Turkey Brine

[kevin pitzer]

I was given a free turkey and have only made a few of them on my WSM.  I am looking for some tips for a WOW factor brine to make it flavorful.  

I was thinking of getting some chicken stock and simmering in some fresh herbs and brown sugar.  Just a thought.

Any ideas?

 

[crankybuzzard]

This one is always a good one!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/tips-slaughterhouse-recipes-for-poultry

 

[geezer]

I've used brine for poultry and pork shoulders for a long time. I think its a great technique if you want a juicy smoked end product. Over time I've tried all kinds of ingredients for them but these days I just keep it simple. In my large stock pot I heat up a gallon of water, to this I add one cup of kosher salt, one cup of white sugar, 3 or 4 bay leaves and a small handful of pepper corns.

I get this fairly hot, say just bellow a boil and then turn it off and put the lid on.

Once this has fully cooled to room temperature I add the pork shoulder, turkey, whatever. I add whatever water is necessary to cover the item being brined and put it in the fridge for at least 12 hours. 

As I said; I've tried all kinds of different ingredients but this brine seems to do just as good a job and is simpler to prepare. 

There you have my 2 cents. 

 

[mdboatbum]

I'm with Geezer, simple seems to work best. Most times I just use salt water at the same 1 cup:1gallon ratio. For pork I'll add sugar or brown sugar, but for chicken or fish plain salt water seems to work well. If I'm in a hurry, I'll just mix up a quart and inject the brine.