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Turkey -- To brine or not to brine....

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egginator
egginator Posts: 569
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Last year's brine didn't go so well because I have bouts of idiocy. I'm hoping this board can cure that. Is it worth the trouble? If I have a cheap frozen bird, will it help more than if I have a nice fresh bird? Did Max alreay address this and I missed it?[p]Thanks,[p]Ed
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Comments

  • Toy Man
    Toy Man Posts: 416
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    Cheap (and not so cheap) frozen birds may already be 'brined' when they are processed.[p]
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
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    Egginator,
    I'm just too lazy to hastle with it, I spend the extra couple bucks and buy Butterball turkeys. They're already brined. -RP
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  • Topo Gigio
    Topo Gigio Posts: 98
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    Egginator, I brined my grain fed fresh turkey this past (Canadian) thanksgiving. Its the first one I have ever done, so I can't compare it to a non-brined egged bird. It turned out really juicy, with rave reviews for weeks afterward. I followed WessB's instruction on the brine and Max's instruction for the rest. The one thing I can caution you about is the turkey gravy from the brined bird will by salty. So don't add any additional salt to the gravy without tasting it first.
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  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
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    AZRP,
    Re: Butterball Turkey's[p]Just a heads up, there frozen turkeys are brined, if you get fresh at holiday time they are not. I have called them two years in a row to check and have gotten the same answer.[p]Happy T day to ya,
    Bordello
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
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    Bordello,
    Thanks, that's interesting that the fresh ones wouldn't be processed the same. -RP
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    Egginator,[p] Personally I like the taste of Turkey the way it is. I go out of my way to find fresh or all natural frozen birds.[p] I spice them up with the stuffing and basting.
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  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
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    AZRP,
    Yes,
    This seems to come up each year and that is why I started calling Butterball to get the straight scoop. Just be sure it's a fresh one and not a previously frozen one that has been thawed out.[p]Happy T day,
    Bordello
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  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
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    Egginator,[p]Here in Tallahassee, I've yet to find a fresh turkey. The one 'real' butcher didn't even have them last year. I'm stuck with frozen
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  • mad max beyond eggdome
    mad max beyond eggdome Posts: 8,134
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    Egginator,
    i never brine my birds. . .simply because i'm too lazy .. .i buy fresh birds (not organic, but fresh). ..around here (virginia), i really like the shady brook farms turkeys ..been buying them for years now .. .with all the basting i do, they always come out very moist without brining . ..
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