brine for whole turkey

Margie

i know the turkey talk is behind us for a few more months but I have a 12-13 lb turkey in the freezer and I want to brine & smoke. So of course I go to the experts for help I need a good recipe for the brine & smoking suggestions.. Thanks in advance you all rock

2Fategghead

Margie, I haven't brine a turkey but, thirdeye tells how to do it on his site. Read about it here.

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1999/07/brining_29.html

Margie

thanks for the info

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead

So you are going to need more than a qt. of brine....But here is the ratio for a 6% brine. I also add a bit of sugar:



1 qt. of water
1/4 C. of Morton's kosher salt
2 T. of sugar

Often one quart of brine will be sufficient when doing just a few chops or chicken breasts. However, when making a larger batch of brine we can save on the HOT water and speed the cooling with the heating of a smaller starting amount of water.

Bring one quart of water to a simmer, dissolve all dry ingredients in the water then add any / all the other seasonings, such as herbs, roots, lime or lemon slices….The heat will help wake up these flavors. Simmer for 5 minutes or so and remove from the heat, allowing to cool.

Meanwhile, add some ice into the remaining water (keeping the volume consistent) and add it to the hot brine solution. This will help cool the brine faster as a brine must be cold before adding any meat. Keep in mind that the more ice, the faster the cooling. Just keep an eye on the volume remembering that ice is just a bit larger than water.

If you wish and have the time: Make the brine and chill it in the refrigerator overnight.



Soooo...How long to brine:

Whole turkeys will do best with minimum of 12 and as much as 48 hours.

Then a "soak out:
This will take several hours for a whole turkey (Think, maybe 3 to 5 hours, changing water a couple of times)


Next up...Some “rest time” in the refrigerator:
About 10 hours for a whole turkey.



Now she's ready to roast!!

WessB

You can see my version in the cooks section of my website with all the brine ingredients and instructions included..

Mickey

Margie I do not brine anymore.
I spatchcock and cook direct and high in the dome.

RRP

So Margie..are you planning to come to the "Cabin Fever" fest in Peoria this Saturday?

thirdeye

So are you going for real smoked turkey or are you planning on roasting it with flavor wood?

There is another method I haven't gotten around to doing a write-up on, but I've done several cooks that came out good. Just not enough test cooks to go public on my site..... Some folks are calling it salting, others like me refer to it as a "dry brine", and still others call it the Zuni Method, after chicken that is prepared at the Zuni Cafe.

For a turkey you need 1 tablespoon of kosher salt for every 5 pounds of body weight. You sprinkle the salt inside and outside the bird, giving a heavier coating in thicker areas (like the breasts). Then bag it in a big zipper baggie and put in the fridge for 3 days, turning twice daily. (bigger birds need 4 days of cure time) At the end of the curing, remove the bird, dry it off and let it air dry (uncovered)in the fridge for 12 to 14 hours.

Some folks like starting off with roasting temps around 400°, then backing off on the pit temp. I feel better with a constant temp.... just haven't decided if I like 275° or 350°.

davehemp

Yep, when I'm lazy and don't want to do the work for a wet brine turkey, I buy a Kosher turkey, which I believe has been dry salted in the way you describe, and does not need to be further brined...so I think your idea of dry salt instead of wet brine sounds good - the only mistake would be to do neither, I think... as for cooking temp, to me it depends if you want "smoked" or "roasted" turkey. The smoked would for me be done at a lower(200-225) temp than roasted. I'd add butter basting if you feel the need for extra bowning in any case...I would have to respectfully disagree with the "soak out" suggestion - I think its been over exposed to more salt than necessary or to long an exposure if it is too salty after a rinse either after wet or dry salting. I've done it myself many times by accident...