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Brining

RDMS
RDMS Posts: 3
edited August 2012 in Poultry

What is a good recipe for brining turkey breast to be smoked.

 

RDMS

Comments

  • I think Doc Eggerton did a brined turkey that he loved not too long ago. It's from the book Charcuterie but PM Doc and see if he will pass along the recipe for you


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    I think I remember @GrannyX4 doing one too. Sounds tasty, I would like to hear about your results.
  • GrannyX4
    GrannyX4 Posts: 1,491
    I have done a lot of playing around with brining. I did the Charcuterie, several other wet brines, buttermilk brine and a dry kosher salt and spice brine. The buttermilk was my least favorite, great for chicken. The wet brines were OK. I like the dry salt brine the best. It seem to give turkey the most flavor and the best texture. Yes it is salty but I wash the salt off befor cooking. I also break the rule of 160 for the bird and take it off at 150 to 155.
    Every day is a bonus day and every meal is a banquet in Winter Springs, Fl !
  • newegg13
    newegg13 Posts: 231
    Check out Alton Brown's turkey brine recipe. I did it for a roasted turkey and it was great. I bet it would work with smoked with little or no alterations.
    Amateur Egger; professional rodeo clown. Birmingham, AL
  • U_tarded
    U_tarded Posts: 2,041
    edited August 2012
    My favorite has been a apple/orange brine pretty simple a gallon should be close but you may need a direction I do it from memory now but I got it from a friend when I lived in Texas

    (1 gallon recipe) main point is one gallon liquid to 1 cup kosher salt don't use table salt in the same proportion or you will give yourself a salt lick

    1 cup kosher
    2 quarts apple juice
    2 quarts ice water (key to drop temp fast)
    1 head of garlic (small to medium) finely chopped
    1 cup ginger grated or finely chopped
    1 tsp ground clove
    1 or 2 cup honey depending on how sweet you want it the bine mildly flavors
    3 oranges 
    2 table spoons of mortons tenderquick

    put apple juice, salt and honey in a stock pot over medium heat
    add ginger, honey, garlic, and cloves and stir/heat until disolved then remove from heat
    quarter oranges rind and all squeeze juice into the brine then toss them in as well
    cool down with ice water/refridgerate.

    when the water temp is below 40 degrees you can either toss it in the pot or at that time I like to inject the brine into the breast thighs legs etc in several places.  I then put my turkey in one of the roasting bags for the oven pour the brine into that and seal it up.  I brine for 24-48 hours depending on my timing.  Then I remove from the brine 12-24 hours prior to smoking so that the skin will dry out.  

    When smoking I stuff the turkey with apple and orange slices and and onion for extra flavor.

    I also wrap the turkey in a cheese cloth for smoking to help with prevent blackening of the skin.  I remove it at about 140 internal breast the crisp up the skin the last part of the cook.  done about 5 turkeys this way and 3/5 skin was great 1 I didn't wrap and the skin was black and super rubbery but the meat was the moistest I have ever had in white meat of a turkey.  Watch the wings and the legs you may have to wrap in foil to protect them 1/2 way through the cook the get dark really fast.  

    Good luck and I hope I helped!