Brine and marinade newbie questions

[red sled]

I've been watching videos about soaking a whole turkey in cold saltwater overnight (Alton Brown method) and the science behind it says it will be the most juicy bird you've ever eaten. 6 quarts water, 1# kosher salt, 1# brown sugar. Would this be a good brine and method for any poultry (and poultry pieces like breasts, thighs, legs) ?

Also, is fruit juice (apple, orange, ???,) a good marinade for pork ?

Does beef benefit from brining and what brine mix ?

 

[noboundaries]

Red, brining does make a difference in taste and texture of the poultry, especially the white meat. The salt "denatures" the protein, increasing water retention. A little salt goes a long way with poultry. What you are showing above is about 2 cups of salt, 2 cups of sugar, and a gallon and a half of water. The very first time I brined a turkey a LONG time ago, I used something similar and it was almost inedible it was so salty. You might want to start with half that amount of salt and sugar.

One BIG word of warning. Check the label on your turkey. If it says it has been injected or enhanced with a salt solution of 8, 10, 12, etc percent, it has already been brined by the supplier. I smoked a pre-brined, 19 lb turkey this past weekend and did not brine it again. It was juicy and tender.

Brining a pre-brined won't do anything to the moisture, but you can add flavor by cutting WAY back on the salt and sugar, say to 1/3 cup each, then putting your preferred spices in the brine. I'll inject that brine into the breast to get the flavor profile I want.

Fruit juice is a wonderful brine for pork. Apple doesn't add much flavor. Orange and lemon juice combined (50/50) to make what is called "sour orange" is a fantastic pork brine. Look up Cuban style pork on Google to get an idea. My favorite is tart cherry juice.

Brining beef is called Corned beef, pastrami, etc, and it uses curing salt. Marinades are a better choice for beef in my opinion. There are also injectable bases that use phosphates to help beef retain moisture, like Butcher BBQ injection. They are pricy but have a strong following.

Hope that helps.

Ray

 

[red sled]

Thank you Ray, your reply was very helpful !

 

[SmokinAl]

I always use Butterball turkeys, and they are already brined. But I do inject them. If your not worried about salt in your diet then any of the Tony C's injectable marinades will give you a lot of flavor. We try to keep the salt down in our diet so I take unsalted chicken broth, about 4 cups for a 22 lb. bird, to that I add 1 stick of butter , & 1/4 cup of Mrs. Dash's roasted garlic & herb seasoning. I heat the broth up just enough to melt the butter. Then I put the mixture in a blender, I have a Nutri-bullet. This will emulsify the butter & you won't have pockets of butter in the turkey when you inject it. Then let the mixture come down to room temp & inject the bird everywhere until it won't hold any more. Then what is left I pour over the bird. At this point you can dust the outside with Mrs. Dash's seasoning. I smoke my turkeys in a pan sitting on a bed of veggies. Onion, garlic, celery, carrots, & some chicken broth. I also spatchcock them & take the thighs off so if the breast or thighs get done then I can easily remove them from the pan.
Here is a photo of what I'm talking about, I did this last TG Day.

Hope this helps!
Al

 

[zwiller]

Wife is huge butterball fan and although enhanced it is lacking to me so I would still brine. Each protein has different styles and each are approached differently. IE My TG turkey is brined and not smoked, smoked turkey is cured, and fried turkey is flavor injected. You are on the right track to look into enhancing. This is where the largest improvement is. Smoking itself is not gonna do it. Jeff's book really helped me with this and I had been smoking years prior to that. I was fumbling in the dark. It's really a must own. Start by doing things by the book. Get a good thermometer too. Also check out the 5 day course if you haven't yet.

 

[red sled]

Thank you Al and zwiller. Great ideas !