Turkey Brining

[smokincoalkracker]

How long would you say is too long to brine a turkey? I am going out of town Monday morning for work and won't return home until Wednesday night. I was thinking of putting the turkey in the brine Sunday night and then take it out on Thursday. Is that too long?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Keep your brine to 1/4-1/3C Kosher Salt per Gallon Water and you will be fine. Higher salt and over the 4 day period you can end up with mushy meat...JJ

 

[yzfr1girl]

Hey there..just a follow up on the brine post. Any suggestions on brine recipes (and rub if you have one!?)

1st smoked turkey breast for us!

TIA!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Here you go...JJ

Families Favorite Brine

1/2C Kosher Salt

2T Paprika

2T Gran. Garlic

2T Gran. Onion

2T Dry Thyme

2T Black Pepper

1C Vinegar (Any)

1-11/2Gal Cold Water to cover Chix

1/2C Brown Sugar, Optional

1T Red Pepper Flake Optional

Mix well and Soak the Bird over night or up to 24 Hours.

Remove the Chix, rinse if desired and pat dry with paper towels.

Place in an open container in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours for the Skin to dry.

This will give a crispier skin when Smokng or Roasting...

Bubba Chix Rub

1/2C Raw Sugar

2T Paprika (I use Smoked if I'm just Grilling)

1T Cayenne

1T Gran. Garlic

1T Gran. Onion

1tsp Black Pepper

1tsp Wht Pepper

1tsp Allspice

1tsp Bell's Poultry Seasoning or Thyme

Mix well. You can put directly on the skin or mix with Butter, Oil or Bacon Grease and rub on and under the Skin.

Reduce Cayenne to 1 teaspoon if less heat is desired. Add 1T Kosher Salt if the bird is not Brined.

Mild but WildTurkey Rub

1/4C Raw Sugar

2T Paprika (I use Smoked if I'm just Grilling)

1T Gran. Garlic

1T Gran. Onion

2tsp Bell's Poultry Seasoning or other

1tsp Ground Coriander Seed (2-3tsp Whole seed, fresh ground)

1tsp Black Pepper

1tsp Mustard Powder

1tsp Allspice

1/2tsp Cumin

Optional: 1T Kosher Salt * Leave out if you Brined the Bird!

Mix well. You can put directly on the skin or mix with Butter, Oil or Bacon Grease and rub on and under the Skin.

Place a pan with some veggies under the Turkey to make some Gravy. Here's a recipe.

Smokey Turkey Gravy

1- Lg Onion,

4-5 Carrots,

3-4 Ribs Celery

3-4 Peeled Cloves of Garlic

Toss them in a pan under the Turkey, and let the whole deal Smoke for one hour,

THEN add 4-6 Cups Chicken Broth,

1/2tsp Dry Thyme (4-5 sprigs Fresh)

1/2tsp Dry Sage (2 sprigs Fresh)

1-2 ea Bayleaf

Finish the Smoking process to the IT you want.

While the Turkey is resting, dump the pan juices, veggies and all into a 2-3Qt Sauce pot and bring the Jus to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Strain out the veggies and let the Jus rest a minute or so for the Fat to rise. Skim off the bulk of the fat then using strips of paper towel laid on top of the Jus then quickly removed, take off the last little bit of fat.Bring the Jus back to a simmer. Mix 2T Flour and 4T Chicken Broth for each Cup of defatted Jus. Whisk together to make a Slurry with no lumps, add a little additional Broth if needed. Whisk the Slurry into the simmering Jus, bring back to a simmer and cook 5-10 minutes to cook out the flour taste and fully thicken the Gravy. Adjust the seasoning with Salt and Pepper and serve.

The purpose of Smoking the Vegetable for 1 hour before adding the Broth and Herbs is...The Smoked vegetables Roast in the Dry heat concentrating their Flavors and Sweetness giving the finished Jus a Richer, Deeper, Full Flavor.

Serve the sliced Turkey with plenty of Gravy and Enjoy...JJ

 

[yzfr1girl]

TY TY!

Ive made the Bubba rub before, its really good! I have everything here except celery and carrots!!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

 

[jjlnyc]

I use
1/2 Gal water
1/2 gal apple cider or apple juice
1 cup kosher salt (Diamond, not Morton - Morton too salty)
1/4 cup peppercorns
8-10 whole allspice berries
Few sprigs each of thyme, rosemary, sage
6-8 bay leaves
3-6 cloves peeled garlic
1 orange, cut in half, juice squeezed into the brine, then toss the orange halves in as well
Adjust accordingly for more or less brine, depending on size of bird/s
Have been using this for years, rave reviews every time - birds always juicy and tasty
Too many more flavors start to overpower the taste of the bird. Mind you, if you have a bland supermarket-type bird, you may want to add more flavors to the brine.
But we always use farm-fresh birds and dont want to change the taste of the meat - just give it a subtle hint of herbs/spices and sweetness, and of course, make it juicy