What kind of turkey for brining

The minimum is salt and water, but many cooks don't stop there. Aromatics will add flavor and dimension to the cooked turkey, and can including classic vegetables like carrots and celery, your favorite herbs , fresh garlic, and citrus fruits such as lemon and orange. One day before roasting turkey , bring one quart water, the salt, bay leaves, and spices to a simmer, stirring until salt has dissolved.

Let cool for five minutes. To minimize cleanup, line a five-gallon container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag. Place turkey in bag. Add salt mixture, remaining six quarts 24 cups water, and the other ingredients. Tie bag; if turkey is not submerged, weight it with a plate. Refrigerate for 24 hours, flipping turkey once. If there isn't room in your refrigerator, place the bagged bird inside a cooler, and surround it with ice, replenishing as necessary to keep it at 40 degrees.

Crystal S. Perfect Brine both times I used this recipe! As my family likes a very slight citrus taste to our "bird", I added a quartered orange to the cavity of the bird during the brine.

Didn't see this tip amongst the many reviews, so I'm going to list it. After using this recipe for our recent Thanksgiving get-together of three families I have been proclaimed the official turkey roaster. My son said it was the best turkey he had in the past 5 years. When I asked him whose turkey he had 5 years ago that was better he said that was merely as far back as his memory went!

The most difficult part of this recipe was finding a bucket large enough to accommodate the turkey. Then the bucket wouldn't fit into the fridge. I didn't feel comfortable leaving it out all night so I found a large cooler placed the bucket in there and surrounded it with freezer packs. It worked very well - it was still very cold the next morning. After checking out several "brine" recipes I didn't read of anyone actually stuffing the turkey so I wasn't certain whether the stuffing would end up too salty.

I stuffed it anyway but rinsed the turkey with cold water first. It was excellent! Try this once and you'll never go back to your regular recipe! I've used this brine before and it was wonderful! I'm using it again this year. For the person who claimed it ruined her 18lb turkey: it must have been user error because brining is a chemical process. Once the process has finished the salt is left in the brine solution not the bird.

Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes.

This leads salt ions to enter the cell via diffusion. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix which traps water molecules and holds them during cooking.

This prevents the meat from drying out, or dehydrating. I brined my 24 lb turkey last year and it cooked uncovered in three hours.

Made this for Christmas and my mother-in-law stated she wouldn't have deep fried turkey again. I've cooked turkeys for 20 years and will never cook it any other way. I baked it uncovered at degrees until brown and then covered and baked at degrees. It will also dry out the skin, which helps it crisp up in the oven. Dry brining is easiest, as you can put the turkey in a bag or container that only just fits it.

With a wet brine, you need to use a bucket or very large container in order to fit both the turkey and liquid. You can add flavour such as herbs, spices, garlic and citrus zest to both wet and dry brines, and the flavours will be drawn into the meat. How to cook a turkey How to carve a turkey Best ever Christmas turkey recipes How to cook a turkey crown Complete Christmas dinner menus. Subscriber club Reader offers More Good Food.

Sign in. Back to Recipes Pumpkin recipes Butternut squash See more. But making one is a cinch, too. You basically need a bunch of salt and whatever other ingredients you want to throw in. Only brine fresh turkeys.

Brining a frozen turkey is never a good idea, because frozen turkeys are most typically injected with a sodium solution. There are some organic frozen turkeys my friend Julie found some at Whole Foods recently that have a much lower concentration of the sodium solution.

Strip the leaves off the rosemary sprigs, measure the salt, sugar, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Thank the Lord above for the aromas that spring forth from the earth.

I just forgot that step. Now, bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat and cover the pot. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature; feel free to stick it in the fridge or freezer halfway through the cooling down process.

Twenty-four hours is better, though, especially for a large turkey.