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The first year I brined my Thanksgiving turkey, it was something of a disaster. I didn't plan ahead well as to what I was going to brine my turkey in and so ended up using a tall, blue plastic garbage can that I had stashed away in my hall closet (I scrubbed it well before committing any edibles to it).
I started out by pouring my brining liquid into it and then plopping my turkey in. Of course there was too much liquid, so I had a flood of brine pour out all over my kitchen floor. I vividly remember standing there, bailing out the brine with a small sauce pot. Then, after I had cleared a space in my fridge for brining turkey, the weight was too much for my plastic fridge shelf, and I ended up cracking the bottom shelf. I ended up lining the shelf with a wooden cutting board which seemed to give it enough support and the refrigerator didn't fall apart overnight.
Thankfully, it was all worth it in the end, because I ended up with tasty, juicy bird that all my guests enjoyed. That taste has kept me brining and happily I've gotten better at it through trial and error. I've learned to use double layers of the large zip top bags (both Glad and Ziploc make them) that are designed for storing sweaters as the brining vessel. I've also gotten the brine recipe down to a science and you can find it after the jump.
Turkey Brine
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 bay leaves
2 tablespoons black pepper corns
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
Dissolve brine in 2 quarts of boiling water. Once it is dissolved, add in 1-2 quarts more water (depending on the size of your bird). Place your turkey in a large Ziploc storage bag (one of the big ones designed for holding sweaters). When the brine is cool, pour over bird (you can add a bunch of ice cubes to speed this process).
Let bird sit in brine for 12-24 hours. Remove, rinse and roast normally.
Watch how to brine a turkey step-by-step from the Culinary Institute of America for more tips on brining the perfect bird.
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11-22-2011 @3:27PM Ron said... My better half bought a Turkey with 8% solution added. I had planned on brinning this year so I called the manufacturer and they say not to brine. It probably would be to salty, or to mushy.
11-18-2007 @10:01AM Jamie said... I'm also wondering whether I can browse my frozen turkey that has 6% injected solution.
Thanks!
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11-18-2007 @10:06AM Jamie said... oop! I meant "BRINE" my turkey...not BROWSE!
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11-18-2007 @1:17PM Marisa McClellan said... Jamie, I honestly don't know about brining a turkey that has already been injected, but I don't imagine that it would do any harm.
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11-18-2007 @9:14PM Papa Don said... I have brined Processed turkeys for the last two hears and have no problem with the 'extra' liquids. however a 'natural' turkey is still my favorite.
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11-20-2007 @11:24PM Jez Stratton said... My wife told me last year that a well known magazine (of course I can't remember now who) did a blind taste test on a whole range of turkeys and a range of cooking techniques and recipes. Guess what won? A brined butterball! No kidding, it was considered the best of all. So I think you don't need to worry about brining an already injected bird.
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11-21-2007 @11:38AM Amy in NH said... It's my first year doing the Thanksgiving feast and my mother, who has never brined a turkey in her life, swears that my brining the turkey in a clean, sterilized plastic bucket (purchased from a hardware store) will leach plastic flavor into the turkey. Will someone please address this? She is driving me crazy! Thanks :)
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11-21-2007 @2:29PM Austen said... I keep reading that Brining will reduce the cooking time. However, I can not find a chart for "Brined Turkey" cooking (just the regular "stuffed/unstuffed" categories.
I know that temperature is the only criteria, but in trying to plan the meal, I'd like to know what to expect.
Anyone have any answer?
(Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, even if you have no answer!)
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11-22-2007 @7:27AM dianne said... I brined my turkey for 24 hours in the brine and water solution that was boiled togerther. I forgot to add the additional 6 gallons of water. Will the turkey be to salty now when I cook it? Is there anything I can do before I cook it?
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11-30-2007 @11:34AM linda said... I just brined my first turkey so of made the recipe up , i used kosher salt, apple juice brown sugar , grandulated sugar a little garlic power it turned out to be the best turkey ever
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12-23-2007 @12:58PM Chelle said... Has anyone ever stuffed a brined turkey & how did it turn out? I've read online that you shouldn't. Also, what's the gravy like from the pan juices - is it really salty?
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12-25-2007 @10:06PM madmex2k said... If you brine a processed or injected turkey, you run the risk of having a "salty" bird, since most of those have salt already in the injected fluid. If you are worried about having too much salt for certain guests, brining isn't rally salty if done right...but you might just do well to cook a separate turkey breast for those who can't tolerate the salt. When dealing with someone's health, You are better to be safe than sorry, its not worth the risk of causing them medical issues.
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