Turkey Brine Question

[xfitjay]

I'm planning on smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving and I'm going to give it a trial run before the day. I've been using Pop's Brine Cure recipe for bacon I'm making and in the recipe it indicates that it can be used with chicken or turkey. Pop's Brine Cure has cure #1 in it and most of the poultry brine recipes I've seen do not. Any recommendations on whether to go with Pop's or the regular brine? What would I get, or not get, using either one?

Thanks.

 

[JckDanls 07]

If you use the cure/brine the turkey will have that hammy flavor... if you just use the brine it will make the turkey nice and moist

 

[pit 4 brains]

Yup..

Skip the #1.

You can bring half the water to a boil, add the salt and sugar, then add fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme), onion, whole garlic, etc., and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain to remove the herbs and stuff, add the remaining water (chilled) to make a gallon or adjust ingredients for more. Place in fridge and chill before using. If you do use herbs and such, it is important to simmer to steep the herbs into the brine.. Good luck

 

[spoolinaz]

Pops' curing brine is great with turkey. The taste and texture ham like, but you can still tell it's turkey. Here is my thread on it http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/128427/cured-turkey-breasts

For a non cure, I have been using ChefJimmyJ's brine recipe.

Poultry Brine

1/2C Kosher Salt

2T Paprika

2T Gran Garlic

2T Gran Onion

2T Black Peppercorns

2T Dry Thyme

1C Cider Vinegar

1 Gallon Water

Mix and Soak Bird 12-24hours.

Drain and Dry Bird, Rest in refrigerator over night to dry skin

It has not failed me once! It does not have the sugar in it, which is fine because that goes into my rub instead! I just did a whole turkey this weekend that was almost 2 years old (FIL provided the meat) Everyone at the dinner had nothing but high praises and even a couple 'best turkey ever' comments. I did mine for 2 days with an overnight drying in the fridge. I have found the key to a good bird is getting the rub under the skin where it can flavor the meat instead of just the skin. It's easy peasy, just mix it with margarine or butter to make a paste that Will smear around between the meat and skin.

 

[daveomak]

Jay, morning.....  Are you familiar with the 40-140 rule ???  Smoking poultry or any meat, without cure, can encourage bacteria or pathogen growth if the temp window exceeds 4 hours....  Cure kills those bacteria and pathogens so longer, cooler temps can be used....

Smoke at a higher temp, to avoid the danger zone time constraints, and all will be OK.....  Dave