wet brine

is it better to brine or to inject the turkey? do i have to thaw the turkey before brining?

lena
  • Posted by: lena
  • November 22, 2016
  • 1464 views
  • 2 Comments

2 Comments

Cook's S. November 22, 2016
Hi there! If you have the equipment and where-with-all to inject the turkey, that can work just fine (it's how most commercial turkeys are treated). A wet brine will also work well, and something I've done many a year for Thanksgiving -- at America's Test Kitchen we recommend 1/2 cup salt per gallon of cold water for an overnight brine. The wet brine, however, does sog out the turkey skin. My favorite is a dry brine -- just salt on the meat, for 48 hours. It takes a little bit longer, but the salt will penetrate to the center of the turkey, seasoning it throughout, and keeps the skin from getting soggy. (Or, if you want to go a little outside of the box, our Koji Turkey will blow your mind... http://www.cooksscience.com/recipes/9339-koji-turkey/) -Molly
 
figgypudding November 22, 2016
Hi Lena, I prefer a dry brine for the turkey (and frozen is fine): https://food52.com/recipes/15069-russ-parsons-dry-brined-turkey-a-k-a-the-judy-bird
 
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