Turkey Brine

[hecXCV]

I am smoking a whole turkey this weekend and would like to brine it. How long should I brine it and does anybody have a good recipe for ensuring that it is moist? One of my biggest complaints about turkey is that it always seems dry, so I want to try and make a juicy one.

 

[JC in GB]

I am smoking a whole turkey this weekend and would like to brine it. How long should I brine it and does anybody have a good recipe for ensuring that it is moist? One of my biggest complaints about turkey is that it always seems dry, so I want to try and make a juicy one.

hec95

I usually calculate my brine strength based upon the weight of the turkey. I estimate bone weight and subtract that from the meat/water weight. You can find examples of my 10% brine method for bacon that also works on poultry sans curing salt. You will want to adjust the salt concentration down a bit and also lower the sugar or eliminate it altogether for use on poultry. Add any herbs and spices you want to the brine.

I have found that proper cooking gives a tender and juicy turkey every time.

If you use a temperature probe to test your doneness, you can't go wrong.

JC

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I brine overnight for at least 12 hours, preferably 24. Be sure the bird is completely submerged. I put mine breast side down in a ZipLoc XL bag in a cooler with a bag of ice on top
For the brine...

• 2 gallons of tap water
• 1 ½ cups Salt
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Honey
• 1 cup Molasses
• ½ cup a BBQ rub of your choice
• 3-4 Bay Leaves
• 1Tbsp Whole Peppercorns

The brine is heated and stirred until all ingredients are dissolved, then cooled.

After brining, I rinse and dry the bird well and then inject the bird all over, including the legs and thighs, with a no salt creole butter I make. Pretty simple recipe...

• 1-2 sticks unsalted butter, warmed to melting, but not hot
• 1 cup unsalted chicken broth per stick of butter
• 2 tsp per stick of no-salt or low-salt Cajun seasoning

More or less seasoning to taste and I add hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste to kick it up some. It takes very little cayenne to make a difference. I start with ¼ tsp and taste. Outside of the bird is coated with the same Cajun seasoning or any seasoning/rub you like.

In my opinion, both of these steps ensure moistness, but the injection is most important...

 

[jcam222]

I am smoking a whole turkey this weekend and would like to brine it. How long should I brine it and does anybody have a good recipe for ensuring that it is moist? One of my biggest complaints about turkey is that it always seems dry, so I want to try and make a juicy one.

Here is a thread from just before Thanksgiving with a lot of brines. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...l-threads-getting-action.324246/#post-2475247 I personally prefer injecting vs brining turkey. The commerical Tony Chachere injections produce very flavorful moist birds with good flavorings and also phophates to keep the bird moist.

 

[mr mac]

Lots of good brine recipes out there, to be sure. That said, how you cook your bird is equally important. I've done cooks with and without brining and they've all turned out well because I did it low and slow (225-250° F) to temperature of 155° F. At that point I pull it, tent it and leave it alone for 15-30 minutes.

 

[Newglide]

I do mine a little different, I prefer to do a dry brine for 12-24 hours depending on the weight of the turkey. before I put it in the oven I take about a pound of butter and cut it into slices and put the slices between the breast and skin, I usually don't worry about putting it around the legs and thighs since they typically don't dry out too much

 

[tallbm]

I am smoking a whole turkey this weekend and would like to brine it. How long should I brine it and does anybody have a good recipe for ensuring that it is moist? One of my biggest complaints about turkey is that it always seems dry, so I want to try and make a juicy one.

This works like a charm.
Take the weight of the turkey and add it to the weight of the amount of water you are using.

How much water?
Not a problem figuring this out.

Put the turkey in your brining tub/bucket.
Start measuring water by 32-64 fl oz and adding it to the bucket and note down how many fl oz you have added (64 fl oz is half a gallon).
When your turkey is almost covered measure out another 64 fl oz that you know will cover the turkey but DON'T pour it in just yet.

Add up how many gallons (and half gallons) you have poured in plus the half gallon (64 fl oz) that is waiting.
Each gallon weighs about 3,780gms (8.3333 pounds).

Take your total water weight and add it to your turkey weight.

Take that Total Weight and x 0.0165 (this is 1.65%) and you will have the PERFECT amount of salt for your brine.

Finally, measure out that salt and throw it in a blender with that last bit of 64 fl oz water and dissolve it easily that way.
Pour the dissolved salt and water into your turkey bucket/tub.
You may have to do 2-3 blender jobs with that salt and that 64 fl oz of water that was set aside but that is fine.

This brine will never ever get too salty not even if you let it sit for days.

Finally, finally, it really really really helps to use a meat injector syringe and draw your brine solution into the injector and inject all over and deep into the breast and thighs of the turkey.

Now when brining time is done, just season your bird with anything EXCEPT salt (including no salt based seasonings you may have) and you just cook/smoke until the breast Internal Temp (IT) is about 160-162F degrees and pull it at that point. The temp will rise on it's own to 165F degrees and I promise it will be juicy and ready to rock!

This is a salt and water brine that is as dead on as you can possibly imagine. I have done this brine a ton of times with chickens and turkeys and my mother now calls me every Thanksgiving to calculate her salt number for her and we all have great oven roasted turkey she makes :D

I hope this info helps and ask any questions you have :)

 

[Brokenhandle]

The brine I used on our turkey for one of the throwdowns was Pop's low salt brine with some lemon extract added, it was chopsaw that recommended it to me. Also Chef JimmyJ had some really good ones.

Ryan

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

I keep it simple
-2 gallons water
-2 cups kosher salt
-1 cup brown sugar

Sometimes I’ll throw some extra stuff in like poultry seasoning, bay leaves rosemary if I have any. But even just the basic 3 Things make a big difference. I’ll put the turkey in the brine around 2 and cook the next day

 

[hecXCV]

She’s brined, injected, basted, seasoned, and ready to go!

 

[JLeonard]

Looks like a great start. What temps you gonna run?

Jim

 

[hecXCV]

Looks like a great start. What temps you gonna run?

Jim

I have it going at 225

 

[chopsaw]

Casting my vote for 325 .

Looks good !

 

[JLeonard]

I have it going at 225

Maybe for an hour so for the smoke...But I'd take it to 325 degrees as chopsaw said. otherwise the skin will be rubbery.

jim

 

[Cajun Smokes]

Casting my vote for 325 .

Looks good !

Agree with 325, at least to start. When I first got into smoking turkey legs, the skin was always tough. Met a man at a local festival that sold smoke legs and told him of my problem. Eventually he told me how he got past that problem. He discovered poultry needs to get up to at least 325 for at least 45 min, then brought down to a lower temperature if longer cooking period is desired. This changed everything I do with turkey and chicken now, bake, bbq, fry, smoke, it's all done at minimum of 325. Birds just seam to respond better to the higher heat. Hope this birds comes out as moist as you wanted.

 

[Cajun Smokes]

Maybe for an hour so for the smoke...But I'd take it to 325 degrees as chopsaw said. otherwise the skin will be rubbery.

jim

You beat me to it lol

 

[hecXCV]

End result! Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Brokenhandle]

Looks really good!

Ryan

 

[Newglide]

Looks like you nailed it! Looks great. How was it?

 

[JLeonard]

Looks good!

Jim