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Question for WessB brining instruction for Turkey

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Topo Gigio
Topo Gigio Posts: 98
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hi WessB and All, I'm preparing for Canadian Thanksgiving this Monday. I'm following a combo of WessB/Mad Max/Topo Gigio method. I put my Turkey in a cooler and filled it with the brine from WessB website (that he got from the forum) I found that I had to triple the brine recipe to cover the bird. The recipe says to just add more water, but wouldn't that dilute the salt too much? Is tripling the brine going to make it too salty? (I have no experience with Brine)[p]Also, instead of adding ice cubes direct, I put them in a zip lock first so it wouldn't dilute the brine further.[p]Comments?
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Comments

  • BBQfan1
    BBQfan1 Posts: 562
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    Topo Gigio,
    I'll be down at my sister's place in Markham this weekend also brining the bird for Thanksgiving. Rather than make up a huge whack of brine to cover a bird in a cooler, I fill up water jugs, 2L bottles of pop etc and set alongside the turkey in order to displace the existing brine so that it flows up over the turkey. Full coverage/immersion is really important. Wtih the weather this weekend being a little warmer than today's, I will probably make the brine a bit stronger and then put ice on top to ensure it stays in that 35-37°F range (check it with a remote thermo before going to bed and first thing in the morning). A good quality 5-day style cooler will hold the temp pretty well based on past brinings I've done.
    Good luck and have a great Thanksgving!
    Qfan
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  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
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    Topo Gigio,
    I would imagine it would dilute things....but I also like BBQfan1 suggestion to displace the extra space with bottles...you could always double the recipe and work with it from there...either adding extra water or using the displacement method...Let us know how it goes.[p]Wess
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  • Topo Gigio
    Topo Gigio Posts: 98
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    BBQfan1, thanks. I work in Markham and GTA and live in Woodbridge. Are you the BBQfan1 of Dizzy Pig or am I confused. Anyway, I'm on the same track. I've already doubled the brine recipe and placed 750ml bottles of water in the cooler with bags of ice. Still doesn't top up and can't fit more bottles. I think I will be tripling the recipe. In the meantime, back in the fridge it went.

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  • Unknown
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    Topo Gigio,[p] First off. I'm a little upset by your comment about Saturday night and hockey. The only hockey we see is when good teams come in and beat the Leafs up. But seriously, what did you use for your brine mix?[p]Steve
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  • BBQfan1
    BBQfan1 Posts: 562
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    Topo Gigio,
    Yep, Dizzy Pig Qfan.
    One thing to do is to take your plastic-wrapped bird and cover with straight water in the cooler you intend to use. Remove the turkey and measure the water and then you know exactly how much liquid you need to cover. One thing with brine is that it's salt water, so how expensive can it be to make? Guess we've got a couple days to get our routines together, eh? LOL
    I'm going to smoke a brisket to take down for Saturday night dinner too. My dad likes turkey, but he LOVES brisket......
    Qfan

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  • BBQfan1
    BBQfan1 Posts: 562
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    Little Steven,
    I just finished making up a Ziploc bag of dry ingredients for our brine. Didn't realize it at the time but it's gonna sound like the method for making Christmas potpourri! LOL
    For 3 gallon brine
    - 3 cups coarse Sea Salt
    - 3 cups Turbinado (or light brown) sugar
    - 2 cinnammon sticks
    - 3/4 cup coarse cut dried lemon peel
    - 1/2 cup coarse cut dried orange peel
    - 2 tablespoons cloves
    - 1 tablespoon allspice berries
    Before I boil it up, I'm gonna offset this with some herbs (rosemary and maybe some thyme), onion, carrot, garlic cloves and celery, otherwise I think those aromatics are going to be a little overpowering. Should smell good when it's boiling to infuse the flavours, though! LOL
    Qfan
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  • Topo Gigio
    Topo Gigio Posts: 98
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    Little Steven, what a second. Teams do not come in and beat up the Leafs. The Leafs also go away and get beat up. I digress.[p]The brine recipe I'm using is from WessB's website under Past Cooks section, 2003 Turkey. I can't access it from work so I don't have the exact link, but his main page is www.wessb.com and go from there.

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    BBQfan1,[p]Thanks,[p] Are you going to brine from now til Monday?
    Happy thanksgiving.[p]Steve
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  • BBQfan1
    BBQfan1 Posts: 562
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    Little Steven,
    For our tastes, 18-24 hrs is more than plenty. I'll start it Saturday afternoon when we get there and it will start cooking late morning. That's probably a 12-15 lb bird.
    Qfan
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  • Buzzy
    Buzzy Posts: 29
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    Topo Gigio,
    I have found some very large ziploc bags that work well for marinating and brine use. The ones that I have are 10 gallons but they have an even larger size. The offical name is Ziploc Big Bags.
    Kent
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