Please share your brine recipes...

Well, I don't mess with it and still get great moist chicken, but most on here do, so hold on to your hat, I am sure you'll see some good 'uns.

I did some cornish hens the other day, here is what I did.

1 gal water
1 cup of Lawyrs Seasoning Salt
2 tble spn of Basile leaves
2 tble spn of minced garlic
1 onion cut up
2 stalks of celery cut up
2 carrots cut up

After I let the birds brine I take the birds out wash them off with cool water, pat the dry. Then I put a big tble spnn of of butter in the cavity, then I take some of onions , celery, and carrots put them in the cavity with the butter.

That's what I do hope it helped you out.

I use this for Thanksgiving dinner - it is the balls.

Now, I rarely use every one of those aromatic items, I wing those and use what I have (usually most of them, never all) - and I've never use candied ginger, so I cheat a little.

I use a cooler (not a 5 gal bucket like he uses) - I fill the cooler with water and ice, drop the turkey in, the add some extra ice cubes on top - it is still ice in the morning. Love that.

I need to get a Big Bird on the Lang - looking forward to that.

Gentlemen, this truly makes a Thanksgiving even your out-laws will brag on you about.


Good Eats Roast Turkey
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: Romancing the Bird (A Good Eats Thanksgiving)

1 (14 to 16 pound) fresh young turkey

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) overnight. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

(Brad inserts pats of butter under skin - use a whole stick, gently loosen skin and shove butter in there).

Place bird on roasting rack (Brad does not use a rack and he roasts breast side down) inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil. (Brad then sprinkles lightly with Kosher Salt).

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil (Brad's breast is already down - no need for this), insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. (Brad bastes every 20-30 minutes with that buttery, salty fat-laden, slurry - YUM!). Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of total roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

(Brad's note - Grandma's 12 hr turkey isn't even on the same planet boys)

Careful with that. Keep temps HIGH. As a rule NEVER stuff a bird for smoking... the temps ain't high enough to get the interior out of the danger zone fast nough.

SPATCHCOCK those big birds!

Slaughterhouse Poultry Brine

1 1/2 Gal Water
1/2 C Salt
1/2 C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cajun Spice
2 tsp Celery Seed

Slaughterhouse Poultry Injection

1/2 Pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Celery Seed
2 TBS melted Butter
2 C Apple Cider

Slaughterhouse Spritz

8 oz Apple Cider
6 oz Water
4 oz Whiskey
2 oz Cider Vinegar

These are a fine mix. The spritz gives ya a decent skin with a nice sheen an can be used on all yer smoked meats.

Here's my brine for all kinds of poultry, including turkey and duck...

For each gallon of water add the following:

• 3/4 cup non-iodonized salt
  1 cup brown sugar
  3 cups apple cider
  1/2 cup lemon juice
  1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  1 oz maple flavoring
  1 tsp ginger
  3 Tbsp ground black pepper
  2 Tbsp minced garlic
  1 cup dry minced onions
  2 bay leaves
  2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Make enough to cover the bird completely and soak overnight. I don't rinse it off afterwards, but then I don't rub them either. I suppose if you were going to apply a dry rub, rinse and pat dry first.

Mine is :

10 cups water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup salt
1/2 tbsp. DQ nitrite curing salt

Brine the chicken 3 days, smoke until 170° in the breast, about 2-2 1/2 hours.

Will have a flavor like a ham; the nitrite allows the cure to permeate to the bone.

You can also use the brine for pork too; if over 1 - 1 1/2 " thick, then pump with a brine needle. Soak for 7-14 days or longer.