How to Brine a Turkey
It seems people want to know how to do this, and so I thought I’d share. Yes, I know Canadian Thanksgiving is long gone. But I tend to get caught up in the hoopla over Thanksgiving when it shows up in the US – it seems to be a far bigger deal there – and with all the snow and the holidays coming up, I think US Thanksgiving is better placed than right after back-to-school, weeks before Halloween. Maybe I need to start celebrating both. Why not?
But – brining. It’s far easier than it sounds – it’s really just an enormous marinade for your turkey – you let it bask in its pot full for a half or whole day before you cook it, and it plumps it up, infusing it with flavour and adding moisture and tenderness, just like any other marinade. I walk you through it and posted a nice apple-rosemary brine recipe over at Family Kitchen.
(No, that’s not me in the photo. All I want for Christmas is a waist.)
November 23 2010 09:51 am | leftovers
sheila on 23 Nov 2010 at 10:47 am #
Sounds great! But can the turkey be stuffed? Truly the hallmark of a memorable turkey!
JulieVR on 23 Nov 2010 at 10:54 am #
Oh yes! You drain it and pat it dry and then proceed like you would with any other turkey!
allison on 23 Nov 2010 at 12:36 pm #
Probably a dumb question, but can you brine a chicken? It’s just me and my husband for Christmas this year, so I doubt we’ll do a turkey. This sounds really yummy!
Jennifer on 23 Nov 2010 at 12:48 pm #
This brine sounds wonderful! I like your thinking (brines are simply big marinades) and agree. I have yet to eat brined poultry or pork that was tasteless and dry. We Americans do love Thanksgiving. I have observed, however, that Thanksgiving and other holidays tend to drive certain members of one’s family a little bonkers … (do we REALLY need TWO 25 pound turkeys for only 10 people????).
Jan @ Family Bites on 23 Nov 2010 at 8:00 pm #
An apple-rosemary brine sounds divine!
Vivian on 23 Nov 2010 at 8:18 pm #
Brine…amazing! I couldn’t believe the difference it made in chicken, turkey and pork! So succulent, and softly infused with the brining flavours. I like the later US Thanksgiving because there is an influx on the web and magazines of recipes that we (Canadians) can use for our CHRISTMAS menus (where turkey is often the star).
kitty on 24 Nov 2010 at 11:22 am #
I just read that it’s not necessary to brine a fresh turkey – only frozen. What do you think? If brined, can one stuff a turkey more safely because breast meat doesn’t dry out so much and stuffing can reach 165 degrees?
Joy on 24 Nov 2010 at 4:07 pm #
I love brining the turkey! It makes such a big difference! With the apple juice in this one will the drippings be a bit sweet thus leading to a sweeter gravy?
Barb on 26 Nov 2010 at 5:46 pm #
Brining does make a big difference. I used just a basic recipe ie salt and sugar I think. But yours sounds so much better. I wish I had planned ahead a bit because cooking a turkey this weekend sounds like a good thing to do.