For anyone who had "brined" here turkey, quick question.

[HeroOfPellinor]

To answer the question. As I recall, the brine replaces the moisture already in the bird, it doesn't add to it.

Regardless, don't worry about it. Just use a thermometer and it will come out fine.

We made AB's brined turkey last year with the apple/lemon/herb aromatics inside and it came out very nice.

 

[Chryso]

What is the upside to putting the stuffing in before cooking?

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Chryso
What is the upside to putting the stuffing in before cooking?

It just tastes better from the turkey juices/fat that moisturize it. You can simulate this with chicken stock when making stuffing, but it isn't the same.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: techs

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
That's partially true, but the real problem is that to get the stuffing to the required temperature (165F) then the meat is going to be exposed to heat longer, since it is insulating that stuffing. Therefore, your bird will probably come out to at upwards of 180F, meaning it's going to be a dried out bird.

That's my opinion, I like my turkey moist.

You know you could probably get the best of both worlds if you shoved some Spud Spikes up that birds patootie. Too bad they don't make bigger ones.

Wow. Four nails for $8.95. That's only $8.87 more than I would pay at the hardware store.

They must be made from some special stainless alloy, because generally stainless is a terrible conductor of heat.

But, yes I'm sure the mark-up is off the charts.

 

[kinev]

Originally posted by: rstove02
Last year I convinced my wife to do Alton Brown's brine for the turkey and it was the first year that I did not have to eat the turkey with other high moisture items in order to choke down her usually super dry turkey. (example of high moisture items - mashed potatoes, gravy, etc)

P.S. Stuffing is evil.

No....stuffing a turkey is evil. Stuffing pork chops, however, is A-OK!

 

[Squisher]

Just got done putting the turkey into the brine. Damn, that thing was heavy carrying it down to the basement fridge.

Kinda Alton Brown meets maple syrup brine:

gallon of vegetable broth
1 onion diced
2 tbsp. pepper corns
1 tbsp. allspice corns
2 tbsp. fresh sage
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
6 bay leaves
6 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups salt
2 cups maple syrup

Brought it to a boil then let it simmer for 15 minutes. Let it set for an hour then dumped about a gallon to a gallon and a half of ice cubes into it and stirred until there were only about a 1/4 of the ice remained.
Threw the bird in breast down, put a bowl over the ass end, then a couple of plates, then c-clamped the lid from a smaller pot down over it to hold it all down.

Yeah, I scrubbed the c-clamps real good even though they're not in contact with the brine.

I'll flip the bird around tomorrow.

 

[techs]

Originally posted by: Squisher
Just got done putting the turkey into the brine. Damn, that thing was heavy carrying it down to the basement fridge.

Kinda Alton Brown meets maple syrup brine:

gallon of vegetable broth
1 onion diced
2 tbsp. pepper corns
1 tbsp. allspice corns
2 tbsp. fresh sage
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
6 bay leaves
6 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups salt
2 cups maple syrup

Brought it to a boil then let it simmer for 15 minutes. Let it set for an hour then dumped about a gallon to a gallon and a half of ice cubes into it and stirred until there were only about a 1/4 of the ice remained.
Threw the bird in breast down, put a bowl over the ass end, then a couple of plates, then c-clamped the lid from a smaller pot down over it to hold it all down.

Yeah, I scrubbed the c-clamps real good even though they're not in contact with the brine.

I'll flip the bird around tomorrow.

Wow, thats like a 48 hour soak. Does that work better than the 6 hour soak on Altons webpage?

 

[troytime]

brining anything over 24 hours is a waste

stuffing is good, but not cooked inside the turkey

alton browns turkey recipe is very good

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: techs

Originally posted by: Squisher
Just got done putting the turkey into the brine. Damn, that thing was heavy carrying it down to the basement fridge.

Kinda Alton Brown meets maple syrup brine:

gallon of vegetable broth
1 onion diced
2 tbsp. pepper corns
1 tbsp. allspice corns
2 tbsp. fresh sage
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
6 bay leaves
6 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups salt
2 cups maple syrup

Brought it to a boil then let it simmer for 15 minutes. Let it set for an hour then dumped about a gallon to a gallon and a half of ice cubes into it and stirred until there were only about a 1/4 of the ice remained.
Threw the bird in breast down, put a bowl over the ass end, then a couple of plates, then c-clamped the lid from a smaller pot down over it to hold it all down.

Yeah, I scrubbed the c-clamps real good even though they're not in contact with the brine.

I'll flip the bird around tomorrow.

Wow, thats like a 48 hour soak. Does that work better than the 6 hour soak on Altons webpage?

It probably is long, but I want to flip it around to so nothing isn't brined.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: techs

Originally posted by: Squisher
Just got done putting the turkey into the brine. Damn, that thing was heavy carrying it down to the basement fridge.

Kinda Alton Brown meets maple syrup brine:

gallon of vegetable broth
1 onion diced
2 tbsp. pepper corns
1 tbsp. allspice corns
2 tbsp. fresh sage
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
6 bay leaves
6 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups salt
2 cups maple syrup

Brought it to a boil then let it simmer for 15 minutes. Let it set for an hour then dumped about a gallon to a gallon and a half of ice cubes into it and stirred until there were only about a 1/4 of the ice remained.
Threw the bird in breast down, put a bowl over the ass end, then a couple of plates, then c-clamped the lid from a smaller pot down over it to hold it all down.

Yeah, I scrubbed the c-clamps real good even though they're not in contact with the brine.

I'll flip the bird around tomorrow.

Wow, thats like a 48 hour soak. Does that work better than the 6 hour soak on Altons webpage?

It probably is long, but I want to flip it around to so nothing isn't brined.

Bad idea. There's a line between brining and pickling, and you'll be crossing it. That's the reason Alton reccomends 6 hours of brining. Your best bet is to remove the bird now, rinse it off in cold water well, and wait until late tomorrow night or early in the morning to begin the brining process.

Edit: After rinsing it off thoroughly pat it dry and place it in the fridge wrapped in saran wrap (preferably), or foil will do in a pinch. Either way, make sure it's wrapped air-tight.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
Bad idea. There's a line between brining and pickling, and you'll be crossing it. That's the reason Alton reccomends 6 hours of brining. Your best bet is to remove the bird now, rinse it off in cold water well, and wait until late tomorrow night or early in the morning to begin the brining process.

Edit: After rinsing it off thoroughly pat it dry and place it in the fridge wrapped in saran wrap (preferably), or foil will do in a pinch. Either way, make sure it's wrapped air-tight.

Don't you need some astringent to pickle, like vinegar, lemon juice, etc.? All we're talking here is salt and a broth.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
Bad idea. There's a line between brining and pickling, and you'll be crossing it. That's the reason Alton reccomends 6 hours of brining. Your best bet is to remove the bird now, rinse it off in cold water well, and wait until late tomorrow night or early in the morning to begin the brining process.

Edit: After rinsing it off thoroughly pat it dry and place it in the fridge wrapped in saran wrap (preferably), or foil will do in a pinch. Either way, make sure it's wrapped air-tight.

Don't you need some astringent to pickle, like vinegar, lemon juice, etc.? All we're talking here is salt and a broth.

Not necessarily. An acidic solution is not required for pickling and the use of vinegar in the pickling process is a relatively recent one, though it's the method most of us are familiar with. Originally pickling involved using a brine solution while bacteria formed lactic acid to cause a sort of natural fermentation. Sauerkraut and kimchi are two well-known examples of that process.

 

[Lola]

do not brine it longer than 6-8 hours. Poultry is rather fragile anyways and it will not be good. Plus, a brine should enhance the flavor of the bird, not mask it.

I have done a varitation of Alton's many times with whatever I have in our pantry and it always turns out if you know what spices you like.

Happy Thanksgiving all!