Brining

[Dom]

Anyone brine their turkeys?Got a 14lbs bird that I want to put in the smoker  and looking for brine ideas.the last one I did was good but very dry smoked for 6.5 hours at 245 deg,s .Thinking on some apple juice/orange combo.

[jmark]

Haven't done it with a wild turkey - haven't got one yet (new at it).  But I have been brining my supermarket turkeys for many years.  I basically change the recipe every time I do it, just tossing in whatever I have or think of.  Fruits, onions, spices, a bottle of cheap wine, couple of Budweisers, quart of orange juice, whatever.  The key is the salt.  I have a very large stainless pot that I used to use in beer and wine making, I put it all in their, cover it well, and put it out in the garage overnight.  

I tend to get lots of favorable comments on the birds I cook.  But then, I also make sure to pump my guests full of beer and wine... 

[Dom]

5 minutes ago, jmark said:

Haven't done it with a wild turkey - haven't got one yet (new at it).  But I have been brining my supermarket turkeys for many years.  I basically change the recipe every time I do it, just tossing in whatever I have or think of.  Fruits, onions, spices, a bottle of cheap wine, couple of Budweisers, quart of orange juice, whatever.  The key is the salt.  I have a very large stainless pot that I used to use in beer and wine making, I put it all in their, cover it well, and put it out in the garage overnight.  

I tend to get lots of favorable comments on the birds I cook.  But then, I also make sure to pump my guests full of beer and wine... 

How much salt and what kind to use?I do not use any salt/sugar at all have in house but just do not use it.

[jmark]

I think most recipes say a cup or so - use sea salt or kosher salt.  I generally go a bit more, at least cup and a half.  The key is to let it soak overnight.  Or at least 6-8 hours anyway.  It's hard to mess up a brine.  Just use your imagination.  I think this year maybe I'll throw a pound of raw bacon in there.  Nothing can go wrong with bacon! 

[MPHunter]

Here's a link to a pretty good explanation of brining. https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/36-how-to-brine-a-turkey

Salt is the key as well as the concentration of salt solution vs the brining time. The following is from the site:

"A four-hour soak in a solution of 1 cup of table salt per gallon of water does the job for moderately sized 15-pound turkeys"

"For an overnight brine, halve the salt—use 1⁄2 cup table salt per gallon of water"