Turkey corned beef?

It is wonderful... Not unlike turkey pastrami. you're instincts are good. I will be posting our corned turkey in about 12 days... restaurant open on FB or at dot com...

Kristen W. I made it and it was wonderful! I ended up cooking it in a crock pot and it was so tender and juicy and the flavor was really very similar to corned beef, it just didn't shred like corned beef does. Here's my recipe http://livingwhilelivingwithout.blogspot.com/2012/12/crock-pot-corned-turkey-and-cabbage-soy.html?spref=fb

Oh, no worries Maedi. I just have a hair trigger when it comes to unsolicited advice, but I understand where you were coming from. This was one of the first posts I ever did on this forum, and as a not-super-experienced cook, I was a little fearful to begin with of getting a condescending response. Now I realize what a positive experience it has been to be a member of this forum, and it's helped me to grow tremendously as a cook!

Anyhow, Abby 318, I'm sorry to say I never went ahead and tried it -- it was so long ago, I don't remember why. Maybe I just ate something else that satisfied the craving! Anyhow, I would be interested in hearing what you wind up doing and how it turns out. Best of luck!

I am sorry my reply offended you so much, Kristen, but based on the few words that you wrote, I was trying to provide you with information based on my own experiences. Given the sparse information you offered, I thought it was a reasonable response drawn from my past mistakes that ended up in the garbage. I don't have time to waste thinking up condescending responses!

I'd like to know how the turkey came out, if you did try it. My son has an allergic condition called eosinophilic esophagitis in which he is allergic to a lot of foods including all animal products except turkey and honey! I'd like to make a corned turkey and cabbage for New Years dinner,but I'm not sure as to the best way to actually cook the turkey roast. I've found two recipes and the brine is nearly identical, but one says to boil it, the other says to roast it. What method did you use? Thank you!
Abby
livingwhilelivingwithoout.blogspot.com

Thanks, farm to table, for the great info. I really appreciate the detailed explanation.

And OK, ChefOno, I hear ya. No hard feelings.

Well, hmmm… I'm sorry you took my comments the wrong way. Tongue-in-cheek, yes somewhat, but no offense was intended I assure you.

You did ask about a lower fat version of a classic dish which makes it pretty hard to see anything but the all-too-common counterproductive approach to weight control. Reading your first sentence, can you really blame anyone for making that assumption?

Although it's not what you asked about, there are, commonly available, corned beef rounds which I imagine would be a whole lot closer to traditional corned beef brisket than would turkey while satisfying your requirement for lower fat. However, fat and connective tissue are integral components of the dish and, without them, it's just not going to be "Corned Beef and Cabbage".

Corning is a process that uses two primary steps, Brining and Braising. During the brining process, the salt / spice broth will draw liquid out of the meat and the meat will draw in the flavors of the brine, the salt being the key conduit for this equalizing transfer of fluid. The salt will also expand the cell structures in the muscle tissue, which causes more liquid to be held in the muscle and the meat to retain moisture during the cooking process. Turkey particularly lends itself well to brining and it is a very common technique for the Thanksgiving roast. I envision the corning spices would be a great addition to the brine.

Braising on the other hand is a technique that breaks down and softens the connective tissue found in complex cuts of meat. For example brisket, traditionally used for corned beef, is a mess of a muscle group. Holding the intertwined muscle strings together is a ton of collagen. The braising process slowly breaks this down, resulting in a silky texture interspersed in the meat. It's same idea behind amazing pot-roast.

Modern day turkeys have huge tender breasts with very little connective tissue in them, so I don't think braising would be a particularly good technique for the breast. The leg quarters might be worth a shot. Worst case scenario, you'll end up with very tender shredded meat that would be great on a sandwich.

I personally braise poultry from leftover roasts to make rillettes. What I've found is the meats falls apart, which is both expected and desired for this dish.

So for the record, I like and eat beef, I do not have an issue controlling appetite and cravings, and I have other motivations for asking this question. I'm not offended to learn that corned turkey would probably be disgusting, but I'm detecting condescension in these answers. If I am to use this forum as a tool for becoming a better cook, I would appreciate a respectful environment in which there is no shame in asking ANY question. If you think my question is too unsophisticated to warrant a respectful answer, then don't answer it.

What's next -- corned tofu?

Anyway, here's what you asked for, pickled turkey. Let us know how you like it.

http://www.jewishfood-list.com/recipes/poultry/turkey/turkcorn01.html

You could probably 'corn' turkey like you would corn beef, but It sounds pretty awful and I can't imagine that the end result would satisfy your craving. Corning uses a cut of beef with fat because the meat is cooked long and slow; the fat in the beef keeps it tough while the heat tenderizes the meat. Instead of avoiding fat, I recommend eating modest quantities of properly cooked real, good quality food that is free of additives, chemicals, etc. You will discover that it is supremely satisfying and will help you control appetite and cravings.