To brine an injected bird?

[dollarbill]

Does it make a huge difference if you brine a turkey that has already been "injected with a solution" from the factory?

In the past i've always brined my turkey day bird and they turn out kick axe! I am just curious if I am wasting my time brining?

 

[Captain Morgan]

if it's been injected, brining can make it too salty. Try to find
one that isn't injected.

 

[dollarbill]

I've been smokin' the Honey Suckle White birds and brining the last few years and have never had a salty-ness issue (yet ha!). I'm not sure if it actually makes the birds juicier or not. I would like to not have to brine them if I don't need to. Less work and less $$$. I have 12 birds to cook tomorrow and wasn't sure if I should waste my time and $$$$ brining. If it would pay off in extra flavor i'll do it but if there is not really a difference i'd rather not.

Also, these are birds for customers so most of them will probably be reheated. Will the extra brining help to make a juicier bird after it's reheated? Anyone? Thanks for the help. db

 

[LarryWolfe]

It's almost impossible to find a turkey that's not been injected or enhanced nowadays. I've been buying the 'Lil Butterballs' (Young Hens) the past several turkeys I've smoked and they are really low in sodium and I inject them with a simple brine and they turn out fine. Same thing with some Shadybrook Farms, but they vary from 8-15% solutions added and have holes throughout the skin from the injection, which the Butterballs do not, not sure about the bigger butterballs.....

If you don't want to brine or inject, then buy a turkey with a high % of solution added, which will be too salty if you brine as Jim stated.

 

[bigwheel]

Joe Ames said if you want do both a brine and injection do the brine first otherwise the brine will knock the injection out of the meat. On the other hand if it was brined first it would be ok to inject it. I have always followed that procedure. Back in days of yore when I bothered to brine pumped..enhanced birds the only thing I feel like was accomplished was it put the birds right on the verge of being too salty...which if a person also uses a salty rub can cause trouble and conceivably push it over the cliff into being too salty.