brine or inject or both???

[ravenclan]

going to smoke a turkey for New Years ,

should i brine , inject or do both ???

in your opion what does your family like best ???


Happy Smoking !

 

[noboundaries]

[sub]​ [/sub]Personally I like to make the brine, inject it into the breast, then brine the fresh turkey for 24-48 hrs.  I've tried a lot of different ways and length of times to brine and this is what we like best.  I also cut back on the amount of salt (using half) but use all the brown sugar in my brine to avoid it being too salty due to the injection.  Finally I add a small amount of curing salt #1 to my brine, like 1 tsp for an 18 lb bird.  It doesn't cure the turkey but it adds just a smidge of that cured ham flavor to the meat without hiding the turkey flavor.  It really compliments the smoked flavor.  The thing I hear all the time as soon as people take a bite is "OMG, what did you do to this turkey.  It's the best I've ever had." 

Have fun at New Years!

 

[chef jimmyj]

I have Brined for many years. This year my Wife allocated the funds for a Grill Beast Injector, heavy duty and well made. I injected a 50/50 blend of turkey fat and broth seasoned with my rub plus extra salt. The mix was a bit too salty to enjoy as a soup but gave the birds a tremendous amount of flavor. I let the birds rest over night. The Skin came out better because it was not water logged from the brine. Got to say, I was pretty impressed...JJ 

 

[daveomak]

I have Brined for many years. This year my Wife allocated the funds for a Grill Beast Injector, heavy duty and well made. I injected a 50/50 blend of turkey fat and broth seasoned with my rub plus extra salt. The mix was a bit too salty to enjoy as a soup but gave the birds a tremendous amount of flavor. I let the birds rest over night. The Skin came out better because it was not water logged from the brine. Got to say, I was pretty impressed...JJ 

What a great idea.... We have all this seasoned turkey fat that was skimmed from the stock Bride made.... I'll have to taste it to see what seasonings it picked up.... Then adjust..... then inject..... along with any make up salt and spices necessary... and some of the turkey stock...
If this works, we could be eating turkey from years ago... like a good sour dough starter.....