whoopazz Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I know there is already a thread on how to do this, but Mrs. Whoop is very scepticle about me trying this for the first time on our Christmas turkey. It will be conventional roasting, but should I insist were gonna brine that thing this year? If I screw it up I'm dead. TIA for advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I have yet to brine a bird but you'll regret not doing it. Some of the tastiest poultry ever when you brine it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I know there is already a thread on how to do this, but Mrs. Whoop is very scepticle about me trying this for the first time on our Christmas turkey. It will be conventional roasting, but should I insist were gonna brine that thing this year? If I screw it up I'm dead. TIA for advice. I would find it hard to belive that brining alone would "screw up" a turkey. Now, how you cook it on the other hand, makes a big difference. Just use a simple recipe for the brine like Alton Brown's and you should be all set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 a link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Whoopazz......If you are going to brine the turkey and cook it to wow the Mrs, Try cooking the bird in an oven bag. Don't stuff it, make the stuffing on the side. In the cavity you can put a quartered onion, citrus halves (you probably would just use lemons or oranges), and some celery sticks cut into 2-3" pieces. Bier or Det could probably give better insight as to what would be best in the cavity, but that is what I would use. he oven bag does a real good job of working with the brined bird to produce a juicy finished meal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 You cannot go wrong with brining. You just have to trust all us geniuses here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I brined last year's Thanksgiving bird, and I've done a roaster in a brine in the last year too. I find brining gives the meat a funny "off" flavor. However, the Shiekette and her whole family tell me they didn't notice anything. I find as long as I cook the meat to just the right internal temperature, it's juicy and delicious without the brining. I've heard people say that brine gives an off flavor if the ratios are wrong in the ingredients, but I followed the Alton Brown recipe to the letter. Let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I brined last year's Thanksgiving bird, and I've done a roaster in a brine in the last year too. I find brining gives the meat a funny "off" flavor. However, the Shiekette and her whole family tell me they didn't notice anything. I find as long as I cook the meat to just the right internal temperature, it's juicy and delicious without the brining. I've heard people say that brine gives an off flavor if the ratios are wrong in the ingredients, but I followed the Alton Brown recipe to the letter. Let us know how it goes. Did you forget to cool the Brine down and/or add ice so that it's not sitting at room temp ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperCharger Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 (edited) Did you forget to cool the Brine down and/or add ice so that it's not sitting at room temp ? +1 Chill the brine and then add ice to it once you add the bird. I let it soak for around 6 hours. I only add aromatics to the cavity. Rosemary, onion and citrus are all good. I also wipe the bird down with melted butter. First 30 minutes should be a hellfire in your oven, then bring it down to around 350 for the rest until the breast is 160-161 degrees. I also foil the breast after the first 30 minutes and that is the only time the oven is ever open. I pretty much follow A. Brown's instruction to a T and it makes a damn fine bird. EDIT : For the brine I just bought a 10 gallon pail from the hardware store and made sure it was clean. I put foil over it while it soaks and leave it on the kitchen counter. Edited December 20, 2007 by SuperCharger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I brined last year's Thanksgiving bird, and I've done a roaster in a brine in the last year too. I find brining gives the meat a funny "off" flavor. However, the Shiekette and her whole family tell me they didn't notice anything. I find as long as I cook the meat to just the right internal temperature, it's juicy and delicious without the brining. I've heard people say that brine gives an off flavor if the ratios are wrong in the ingredients, but I followed the Alton Brown recipe to the letter. Let us know how it goes. I'm really not sure how you got an off flavor. I won't roast or smoke a turkey without brining. I throw in different herbs as the mood hits but there I always include garlic, peppercorns and brown sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted December 22, 2007 Author Share Posted December 22, 2007 I'm gonna try it. Ya'll better not get my ass in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 I had some results like SheikYerbut. We found the turkey to salty. We very much prefered the traditional turkey that I made at the same time. I must have done something wrong and I won't give up but I am not going to play with my holiday dinner this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I'm curious if whoopazz was a hero or a zero on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted December 27, 2007 Author Share Posted December 27, 2007 I'm curious if whoopazz was a hero or a zero on this one. Zero The Mrs. saw sheiks and skippys posts and freaked. But the turkey was great anyway (see other thread). I'll try it when we're not having guests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Zero The Mrs. saw sheiks and skippys posts and freaked. But the turkey was great anyway (see other thread). I'll try it when we're not having guests. Sorry for that. I was really interested to see how it turned out. I still think that I must have done something wrong as I just don't see how anyone would like what I made but who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted December 27, 2007 Author Share Posted December 27, 2007 Sorry for that. I was really interested to see how it turned out. I still think that I must have done something wrong as I just don't see how anyone would like what I made but who knows? No worries, she was nervous about trying it for the first time with guests coming over. She calls the shots for entertaining. Around here we refer to her as "chief dick". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Zero The Mrs. saw sheiks and skippys posts and freaked. But the turkey was great anyway (see other thread). I'll try it when we're not having guests. I'm sorry I posted then. . .I'm always in favor of experimentation. Obviously, I did my first ever brine on Thanksgiving, throwing caution and experience to the wind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 I'm sorry I posted then. . .I'm always in favor of experimentation. Obviously, I did my first ever brine on Thanksgiving, throwing caution and experience to the wind. +1 Just did it for the first time this Thanksgiving. To rave reviews by the way. I have read on a couple of sites to be careful not to oversalt the brine. And definitely don't need to add more to the bird prior to eating. Maybe the brown sugar I used offset some of the saltiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Too many people seem to be really have with a brined bird. I am going to give it another try. Pud - did you taste the mix that you were going to soak the bird in before you tossed the bird in? If you did, did it taste really salty? Mine did and infact I almost could not taste the honey at all and what I did taste I did not like. Maybe my mixture was bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Too many people seem to be really have with a brined bird. I am going to give it another try. Pud - did you taste the mix that you were going to soak the bird in before you tossed the bird in? If you did, did it taste really salty? Mine did and infact I almost could not taste the honey at all and what I did taste I did not like. Maybe my mixture was bad. I did not taste the mixture at all. I simply threw that big mofo in there and hoped for the best. Basic recipe but was very well received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonehand Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 (edited) I did not taste the mixture at all. I simply threw that big mofo in there and hoped for the best. Basic recipe but was very well received. That's the thing with salt, when used right, it should add a fullness to the flavor without tasting salty. But you sure notice if it ISN'T there. Brining the bird actually saved Christmas for me this year. The combo of a smaller bird and my oven's wonky temp had that turkey done in record time. By the time I got the other dishes I was working on together ("double" garlic mashed potatoes, Green beans sauteed w/ onions, proscuitto and chanterelle mushrooms.) and noticed the bird's internal temperature, it should have been overdone and dry as a bone. But, as I has brined it, it still came out juicy and succulent. Viva la brine! A question for the folks who had noticed an off flavor: where you using Kosher salt, or iodized table salt? I find that kosher provides a more mellow "saltiness", so maybe that's the answer. I have probably brined a dozen birds over the years using the Cook's Illustrated recipe, and never had any flavor issues. Edited January 2, 2008 by Bonehand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 For the record, I did use kosher salt. This is the first time that I have ever even had kosher salt in my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 For the record, I did use kosher salt. This is the first time that I have ever even had kosher salt in my house. Mazeltov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 Mazeltov I also read that using sugar in the brine offsets the salty taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.