The Herbed Poultry Brine from: Charcuterie, The craft of Salting Smoking and Curing

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Credit for this recipe goes to Michael Ruhlman and and Brian Polcyn and their book listed above. Great resource, you should all buy it :)

Herb Brined Turkey or Chicken:

1 Gallon (4 liters) Water

1 Cup (225 Grams) Kosher Salt

1/2 Cup (125 grams) Sugar

(this is all you need but I add the following on their advice in the book):

1 bunch of fresh Tarragon

1 bunch of Fresh Parsley

2 bay leaves

1 head of Garlic- Halved Horizontally

1 Onion- sliced

3tbsp/30 grams black pepper- lightly crushed

2 lemons- Halved (give a good squeeze as you toss then in)

Should be noted that any aromatic can be thrown in - Celery, Carrot, garlic, any herbs (stems are fine) are all good and the more the merrier.

combine all brine ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve all salts and sugars. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp. then put in fridge until chilled.

Add bird to the brine and weight it down with a plate or something that will keep the whole thing completely submerged for the appropriate brine time (see below).

Remove from brine, pat dry and let rest uncovered in the fridge for 2-24 hours. This is important as it forms the "pellicle" (tacky surface) that binds to the smoke flavor)

Brine Times:

Boneless Chicken Breast (8oz/225 grams): 2 hrs

2lb chicken (1 Kilo) 4-6 hours

3-4lb chicken (1.5-2 kilos) 8-12 hours

Boneless Turkey Breast (4 inches/10cm thick) 12-18 hours

10-15lb Turkey (4-7 Kilo) 24 hours

Turkey over 15lb/7 kilos: 24-36 hours

Everyone enjoy and buy the book- it's worth every penny and will make you a better cook (inside and out). Promise

Doc_Eggerton · November 2012

A wonderful recipe indeed.

I am doing a plain old turkey right now, and it will not be as good as it would have been with the extra effort to to a Rulhman.

The pics are a turkey done to this recipe.

brycos · November 2012

can't wait!

nolaegghead · November 2012

That's the exact recipe I used (I got the book too) on my Turkey last week. Man, it was good! I didn't follow the spice recipe exactly, but went with what's left in the garden and fridge. A satsuma and insane amount of crushed garlic, for example, plus fresh basil and some texas tarragon. The brine infuses the meat with the spices and makes it very special.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Doc_Eggerton said:

A wonderful recipe indeed.

I am doing a plain old turkey right now, and it will not be as good as it would have been with the extra effort to to a Rulhman.

The pics are a turkey done to this recipe.

Great pics Doc. thanks for that. Didn't want to dig mine up but yours are better anyway (mine was just a breast and didn't have the beautiful colors like your whole bird).

travisstrick · November 2012

Thank you sir. I guess I need to go ahead and buy that book.

billyray · November 2012

I have the book and have done the herb mix. It's very good. Recently I bought the brine mix from Oakridge. NEW** Oakridge BBQ Game Changer® All Purpose Brine. I like this because it disolves in water and no need to boil. You just mix with water, add your herbs and whatever. Chill it until it is 40 degrees or less and add your protein. Their rubs are also very good. http://www.oakridgebbq.com/p/products.html

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

billyray said:

I have the book and have done the herb mix. It's very good. Recently I bought the brine mix from Oakridge. NEW** Oakridge BBQ Game Changer® All Purpose Brine. I like this because it disolves in water and no need to boil. You just mix with water, add your herbs and whatever. Chill it until it is 40 degrees or less and add your protein. Their rubs are also very good. http://www.oakridgebbq.com/p/products.html

nice time saver there. cooling it off takes forever. If you live in a cold climate, could put outside to cool down. 75 here today so no joy...............no complaints though :)

nolaegghead · November 2012

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

billyray said:

I have the book and have done the herb mix. It's very good. Recently I bought the brine mix from Oakridge. NEW** Oakridge BBQ Game Changer® All Purpose Brine. I like this because it disolves in water and no need to boil. You just mix with water, add your herbs and whatever. Chill it until it is 40 degrees or less and add your protein. Their rubs are also very good. http://www.oakridgebbq.com/p/products.html

nice time saver there. cooling it off takes forever. If you live in a cold climate, could put outside to cool down. 75 here today so no joy...............no complaints though :)

I cut the water in half, dissolve the salt and sugar, then add the second half gallon in ice water. It's cool enough to throw in the poultry.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

nolaegghead said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

billyray said:

I have the book and have done the herb mix. It's very good. Recently I bought the brine mix from Oakridge. NEW** Oakridge BBQ Game Changer® All Purpose Brine. I like this because it disolves in water and no need to boil. You just mix with water, add your herbs and whatever. Chill it until it is 40 degrees or less and add your protein. Their rubs are also very good. http://www.oakridgebbq.com/p/products.html

nice time saver there. cooling it off takes forever. If you live in a cold climate, could put outside to cool down. 75 here today so no joy...............no complaints though :)

I cut the water in half, dissolve the salt and sugar, then add the second half gallon in ice water. It's cool enough to throw in the poultry.

there you go. Nice pointer. i think the boil also opens up the aromatics but adding ice water to finish should work perfectly

nolaegghead · November 2012

Yeah, I simmer lightly with all the aromatics - enough to dissolve what needs to be dissolved, but not enough to loose the volatiles.

Little Steven · November 2012

Still waiting on the duck CT

billyray · November 2012

Good points guys. End result is brining is great for leaner meats.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Little Steven said:

Still waiting on the duck CT

same. I posted a whole thread on the duck earlier today with pics. Used the same brine

Little Steven · November 2012

I saw it but you were gonna make some canapes or some other fancypants stuff with it. You said pics later

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Little Steven said:

I saw it but you were gonna make some canapes or some other fancypants stuff with it. You said pics later

got it. dinner is in 2 hrs. haven't made it yet.

Little Steven · November 2012

Accursed Central Time zone eh?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Little Steven said:

Accursed Central Time zone eh?

correct. East for you?

Little Steven · November 2012

Yes. Been black as pitch for an hour and a half already

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Little Steven said:

Yes. Been black as pitch for an hour and a half already

oh god. I just came in from cleaning the pool. 70 and not a cloud in the sky

tulocay · November 2012

I just got the book yesterday. Can't wait to impress the in-laws on turkey day.

Little Steven · November 2012

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Little Steven said:

Yes. Been black as pitch for an hour and a half already
oh god. I just came in from cleaning the pool. 70 and not a cloud in the sky

It was 35 when I got home around 4:30. Gotta be in the twenties now. This is the worst time of the year here. Another month and we will be acclimatised.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Wed

Clear and cold night ahead

Hi 65°|Lo 36°

Thu

Partly sunny

Hi 68°|Lo 40°

Fri

Chilly early, then nice

Hi 69°|Lo 43°

Sat

Chilly early, then nice

Hi 70°|Lo 42°

Sun

An isolated shower possible

Hi 72°|Lo 45°

10%

Mon

Slight chance of a shower

Hi 73°|Lo 46°

20%

Tue

Scattered showers

Hi 74°|Lo 55°

Sorry bro

Mighty_Quinn · November 2012

Your lows are my highs.

nolaegghead · November 2012

That thar is Calyfornia weather (sans precipitation). Enjoy it while you can.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

Mighty_Quinn said:

Your lows are my highs.

This is by far the best time of year. It was like this all winter last year. Had the doors open all december and january.

Mighty_Quinn · November 2012

Yeah, from now until march is the only time I'll go back there to see my wife's family. I can't really complain though, we have some pretty nice weather here if you can handle cold nights.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

hapster said:

I am planning on doing 3 8# bone in breasts... should I treat them separately (going to use bags) or as a 24# bird for brine times?

treat them separately unless you are stitching them all together :)

Little Steven · November 2012

How do I hate thee. Let me count the ways.

Central Texas will be the new Florida after the flooding starts

Skiddymarker · November 2012

Thanks, bookmarked

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

hapster said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

hapster said:

I am planning on doing 3 8# bone in breasts... should I treat them separately (going to use bags) or as a 24# bird for brine times?

treat them separately unless you are stitching them all together :)

After my chicken try last week... I think I'll leave the sewing to others ;) So, three different bags. Based on that, where do they fall in the list provided for time? By my figuring, they would be in the brine for about 16 hours before the drying period before cooking? Is this even close?

Looks right to me. Just a long overnighted then dry for several hours to overnight

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The Herbed Poultry Brine from: Charcuterie, The craft of Salting Smoking and Curing

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