November 21, 2009 11:40 AM
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.
Thanks, Greta, for adding to the quality of life in the Curtis house!
Posted in Recipes, Thanksgiving | Permalink
Comments
Thank you so much for this! I was actually online this morning looking for info on how to either brine OR fry our turkey breast this year (we don't eat dark meat, so breast is easier for us!).
I think I'm going to try brining since frying is a little scary to me with all the hot oil.
Thanks!
Posted by: cam | November 21, 2009 12:34 PM
Woo-hoo.....we love turkey!
Question(s):
Can we leave the sugar out?
Will we get the same effect? (Is this just a "taste" issue?)
If not, can we substitute xyitol for the brown sugar and get the same effect?
And, I will add that my husband charcoal grilled our last turkey. It was so super yummy and moist. He is absolutely "sold" on cooking a turkey this way, even though it is quite a bit of work to keep natural charcoal hot enough to do the job. He had said after last time and after the research that he did on turkeys, that he wanted to put our next one in brine before he grilled it.
Thank you Greta & Barbara for posting this; his research is done!
Posted by: von | November 21, 2009 3:44 PM
Did this last recipe last year and it was THE BEST turkey I have ever made :)
Posted by: Margaret | November 21, 2009 6:47 PM
Hi, Von! Yes, you can leave out the sugar, but I would rather you replace it with the xyitol. The brine works best with the combo of sweet and salty
Posted by: Greta | November 22, 2009 11:50 PM
Thank you Barbara. I actually looked this up in your archives earlier because I'm going to try brining this year! I can't wait!
Posted by: Angela | November 23, 2009 6:39 PM
