To Dry or not to Dry the turkey in the fridge

tfhanson · November 2015

Ok, planning a wet brine. I am not sure if I should dry the bird after brinning in the fridge or just take it out and pat dry it before cooking. If I am going to let it dry in the fridge overnight, that means it needs to go in the brine Tuesday night. What do y'all think?

Photo Egg · November 2015

I would dry it in the fridge over night.
When you rinse and pat dry after your wet brine you can even season the outside of the bird before you dry it in the fridge over night.

Darby_Crenshaw · November 2015

dry it. best skin ever, especially after bringing, where you will have added mooisture.

heck, we've gone a few days. skin will look like shrink wrapped parchment over the meat, and you'll see pale pink and tendons through it.

but the second it starts roasting, it all rehydrates and then crisps up like peking duck (which is how they make peking duck, actually)

HendersonTRKing · November 2015

Any chance the wet will run out of the turkey during its sit in the fridge?

My plan for 18-20 lb bird is:

1. Brine tonight (Tues) for about 15-18 hours
2. Remove from brine Weds morning/early afternoon
3. Let sit in fridge Weds-Thurs
4. Mad Max it up (herbs, fruit, compound butter, *some* wine)
5. Egg

Brine will be apple cider based, salt, peppercorns, oranges, lemons, aromatics.

If anyone's had experience with wet-dry brine process, pls share before it's too late!

Darby_Crenshaw · November 2015

the brine is not simply physically/mechanically stored in the meat like as it is in a sponge. it's drawn in with magical chemical voodoo, and will not simply run out. you'll probably get some dripping, sure, but you won't see all the brine back on the plate.

FaceDance · November 2015

Follow up question... I plan on prepping and spatchcocking my 19lb trader joe's brined turkey tonight. I plan on using a rub (mickey's coffee) and going raised direct. I want crispy skin so I plan on letting it sit in the fridge for approx 36 hours. My question is... Do I put the rub on before the fridge or after?

thank you in advance.

chadpsualum · November 2015

HendersonTRKing said:

Any chance the wet will run out of the turkey during its sit in the fridge?

My plan for 18-20 lb bird is:

1. Brine tonight (Tues) for about 15-18 hours
2. Remove from brine Weds morning/early afternoon
3. Let sit in fridge Weds-Thurs
4. Mad Max it up (herbs, fruit, compound butter, *some* wine)
5. Egg

Brine will be apple cider based, salt, peppercorns, oranges, lemons, aromatics.

If anyone's had experience with wet-dry brine process, pls share before it's too late!

Your plan is almost exactly what my plan is.

Question for you...do you have any concern that brining will result in a 'salty' gravy? Since the Mad Max gravy uses wine and the stock you make with the giblets, the only salt you're going to get is from the drippings so I think it should be ok. Thoughts?

Ladeback69 · November 2015

I agree, brine, pat dry and air dry in the fridge. I did it last year that way and was great. Picking up my fresh turkey tonight to put in the brine over night then air drying tell it goes in on Thursday.

cazzy · November 2015

chadpsualum said:

HendersonTRKing said:

Any chance the wet will run out of the turkey during its sit in the fridge?

My plan for 18-20 lb bird is:

1. Brine tonight (Tues) for about 15-18 hours
2. Remove from brine Weds morning/early afternoon
3. Let sit in fridge Weds-Thurs
4. Mad Max it up (herbs, fruit, compound butter, *some* wine)
5. Egg

Brine will be apple cider based, salt, peppercorns, oranges, lemons, aromatics.

If anyone's had experience with wet-dry brine process, pls share before it's too late!

Your plan is almost exactly what my plan is.

Question for you...do you have any concern that brining will result in a 'salty' gravy? Since the Mad Max gravy uses wine and the stock you make with the giblets, the only salt you're going to get is from the drippings so I think it should be ok. Thoughts?

You'll be fine. I've made gravy from brined bird dripping numerous times, and I always need to add salt. Make your own stock using the neck and other innards. When making your gravy, season last (especially if you're using commercial chicken stock), after your consistency is to your liking.

tfhanson · November 2015

All sounds great. So into the brine tonight and will take out Wednesday and place in fridge to try.

jimithing · November 2015

I was thinking about doing this as well. Made my brine last night. Guess I'll stick the bird in there tonight and take it out tomorrow some time. How long do you guys let it brine? Was thinking 12-18 hours.

HendersonTRKing · November 2015

cazzy said:

chadpsualum said:

HendersonTRKing said:

Any chance the wet will run out of the turkey during its sit in the fridge?

My plan for 18-20 lb bird is:

1. Brine tonight (Tues) for about 15-18 hours
2. Remove from brine Weds morning/early afternoon
3. Let sit in fridge Weds-Thurs
4. Mad Max it up (herbs, fruit, compound butter, *some* wine)
5. Egg

Brine will be apple cider based, salt, peppercorns, oranges, lemons, aromatics.

If anyone's had experience with wet-dry brine process, pls share before it's too late!

Your plan is almost exactly what my plan is.

Question for you...do you have any concern that brining will result in a 'salty' gravy? Since the Mad Max gravy uses wine and the stock you make with the giblets, the only salt you're going to get is from the drippings so I think it should be ok. Thoughts?

You'll be fine. I've made gravy from brined bird dripping numerous times, and I always need to add salt. Make your own stock using the neck and other innards. When making your gravy, season last (especially if you're using commercial chicken stock), after your consistency is to your liking.

Agree. Start by brining with "appropriate" use of salt. With cider as brine base, there is plenty of sweet, so salt never has been an issue for me. That said, I will go easy on salt in gravy and adjust as I go. I loves me some salt, but gotta play heads' up ball when feeding the pilgrims and natives at the feast of thanks giving!

Photo Egg · November 2015

jimithing said:

I was thinking about doing this as well. Made my brine last night. Guess I'll stick the bird in there tonight and take it out tomorrow some time. How long do you guys let it brine? Was thinking 12-18 hours.

Brine time depends on the salt percentage you are using.
Follow the instructions for the brine recipe you are using.

GATraveller · November 2015

jimithing said:

I was thinking about doing this as well. Made my brine last night. Guess I'll stick the bird in there tonight and take it out tomorrow some time. How long do you guys let it brine? Was thinking 12-18 hours.

I'm doing simple brine of 2 Gal. Water, 2 cups Kosher Salt, 2 cups White Sugar and willl brine for 24hrs. (according to Franklin)

jimithing · November 2015

Photo Egg said:

jimithing said:

I was thinking about doing this as well. Made my brine last night. Guess I'll stick the bird in there tonight and take it out tomorrow some time. How long do you guys let it brine? Was thinking 12-18 hours.

Brine time depends on the salt percentage you are using.
Follow the instructions for the brine recipe you are using.

Yeah I guess I knew that it's just that the recipe I was gonna use (Alton Brown's) says to only brine 8-16 hours using 1 gallon of water, 1 gallon of vegetable stock and 1 cup of salt. Then I see brines like Franklin's where it's 2 gallons of water and 2 cups of salt. Seems like Franklin's is more salt and up to twice the brine time. I know the veggie stock has salt in it but there's no way it has more than 1 cup of salt for the 1 gallon of stock AB's recipe calls for.

Photo Egg · November 2015

jimithing said:

Photo Egg said:

jimithing said:

I was thinking about doing this as well. Made my brine last night. Guess I'll stick the bird in there tonight and take it out tomorrow some time. How long do you guys let it brine? Was thinking 12-18 hours.

Brine time depends on the salt percentage you are using.
Follow the instructions for the brine recipe you are using.

Yeah I guess I knew that it's just that the recipe I was gonna use (Alton Brown's) says to only brine 8-16 hours using 1 gallon of water, 1 gallon of vegetable stock and 1 cup of salt. Then I see brines like Franklin's where it's 2 gallons of water and 2 cups of salt. Seems like Franklin's is more salt and up to twice the brine time. I know the veggie stock has salt in it but there's no way it has more than 1 cup of salt for the 1 gallon of stock AB's recipe calls for.

The salt to water ratio in the 2 you listed both have 1 cup of salt per 1 gallon of water but AB also includes the added salt of the stock so it's more and his brine time is less. That sounds right.

Toxarch · November 2015

AB also does one where he takes a frozen turkey and puts it in water with 1 cup of salt and that's it. Leaves it in there for 3 days to thaw and brine at the same time.

I'd say it depends on the time you plan to brine for. You can do a short brine with a lot of salt and sugar. I rinse after the brine and then pat dry and into the fridge. You can tell when your liquid is saturated by dropping an egg in it. The egg will float when the liquid is saturated with salt and sugar and won't dissolve any more.

I quit brining mine. I'll inject but that's about it. We did 2 turkeys one year, injected both, brined only 1 of them, and then fried both. The brined one was slightly better, but you'd only notice if tasting both side by side. Might be different on the grill.

HendersonTRKing · November 2015

HendersonTRKing said:

cazzy said:

chadpsualum said:

HendersonTRKing said:

Any chance the wet will run out of the turkey during its sit in the fridge?

My plan for 18-20 lb bird is:

1. Brine tonight (Tues) for about 15-18 hours
2. Remove from brine Weds morning/early afternoon
3. Let sit in fridge Weds-Thurs
4. Mad Max it up (herbs, fruit, compound butter, *some* wine)
5. Egg

Brine will be apple cider based, salt, peppercorns, oranges, lemons, aromatics.

If anyone's had experience with wet-dry brine process, pls share before it's too late!

Your plan is almost exactly what my plan is.

Question for you...do you have any concern that brining will result in a 'salty' gravy? Since the Mad Max gravy uses wine and the stock you make with the giblets, the only salt you're going to get is from the drippings so I think it should be ok. Thoughts?

You'll be fine. I've made gravy from brined bird dripping numerous times, and I always need to add salt. Make your own stock using the neck and other innards. When making your gravy, season last (especially if you're using commercial chicken stock), after your consistency is to your liking.

Agree. Start by brining with "appropriate" use of salt. With cider as brine base, there is plenty of sweet, so salt never has been an issue for me. That said, I will go easy on salt in gravy and adjust as I go. I loves me some salt, but gotta play heads' up ball when feeding the pilgrims and natives at the feast of thanks giving!

Let the wet brining begin!

To Dry or not to Dry the turkey in the fridge

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