How long can I brine?

[bigboy]

I have an 8 pound bone in turkey breast that I wanted to brine and I was thinking of doing a 24 hour brine. What is the maximum time I can brine this?

 

[chef willie]

I've read posts of guys brining turkey for 3 days.....one seems to work for me but opinions vary. a quick search of turkey brining times yielded this gem

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/138247/turkey-breast-brine-time

 

[themule69]

The 6.5 LBer I did yesterday I brined over night. I would not go less than 8 hours an a couple of days is fine. It does depend on the brine.

20141124_170117.jpg

• themule69
• Nov 24, 2014

20141124_173419.jpg

• themule69
• Nov 24, 2014

Happy smoken.

David

 

[bigboy]

I was going to do a simple brine. Gallon of water, cup of kosher salt, tablespoons of sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic and some peppercorns. Is that ok?

 

[noboundaries]

24 hour brine is absolutely fine.  I typically do 24-36 hours.  Putting a turkey in brine tonight that I'll smoke Thursday.  I've read not to go more than 24 hours but I've done up to 48 hours before several times without any issues.  Like mentioned above I have friends that brine their turkey for 3 days every year and they rave about the results.  

Just make sure it stays cold the entire time, under 40F. 

 

[bigboy]

The 6.5 LBer I did yesterday I brined over night. I would not go less than 8 hours an a couple of days is fine. It does depend on the brine.

20141124_170117.jpg

• themule69
• Nov 24, 2014

20141124_173419.jpg

• themule69
• Nov 24, 2014

Happy smoken.
David

Looks great, David! What did you use on the skin?