Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Thanksgiving Turkey- Brine or Inject?

Options
XLBalco
XLBalco Posts: 607
in EggHead Forum
Any opinions here?  I know alot of people Brine but I didnt see too many injecting.  Havent done one on the egg and was going to experiment. FIgured the brine wouldnt be a big deal but was more interested in those that inject.
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Options
    I do both
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    Options
    i will be doing both. last year was the first brined bird i have done. and since turkey's are so cheap at thanksgiving time i buy a couple extra and put them in the freezer. well in july i pulled one out. i decided to brine and inject. it was one of the best i have ever done i do not remember what i injected with but i will make one up at thanksgiving. one thing to think about. when you brine a bird your drippings will be salty so make sure you take that into mind when making your gravy!

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,011
    Options
    I use a dry brine: 1 T kosher salt for every 5 lbs of bird. Rub under and over the skin and inside. Let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours. I don't have room to wet brine in my fridge and I don't want the hassle of keeping ice water in a cooler for such a long period. 
    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Solson005
    Solson005 Posts: 1,911
    Options
    I injected a 9 lb turkey on my small this past weekend and was very pleased with the results.
    Large & Small BGE, CGW Two-Tier Swing Rack for BOTH EGGS, Spider for the Wok, eggCARTen & and Cedar Pergola my Eggs call home in Edmond, OK. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,757
    Options
    ive done both, but what really makes a difference is duck fat. mix it with dry herbs and partially freeze, stuff it on the breasts under the skin. being frozen it slows the breasts from cooking as fast so that the thighs get done in time. the duck fat with the herbs makes the breast meat bettter, but the drippings in the roasting pan takes the gravey over the top
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • booksw
    booksw Posts: 470
    Options
    Yesterday I cooked a 14 pound turkey on my LBGE. I brined the whole thing and injected half (with a mixture of olive oil, orange juice, and chicken broth).  We then did a head to head comparison of the injected breast to the not injected breast.  THey were both very delicious and moist but the injected breast was literally dripping with moisture- I was surprised at the difference.

    I will be injecting the whole turkey for thanksgiving. 

    What solution did you have in mind to inject?
    Charleston, SC

    L/MiniMax Eggs
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Sgt93
    Sgt93 Posts: 728
    Options
    I would like to do a test run of a turkey this weekend. I have never done one. 
    XL BGE - Small BGE - A few Komodo Kamado Serious Big Bad 42s
    Follow me on Instagram: @SSgt93
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    Options
    @booksw what temp and did you use any smoking wood
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • booksw
    booksw Posts: 470
    Options
    I cooked it at about 325 and I used just a hand full of apple chips soaked in beer. I read that turkey takes up smoke readily and to go easy on the wood.  I had a free bag of apple chips so used those.

    Beer can chicken is a sentimental topic for my extended family.  This year we will all be together for thanksgiving for the first time in years and I have to show off my egg and I have to make beer can turkey...
    Charleston, SC

    L/MiniMax Eggs
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • XLBalco
    XLBalco Posts: 607
    Options
    some good input!   thanks
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Options
    Beer can turkey...better get a "fawdy".
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Stargaze
    Stargaze Posts: 68
    Options
    Are you guys buying Kosher Turkeys or something?  I know the typical Butterball type turkeys are already injected with a solution.  I don't know if that matters or not but I just figured getting a turkey that wasn't messed with is probably better.  Thoughts?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,011
    Options
    I always get unprocessed turkey, but it's easy to find in Philadelphia. 
    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • tgkleman
    tgkleman Posts: 216
    Options
    I brined last Thanksgiving, using Alton Brown's (food network) recipe.  It turned out very well, although i did do a practice run a few weeks prior just to make sure it worked out.  I have never tried injecting, although I do remember a tip someone posted about wrapping the bird in saran before you inject to make it less messy. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Options
    tgkleman said:
    I brined last Thanksgiving, using Alton Brown's (food network) recipe.  It turned out very well, although i did do a practice run a few weeks prior just to make sure it worked out.  I have never tried injecting, although I do remember a tip someone posted about wrapping the bird in saran before you inject to make it less messy. 
    Yeah, that's a good tip.  If you don't, there's a good chance you'll be wiping marinade off the walls and cabinets of your kitchen.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
    Options
    I do not brine or inject. Grill direct at 400 raised and get very good juicy bird.
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    Options
    henapple said:
    Beer can turkey...better get a "fawdy".


    Or a Foster's...Australian for Beer!

    I've brined, I've injected, I've brined and injected and I think that one might have been the best.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SMITTYtheSMOKER
    SMITTYtheSMOKER Posts: 2,668
    edited October 2012
    Options

    I like to brine my poultry (chicken & turkey) While I do like to inject beef and pork, I don't the birds.

    Injecting would not hurt the cook IMO...so do it if you want.

    I like to use apple and pecan for a light smoke on the Turkey.

    A perfectly cooked turkey will be quite juicey and delicious on the Egg...ice the breast and don't overcook!

     

    -SMITTY     

    from SANTA CLARA, CA

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jfm0830
    jfm0830 Posts: 987
    Options
    I haven't made a turkey on the Egg yet, but for the last 7 years I've made turkeys on the smoker. I started off injecting my turkeys and switched to brining 4 years ago. The brined turkey has been the most moist turkey I've ever made. I would tend to agree with the folks that have said you could do both, as long as the two processes are complimentary in taste.

    Stargaze said:
    Are you guys buying Kosher Turkeys or something?  I know the typical Butterball type turkeys are already injected with a solution.  I don't know if that matters or not but I just figured getting a turkey that wasn't messed with is probably better.  Thoughts?
    Brining, as you know, involves salt so you definitely DO NOT want to use a Butterball or any other turkey injected with a salt solution. I have never had any trouble finding an all natural turkey in any of the supermarkets around here. 

    Another thing you want to be careful of when brining is not all salt is equal. Different brands of salt have different saltiness and you will need to adjust the amount of salt based on the brand of salt you use. Now I am not talking table salt vs kosher, yes they are different too, but Diamond Kosher salt is different than Morton's Kosher salt. Many of the recipes I've used have a sidebar chart covering this. If the one you are using doesn't specify it, there are some good articles on brining on the Virtual Weber Bullet website that spell out the whole salt thing.

    Jim
    Website: www.grillinsmokin.net
    3 LBGE & More Eggcessories than I care to think about.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    edited October 2012
    Options
    Jim, a good rule of thumb is to use weight when measuring salt. 

    Not all salts are created equal.  You can't go wrong if you buy brining/pickling salts, which come normally in large amounts.  Table salt leaves sediment and iodized salts, well, we just don't need it.  Basically, you want pure sodium chloride.

    I weigh out my salt.  That takes the guesswork out of the density part of doing it by volume. 

    Ruhlman's universal brine is 225g salt, 125g sugar and 1 gallon water.

    The brine concentration isn't super important, but it you have a consistent brine salinity, you can tweak the time component of brining.

    Good advice on not brining something already factory brined. 
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jfm0830
    jfm0830 Posts: 987
    Options
    Agreed on weighing out the salt. I first got my kitchen scale just for that purpose. Now that 
    I've moved into baking I use it year round. 

    Jim
    Website: www.grillinsmokin.net
    3 LBGE & More Eggcessories than I care to think about.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories