Turkey Brine

[Grand Vic]

Who has a great recipe for turkey brine? I have never tried one before, and want to this year. Happy Thanksgiving!

Vicky

 

[AwayWeGo]

From The Vaults Of T. U. G.

Who has a great recipe for turkey brine?

Click here.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[DeniseM]

Here's one from the TUG Archives - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?p=205260#post205260

And here's one I've used several times:

Brined Maple Turkey

Brining makes for a juicier bird, and the subtle flavors of the brine soak into the turkey. Kosher salt works well for the brine because it dissolves more easily than table salt. If you have the time and refrigerator space, the brining procedure is worthwhile.

INGREDIENTS:

Brine:
8 quarts cold water
3/4 cup kosher salt
3/4 cup real maple syrup
3 tablespoons black peppercorns
8 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lemon, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. To prepare brine, combine all ingredients in a large stockpot, stirring until salt dissolves.

2. To prepare turkey, remove and reserve giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Add turkey to pot, turning to coat. (I put the pot in the sink so excess brine can just go down the drain.) Cover and refrigerate 24 hours, turning occasionally.

3. Roast as usual - I find that a brined turkey cooks faster.

 

[SueDonJ]

Foodnetwork.com has a few recipes, too, and if you search for "Alton Brown Turkey Brine" you'll get a hit for a recipe and the air dates for his show. I love to watch him because he explains everything so clearly.

This might be the way I cook our Thanksgiving dinner this year, but I'm a little bit nervous about giving up the traditional stuffing-in-bird. I'm already switching out a few of the traditional side dishes for ones from a cookbook that I got during a tour of an old Savannah church last September. I may as well go whole-hog with the turkey too! If anyone has a recipe for cornbread stuffing, that'd be great.

It's a good thing my brothers and sisters and their families don't have a problem with being guinea pigs!

Susan

 

[TUGBrian]

good eats rocks!

 

[BevL]

I brine every turkey I cook using Cat's method and they seem to turn out well.

 

[Lawlar]

Emeril's Receipe

I've had really good results using Emeril's receipes. I used this brine the last two years with great results:

Brine For Turkey
(Emeril)

3/4 gallon water
2 cups white wine
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped ginger
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme

Combine all of the brining liquid ingredients in a large non-reactive container (a stockpot works well for this) and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Rinse the turkey well under cold running water. Place the turkey in the brine, cover, and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

 

[Jan]

Cat's method is the absolute best and so easy.
Jan

 

[nightnurse613]

Well, Jan, looking at your avatar, I can see why you say that. Actually, Cat's recipe is pretty darn good. We used it last year but had to put our turkey in a big ice chest. My husband doesn't like salt AT ALL so we rinsed it real good and put butter all over the inside and outside. It came out much moister than usual and, I do believe it does cook a little faster, too!

 

[Charlie D.]

This thread is well-timed. My son has fried turkeys for the last few years. After paying $50 for 35 pounds of peanut oil at Sams the other night, my wife says we will try the brine turkey next year.

Charlie D.

 

[nightnurse613]

No Thanksgiving at our house would be complete without this recipe for cornbread stuffing (someone asked, so here it is): :whoopie:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/southern-cornbread-stuffing-recipe/index.html

 

[SueDonJ]

I asked, so thank you very much for the response. Everyone at my house, including me, thinks that maybe experimenting on The Big Day with brining for the first time might not be such a good idea, which means that I'll be cooking traditionally with stuffing instead of a dressing. I did pick up some corn muffins tonight while I was food shopping just in case a recipe showed up - you have perfect timing!

 

[GrayFal]

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85975

Here's the WHOLE thing!