Thanksgiving Turkey

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by KJT

I don't know if you were planning on it, but I'd be interested in seeing some photos or a write up when you do it.

If I actually do it, I'll stick some photos over in my smoked/charcuterie thread. Plans are a little up in the air and might be doing something else.

 

[downwithianbrown]

thanks guys! This definitely helps me, hopefully helps a bunch of people.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by foodguy

there are a lot of brines that call for sugar. i do like some sweetness in a pork brine, but not with turkey ... to me, it makes it tastes like luncheon meat. ymmv

IMO a lot of people oversugar and undersalt when brining.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

IMO a lot of people oversugar and undersalt when brining.
yeah, i had this exact discussion with a VERY WELL KNOWN CHEF (no not HIM), when i was doing my first work on this ... his brine had a lot of sugar in it and we sat down and tasted them side by side and i said, this tastes like luncheon meat. he said "that's what turkey is!"
i don't use any salt at all in my dry-brine (or turkey wet brine) and it really tastes, to me, like turkey.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by foodguy

yeah, i had this exact discussion with a VERY WELL KNOWN CHEF (no not HIM), when i was doing my first work on this ... his brine had a lot of sugar in it and we sat down and tasted them side by side and i said, this tastes like luncheon meat. he said "that's what turkey is!"
i don't use any salt at all in my dry-brine (or turkey wet brine) and it really tastes, to me, like turkey.

Next time you write an article about brining, you can use me as a reputable source to back up your undersalting/oversugaring claim. Feel free to use my full name and even mention my place of work (depending on how many stars we get next week).

 

[LawrenceMD]

instead of a massive 25lbs turkey i just do 2-3 smaller 8-12lbs turkeys... i cook them beer can style with one of those beer can chicken holders...

the run off from the holder easily becomes gravy... The family and friends love the turkey... I hate the fact that my wife can't cook. I'm thankful she makes tons of money - and buys me stuff because of that though...

 

[Douglas]

So, I want to try this dry-brining thing, but the bird I've bought is one of those big store monstrosities that says it has "up to 8% of a solution to preserve tenderness and juiciness."

That "solution" contains turkey broth, salt, sugar, and flavorings. Yum.

Sounds a lot like it's already brined to me, but I'm not sure if the "solution" counts as a full-on brine. If I cut back on the salt ratios, can I still try this?

It seems like just about all frozen turkeys I've seen these days all already have this same "solution." So is brining sort of a moot point unless you're buying an heirloom bird?

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by Douglas

So, I want to try this dry-brining thing, but the bird I've bought is one of those big store monstrosities that says it has "up to 8% of a solution to preserve tenderness and juiciness."

That "solution" contains turkey broth, salt, sugar, and flavorings. Yum.

Sounds a lot like it's already brined to me, but I'm not sure if the "solution" counts as a full-on brine. If I cut back on the salt ratios, can I still try this?

It seems like just about all frozen turkeys I've seen these days all already have this same "solution." So is brining sort of a moot point unless you're buying an heirloom bird?

that's already brined. unbrined birds are definitely out there without going heritage. but it does take some label-reading and looking.

 

[xchen]

Picking up some turkey breast from Honeybaked Ham today. Oh yes....

 

[Piobaire]

Won't be making a turkey. Decided we're going to be guests and I'll just bring wine

 

[Manton]

I bought a designer bird too and plan to poach-roast it in the Bresse method. Takes two days. Poaching accomplishes the same thing as brining, but it results in what is essentially a stock that can be reduced into a sauce.

 

[medwards]

What are you going to be using as your poaching liquid?

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by medwards

What are you going to be using as your poaching liquid?

Duck stock, which I recently made a boatload of. Need to make another pot though, will do that on Sunday.

 

[Droog]

I've brined a turkey and, frankly, didn't think there was much enough to the result to warrant the effort.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by Manton

I bought a designer bird too and plan to poach-roast it in the Bresse method. Takes two days. Poaching accomplishes the same thing as brining, but it results in what is essentially a stock that can be reduced into a sauce.

that's not a bad plan for those heritage birds. they are really, really lean. anything you can do to keep moisture in (or, in this case, to add it) is probably a good thing.