Turkey Brine and Turkey Butter Rub??

Question

It's been my experience that saltwater fisherman can cook, too. With Thanksgivng coming up I want to brine a turkey this year but would like some "seasoned" advice here from the pros.

What has been your experience brining v. Not. Is the bird noticeably more moist and flavorful v. roasting with a butter rub and basting?

Would love to read how some of you do it.

Answer 1

OK. Sorry to hijack the saltwater fishing thread, but like I said before, salties are pretty good cooks...and it's almost Thanksgiving, so I have another related question.

We are a big clam dip family on Thanksgiving, and usually more than one family member shows up at Thanksgiving with clam dip in hand. My question to you clam dip lovers is, "Are you a cream cheese or sour cream clam dip eater?"

Answer 2

I have noticed a great difference in brining a turkey vs not brining. A few years ago I brined and smoked a turkey to bring to my aunts and she did not and there was no doubt that mine came out more moist than hers. My mom also did a brined turkey in the oven and same result so it wasn't just the smoker.  I brine it for 12 hours (overnight) with just a simple brine. Before i set it in my smoker, i rub the skin down with butter and then shove some seasoned butter underneath the skin as well. I make my own rub and throw it in some melted butter then cool it to get it back to a solid state. In the cavities of the bird I stuff it with apples and oranges for some more flavor and moisture. It takes about 7-8 hours in the smoker so every 1-2 hours I will baste it with more of the seasoned butter. Let it rest for 20min and carve that bad boy up! It even tastes better the next day and in soup!

Comments

Turkey, ham, stuffing, cornbread, mashed potatoes, spinach and cheese casserole and asparagus. I personally am not a fan of pies which is unfortunate because they always look so good when my grandma brings them. I am probably missing something too but can't think of anything else. What do you and your family put out for Thanksgiving?

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Can you over-brine a turkey?  I was going to dunk my bird in the brine this morning but that puts the bird in the solution close to 28 hours. Thoughts from the pros?

Answer 3

Can you over-brine a turkey?

Comments

Sorry for the late response. For brining the rule of thumb is about 2hours per pound for the whole brining process. I have usually done about half of this and still works well. And just based on basic biochemistry, I do not believe you can over brine a turkey or any meat for that matter. The whole process is just simple diffusion from a high salt concentration (brine) moving into a low salt concentration (turkey) and once they reach equilibrium the whole process should stop. Just always rinse off the bird after you take it out of the brine to get off any excess salt. Hope your turkey turned out well!