I had never heard of this before, but I like the idea. My big question though is Does this not make the turkey taste salty? My mom is coming for Thanksgiving and I am cooking. I would like to try a brine, but my mom does not like salty things like ham. Will this still be something I can still do?
Thanks everyone! I think I will try it. We do just turkey breast too as we all like the white meat so maybe it wont take up so much room in the fridge, but I'm really excited. Thanks!
Nope -it sounds like it would, but it just makes the meat incredibly juice and flavorful! I'm not a huge salt person, and I love it!
I used to work in the Test Kitchen for Butterball Turkey. Here are their tips on how to brine. Be sure to used a FRESH turkey - frozen turkeys, most likely, already have been injected with a brine solution.
Here's the link...
http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/how-tos/brine
Good luck!!
ps...it doesn't make the meat salty - turkey meat that hasn't been brined is very low in flavor the brine helps to bring out the flavor of the meat.
It does not make it taste salty at all, just juicy and full of flavor.
You are supposed to brine for 1 hour per lb of meat. So that is usually overnight for a big turkey and only a few hours for a small one. The brine consists of a salt and sugar mixture. No, it does not get salty like ham at all. Actually, the salt brings out the flavor of the meat just like all salting does. But unlike if you just salt on the outside, all the meat is tender and flavorful. Now, don't tell me you don't put ANY salt on your meat!?
It doesn't make it salty. Our friends have been brining meats for a couple years now and it always turns out great. I wanted to hear everyones ideas so I can learn too. My friends brine pork butt/shoulder, chicken, and ribs with great success. I'm going to try brining a pork roast this week (for pulled pork sandwiches) and then go for it with the turkey next week. Good luck next week.
This is a great question. I have been wondering the same. I do a turkey breast because not everyone likes turkey and the ones that do fight over the white meat! Looking to get more flavor so I think I will try to brine the turkey this year. If it doesn't work there is always ham!
I think that Martha Stewart does it overnight....in the fridge or a big cooler. Sounds good to me!
My son did a brine last year- we didn't like it. This yr we will get a fresh turkey and roast it with all the goodies in it.
