined turkey in a bag. You can cook a brined turkey with any cooking method of your choice.
Posted by: Greta | November 26, 2008 11:41 AM
I'm going to come right out and ask a dumb question...
Can I put my 80% frozen turkey in brine (frozen turkey has been in my fridge since Monday and is minimally defrosted). I have never had a turkey thaw in a fridge. I always have to finish it in the sink. So, can I brine instead of moving to the sink step?
Posted by: Kelly | November 26, 2008 4:50 PM
Kelly, that's not a dumb question at all. Yes, you will be fine to let it finish thawing in the brine. The brine might not do quite as well since some of that muscle is frozen, but I am sure that it will still make an improvement.
Posted by: Greta | November 26, 2008 7:13 PM
Can you use table salt rather than kosher salt? if yes, how much would I use?
Posted by: Emilee | November 26, 2008 11:26 PM
Emilee, I'm so sorry I didn't see your question until tonight. No, do not use table salt. It is much too harsh in flavor and strong to use.
Posted by: Greta | November 28, 2008 12:51 AM
THANKS GRETA!!! The brined turkey was a huge success. So easy and no mess ;) Thanksgiving morning was far less stressful since the bird just had to be put in the oven and the garbage bags thrown out! I double bagged it, placed it in a cooler and then put in on the deck. I added ice to the outside of the bagged turkey in case it didn't get cold enough. Ice was still there the next day so I guess it was cold enough ;) I don't believe we'll ever go back to the "old way" of cooking a turkey.
Posted by: Margaret | November 28, 2008 7:35 AM
Many thanks to Barbara and Greta for the brining info.
I had always had the idea of trying to brine a turkey in the back of my mind, but wasn't sure if it would be worth it, or just another thing the Food Network was trying to add to my to do list. Seeing it here and knowing Greta (whom I have recently been blessed to get to know a little better) endorsed the recipe, gave me the extra push I needed.
I love brining! I did it just as Greta suggested, as we had a cold overnight b/f Thanksgiving this year, it was clean, easy and the turkeys tasted great!
I hope everyone had a Blessed day, I feel truly blessed to have become a part of this community.
Posted by: Danielle | November 28, 2008 5:02 PM
We brined, as planned - since Tripp couldn't do it, Ben helped me. We lined the ice chest with two plastic bags - as Greta suggested - and left it outside as it was close to freezing here Wednesday night.
Our 22 pound turkey was incredible - succulent, melt-in-your-mouth meat.
Thank you so much Greta!!! Isn't it incredible how someone can turn you onto a better way of doing something that changes the way you will do that something for years to come?
Are there other things we should be brining, Greta? Or do you want to do a follow-up on 10 things we can do to improve our holiday cooking?
Posted by: barbara | November 28, 2008 6:42 PM
Greta and Barbara, thank you so much for the brining advice. I put that mostly frozen guy into the brine and he defrosted beautifully for the next morning. After cooking, that bird was so juicy the juice ran off the cutting board and down the front of my cupboard while it was getting carved!
I have told my mom about this "new" approach to turkey prep.
Thanks again!
Posted by: Kelly | November 30, 2008 9:20 PM
Hooray!! Imagine my happiness at seeing these comments!! I am so thrilled. It would be my honor and pleasure to do a follow up about Holiday Cooking. All poultry, shrimp and many pork cuts are well suited to brining. Many chicken breasts are injected with saline, so that would be a waste, but certainly brine a chicken for roasting. Pork is so lean now that brining helps with both flavor and juiciness- especially chops. Thanks for letting us know you tried it, Danielle, Margaret and Kelly!
Posted by: Greta | December 1, 2008 3:38 PM
