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.
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?
It’s addressed in the Q&A section. It’s a Williams-Sonoma product.
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
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?
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.
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.]
that sounds interesting, though I hate hops and would sub in a white wine or an equivalent.
I find that is the problem with brining and commercal frozen turkeys.
Or you could check around for a butcher that sells free range fresh not frozen turkeys, or a farmer who sells home raised birds.
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
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.
I’ve used Altons process 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.
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.