# Alton Brown's Turkey Brine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061 "2011-11-15T23:11:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/41 "2011-11-16T13:46:31Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, Alton’s uses less salt than I’m used to. By a good margin. ETA: But I see he is using 1 cup of salt for water, and the other gallon is vegetable stock, so that’s another big source of salt (I would think.) IIRC, Alton also recommends using frozen birds (less meat damage in transit) so maybe his brine is lighter on the salt to compensate? I always make a frozen bird and use his recipe and it comes out fine. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/42 "2011-11-16T13:50:10Z")
I’ve brined before, and been very happy. But, this year I’m going to try dry brining. Anyone ever have a go at this method? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/43 "2011-11-16T14:02:31Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > WTF is “turkey brine”? It’s addressed in the Q&A section. It’s a Williams-Sonoma product. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/44 "2011-11-16T15:55:02Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > full sodium or low sodium broth?..it doesn’t matter. Kind of stupid really, if you are adding a cup of salt to the brine why would you worry about low sodium broth? I thought there was a chance that broth would be more seasoned than stock which would throw off the balance of the recipe. I can’t just season a brine to taste the way I would something else. Appreciate the snark though - thanks ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/45 "2011-11-16T15:57:49Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > From that recipe: > > Ingredients: > > ``` > 1 1/2 cups turkey brine > 1 quart water > 4 quarts buttermilk > 1 fresh turkey, 16 to 18 lb., neck, heart and gizzard removed (reserved, > if desired) > 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature > > ``` > > WTF is “turkey brine”? You can buy either their product, (dry ingredients, packed in a jar with instructions on how to make it up) or you can make your own from any standard recipe, including Alton’s. We’ve done it both ways. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/46 "2011-11-16T16:07:28Z")
> [@GythaOgg](#): > > You can buy either their product, (dry ingredients, packed in a jar with instructions on how to make it up) or you can make your own from any standard recipe, including Alton’s. We’ve done it both ways. Adding buttermilk is very interesting - when I BBQ chicken I always marinate in buttermilk and love what it does to the texture of the bird - does it have the same effect on turkey? ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/47 "2011-11-16T18:24:28Z")
I don’t think you could find a turkey with zero sodium – organisms must have sodium in their blood to make their muscles contract, their heart beat regularly. (End science teacher) I brine my turkeys, and they’re lovely – my traditionalist husband says mine are much better than his mother’s. Score! But they have to have a percentage of salt higher than the bird so that osmosis will carry the salt solution (and seasonings) across the cellular barrier and into the meat. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/48 "2011-11-16T20:18:45Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > I dunno what I did to be honest. We had the oven at the proper temperature as far as I remember but…oh well :\ We usually have like a 20lb+ turkey so it makes it a bit difficult to brine. Are you cooking a bird that heavy stuffed or unstuffed? With something that big I would spatchcock it [cut it open and splay it out flat so the ehat can get around easily and cook it faster.] > [@devilsknew](#): > > I saw a pretty good fusion peruvian/korean chicken brine that used oranges and beer last night on the food channel. Looked pretty good. that sounds interesting, though I hate hops and would sub in a white wine or an equivalent. > [@Yllaria](#): > > I don’t mind the way a brined turkey tastes, and it does make for moister breast meat. But my joy comes from the soup made from the bones and bits and then thickened down until it’s starting to get a bit sticky. A brined bird leaves the soup tasting like Lot’s wife fell in. > > So my kids get to brine any turkeys they cook and I’ll cook mine with soup and gravy in mind. Every few years I’ll do mine the day before they do theirs and we get the best of both worlds. I find that is the problem with brining and commercal frozen turkeys. > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Brine, shmine! > > What I want is a regular dead turkey that has had NO, ZERO, ZILCH sodium added to it. Unsalted turkey has 50-80 mg Na/serving. Every one I see in stores has at least triple that, and my cardiologist says to avoid anything with 100 mg Na per serving. Keeping to a 2000 mg/day low sodium diet is hard, and Butterball _et al_ are no help at all. > > I have some hunter friends- when’s turkey season start? Or you could check around for a butcher that sells free range fresh not frozen turkeys, or a farmer who sells home raised birds. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/49 "2011-11-16T22:40:44Z")
I nearly hit half a flock of wild turkeys this morning on my drive into work. They’re getting as pesky as deer (although not quite as dangerous when hit). Arrogant birds think they own the road. StG ---
**Author:** ![GythaOgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GythaOgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GythaOgg)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/50 "2011-11-17T03:57:58Z")
> [@Frazzled](#): > > Adding buttermilk is very interesting - when I BBQ chicken I always marinate in buttermilk and love what it does to the texture of the bird - does it have the same effect on turkey? It did some very nice things for the flavor and for the texture, I thought, and the bird came out with a gorgeous color. This is our favorite way now. ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/51 "2011-11-17T17:13:24Z")
I’ve used [Altons process](http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season1/Turkey/TurkeyTranscript.htm) for a few years now and am interested in the Williams-Sonoma listed above. Instead of putting the turkey on a rack, I elevate it on a bed of huge carrots, onion and celery. The drippings infuse the carrots and soften them nicely. The flavour in the carrots is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061/52 "2011-11-17T18:07:08Z")
A proper brine is 5% salt. A gallon is 128 ounces, so you need 6.4 ounces of salt–call it 6.5. This ignores any sugar or other ingredients, but they shouldn’t throw it off by much; I usually just round up a little bit. If you don’t have a scale in your kitchen…go get a scale for your kitchen. Meanwhile a cup of Morton’s kosher weighs about 7.5 ounces. A little over with the salt is better than a little under (IMO), so I’d go with a cup per gallon. Regular table salt weighs about 10oz per cup, so you could do 3/4 cup of that per gallon. If you don’t have fridge space to brine, put some ice in the bottom of a large cooler, put in an unscented garbage bag, pour in your brine, add Mr. Gobbles, and add more ice around the bag. You might want to double-bag in case there’s a leak. Also, if you’re cooking the turkey on Thursday you want to brine it overnight on Tuesday. Take it out on Wednesday, dry it thoroughly, and let it air-dry on a rack in the fridge overnight on Wednesday. Not strictly necessary (especially if you’re low on fridge space) but it makes for a nicer skin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alton-browns-turkey-brine/603061.md?page=2)