crab boil turkey brine - yes, another turkey thread

Legume

gonna fry one and egg one this year

I am going to brine the fried one in crab boil to spice it up a bit, but I have no idea how much to add for a 18-20 hour brine.  I originally bought a bag of the Louisiana powdered boil, but then thought I might do better with the liquid, so I bought a bottle of that.  Directions on both are for cooking, not for brining.

all half-assed guesses and speculation welcomed.  experienced suggestions pay double.

nolaegghead

5 to 8% brine is a good salt concentration.  Assume the powder is 90% salt and the liquid 30% salt.  (37% is saturated and they're not going to do that because it will precipitate in cold weather)  Do the calculations based on those numbers - you really only need a ballpark salt concentration and I think you can hit in that range easily.

SGH

@Legume
For clarity are you asking how much crab boil?

Legume

thanks nola - great point, I wasn't considering the salt content of the liquid

yes scottie - how much to add, my concern was how much to flavor it so it has good heat and taste - I don't want to undershoot and not have any flavor or overshoot and have a turkey that's inedible

nolaegghead

The capsaicin isn't going to permeate the meat but a tiny bit, and it will break down some in the fryer - like cooked jalapenos aren't as hot as fresh.  I'd go aggressive....but maybe cut back on the boil and add some salt to make up for that.

U_tarded

maybe brine then inject with some Cajun butter for deeper flavor?  Just thinking you could clarify some butter and add some of the seasoning then inject?  Just an idea

Legume

thanks @U_tarded but I think I'm going to skip injecting.  I've never been really happy with how this turns out for fried turkeys, either store bought or homemade injection - I just don't like the texture and it never really distributes well with the turkey cooking so quickly.

SGH

@Legume
With the above said, here are the guide lines that I follow when using the liquid crab boil for peanuts, red beans etc, etc...
For each gallon of water in your brine:
1 tablespoon=mild.
2 tablespoons=spicy.
3 tablespoons=pretty hot.
4 tablespoons=fiery hot.
5 tablespoons=VFH.
For clarity, VFH=Very Fukking Hot.
Here is a useful tip. Add 1 tablespoon to one gallon of your brine and mix well. At this point taste the brine before adding another spoon. This will give you a good idea how hot it is. We all interpret "hot" differently so doing the taste test will help keep you from over spicing it. Keep adding a spoon and tasting the brine until it reaches your desired heat level. Hope that this helps my friend. 

Legume

excellent - thank you @SGH

now tell me about those peanuts...this is for in the shell?  start with packaged raw?  roast on the egg after a good soak or do you boil them?

SGH

Legume said:

now tell me about those peanuts...this is for in the shell?  

Yes sir, raw peanuts in the shell. I love plain boiled peanuts but every now and then I like to make Cajun style.