Turkey is a relatively lean bird, and the breast-to-leg ratio isn't ideal: By the time the dark meat is cooked through, the breast meat may have overcooked. For many home chefs, wet brining is one way to counteract the dryness. The process—soaking the turkey in a saline solution prior to cooking—helps the turkey take in extra moisture, resulting in moist and juicy dark and light meat.
Giving your Thanksgiving turkey a bath in salt water isn't complicated, but there a few things to keep in mind before you start the brining process.
Plan Ahead
Perhaps the most important part of brining is planning ahead. Not only does the process take anywhere from 8 to 18 hours, but making the solution itself can be time-consuming, too. You'll want the salt to dissolve into the water—and a reliable way to ensure that happens is by heating the water and simmering it until the salt is completely absorbed. Then, you need to cool the brine to room temperature before using it, since pouring hot or warm brine over a raw turkey can cause bacteria growth.
Timing
When you begin the brining process, set a timer or reminder to remove the turkey from the salt solution. Brining for too long can result in meat that tastes overly-salty and has a spongy texture. If you're not ready to roast the bird after 18 hours, remove it from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate for up to two days.
In its most basic form, the brine is salt and water—but many cooks don't stop there. Aromatics will add flavor and dimension to the cooked turkey; classic vegetables, like carrots and celery, your favorite herbs, like fresh garlic, and citrus fruits, such as lemon and orange, are all good additions.
Brining Ingredients and Materials
This recipe makes enough brine for one 18- to 20-pound turkey.
Ingredients
7 quarts (28 cups) water
1 1/2 cups coarse salt
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon dried juniper berries
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
1 fresh whole turkey (18 to 20 pounds), patted dry, neck and giblets reserved for stock, liver reserved for stuffing
1 bottle dry riesling
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch fresh thyme
Tools and Materials
5-gallon brining container (tub, stockpot, or bucket)
One day before roasting your turkey, bring 1 quart water, the salt, bay leaves, and spices to a simmer, stirring until salt has dissolved. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Submerge the Turkey
Line the container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag to minimize cleanup.
Line a 5-gallon container with a large brining or oven-roasting bag. Place the turkey in the bag.
Add salt mixture, remaining 6 quarts (24 cups) water, and the other ingredients.
Tie bag; if turkey is not submerged, weight it with a plate.
Refrigerate for 24 hours, flipping the turkey once.
If there isn't room in your refrigerator, place the bagged bird inside a cooler, and surround it with ice, replenishing as necessary to keep it at 40 degrees.
Step 3: Remove and Dry
Remove the turkey from the brine 1 hour before you're ready to roast it. Pat it dry inside and out.
And if you're wondering, no—you don't need to rinse the bird, whether it's been dry-brined or wet-brined, before adding more seasoning and roasting. Again, the bird needs to be dry, and Youngman also notes "it's not particularly sanitary to wash meat in the sink."
Make the brine. Using the ratio of one cup kosher salt to one cup sugar per gallon of water, combine all your brine ingredients in a large pot, and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar. ...
And if you're wondering, no—you don't need to rinse the bird, whether it's been dry-brined or wet-brined, before adding more seasoning and roasting. Again, the bird needs to be dry, and Youngman also notes "it's not particularly sanitary to wash meat in the sink."
The amount of time will depend on the type of brine you use; however, do not brine any longer than two days and always keep the turkey and brine refrigerated (at 40°F or less). Remove turkey from brine after the recommended time.
Be sure that the brine is cold before adding the thawed turkey. Place the turkey and brine in a brining bag or non-corrosive food-safe container, making sure the turkey is fully submerged in the liquid. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for the recommended amount of time.
Dry-brining is our preferred method for seasoning both large and small pieces of meat, poultry, and sometimes even seafood. Along with producing juicy, flavorful results, dry-brining also helps us get better Maillard browning and crispy skin.
Both the bird soaked in brine and the bird soaked in water gained a significant amount of weight prior to roasting, but while the watered bird lost nearly all of that weight as it cooked, the brined bird retained a good deal more. This corresponded to a juicier texture on eating.
If you followed the general brine recipe—1/4 cup kosher salt per quart of water—and you didn't brine the meat for too long, there's no reason to rinse after brining. Just pat the meat dry after removing it from the brine.
3Before roasting, remove the turkey from the brine (discard the brine) and submerge the turkey in a pot or sink filled with fresh, cold water for 15 minutes. This removes excess salt from the outside. 4Remove the turkey from the water, pat very dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.
While it unquestionably injects a lot of flavor in the turkey and helps it to retain a lot of juiciness and moisture, it also can result in saltier drippings, which can cause problems with both the stuffing (if you stuff your bird, which I don't generally do) and the gravy, since the gravy is made from turkey drippings ...
Besides brining a whole turkey, you can also use this recipe to brine turkey breasts, turkey legs, or even whole chicken. You need need enough brine to cover the meat. Stick to the basic ratio of 4 quarts of water and 1 cup of kosher salt and scale it up or down as needed.
Brining a turkey is totally optional. If you're short on time or just want the most straight-forward method to roast a turkey, skip the brining step and just use the Simple Roasted Turkey method. Some people swear that brining yields the most tender, juicy meat, but it takes planning ahead.
To prep turkey: Take out giblets/innards, set aside; Rinse bird with cold water inside and out, poke a few holes with fork on breasts and legs, to help brine to penetrate better.
Butterball turkeys are of the highest quality product and will be sure to impress your guests. Here's why Butterball is the right choice, especially for the holiday season: Butterball turkeys are always tender and juicy because we take the extra step of individually pre-brining them based on size.
If you want juicy meat, basting the bird won't help—brining or salting it is what guarantees moist turkey. In fact, every time you baste the bird, the juices merely run along the skin rather than actually infusing the meat. Basting is for your comfort, not the turkey's.
When choosing a container for brining, keep in mind that it must be food safe. Bowls (glass, stainless-steel or ceramic), stainless-steel stock pots, brining bags or plastic containers are all suitable.
Since there's no water, salting doesn't increase the amount of water in the turkey to start, but the salt diffuses into the muscle tissue and breaks down some of its proteins, which helps it retain more water during cooking and seasons this seasonal treat.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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