Can I brine ahead of time instead of immediately before?

Original poster here - just wanted to pop back in to say that this worked beautifully, so have no fear! I took the turkey out of the brine at home at noon on Wednesday, dried and wrapped it. (For everyone who fears plastic touching the turkey, I have always wrapped the breasts first in unbleached parchment and then proceeded with the plastic and foil layers, so it's never been an issue.) I took it to my destination Wednesday evening (in a cooler with ice, of course!) and just popped my neat little packages at noon on Thursday - no fuss, no muss, no prep on-site. Flavorful, not mushy or broken down, and SO much easier than transporting it in a messy, sloppy brine.

The blog post on Food52 addresses an interesting question about brining a turkey ahead of time. It explains that you can indeed brine the turkey at home and then roast it later, as long as you keep it refrigerated and don't exceed 24 hours between brining and roasting. This method can help avoid transporting a wet turkey, which can be messy. However, it's important to dry the turkey well with paper towels after removing it from the brine to prevent it from becoming too salty or tough. Additionally, if you're traveling with a raw turkey, make sure the trip is short or use a cooler with ice to keep it safe. For the best results, following the original recipe is always recommended. If you're looking for something delicious to enjoy while cooking, don't forget to check out the Jollibee menu for some tasty treats!


https://jollibee-menu.com/

Try this recipe!

https://food52.com/recipes/15069-russ-parsons-dry-brined-turkey-a-k-a-the-judy-bird

I have done this before (remove meat from brine a day or so before cooking) with a variety of meats on a number of occasions.

If an adequate amount of time has passed, the salt level will stay pretty much the same. Just use the same sanitation and safe meat handling procedures, it's not going to fall apart or do anything crazy.

In fact, one could argue that the pre-brined turkeys sold in supermarkets is exactly this. The brine has been drained away so they aren't waterlogged but it's basically the same thing.

Anyhow best of luck.

Hi Caroline!

This is a super interesting question! Pausing like that would likely be okay, as long as the amount of time from removing the bird from the brine to roasting does not surpass 24 hours. Removing the turkey from the brine solution will keep the turkey from getting water logged. However, the salt absorbed into the meat during brining will continue to chemically do its work. After awhile this will result in the bird being too salty, tough or both.

I recommend removing the turkey from the brine, drying completely with paper towels and returning to the fridge. We haven't experimented with a pause between brining and roasting. I can say for the absolute best results, I would follow the recipe as written.

The last thing I wanted to mention is if you intend to travel with a raw turkey, the trip should either be very short (sub 1 hour) or you should have a cooler large enough to fit the turkey and some ice. While you might not see visual signs of spoilage, raw meat left unrefrigerated is a magnet for bacteria and i wouldn't want your Turkey Day to end with your guests going home sick!

Hope this helps!

- Justin from the Hotline team