Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Well Sir, time t'begin think'n about Brine'n that upcome'n turkey meal.



Ya gotta excuse Cookie's absence over the past several days. Been fight'n some nasty bug that really knocked me socks off.

OK, now sir, in case ya ain't never brined a turkey let me tell ya that it will make all the difference in the world regard'n taste, tenderness and cooking time, and its actually quite simple. Over these past many years I have found this particular recipe to be the best and have received the most compliments about.

TURKEY BRINING RECIPE’

This poultry brine is perfect for the holiday turkey. By using vegetable stock you get extra flavor with a mild saltiness that makes for a perfect brine.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
• 2 cups Kosher or coarse salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon allspice berries (crushed slightly)
• 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
• 1 gallon ice water

Preparation:

Pour vegetable stock into a large pot over a high heat. Add salt, brown sugar, and spices. Bring to a light boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour in ice water and stir to combine.

Place turkey in a large container (at least 4 gallon), or a brining bag that will fit your turkey. Pour brine over top. Refrigerate and brine for 1 hour per pound.

Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking. Otherwise there will be a salty flavor to the turkey.

3 comments:

Terry_Jim said...

Hey, Cookie! Do you adjust the salt if you have a brine injected bird?
I brined a noninjected turkey once and smoked it- great result- but I cant find them anymore.
Thanks, Terry

Mohawk Chieftain said...

I sure hope you don't sneeze in the brine!

Cookie..... said...

Excellent question Terry_Jim. First off, is the turkey injected with a brine or a flavored marinade? If it's been pre-injected with a brine, I would not brine it again in that it would probably come out much to salty.

If its been injected with a flavored marinade, I would definately cut down the salt in the brine process.

The best way (at least for me) is to buy a plain, uninjected 23-25 pound bird, as we have a alot of folks to feed. The turkey comes out very tender and tasty and knocks a small amount of time off the cooking process.