Brining Turkey

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dollarbill

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I started to brine a couple turkeys yesterday with salt and sugar only. What will happen to the birds if I leave them in the brine for another 24 hours? Can it / will it cause an over salting effect? Stumped. thanks. db
 
I did a quick google search and a lot of recipes seem to come up that say to brine the turkey for 48 hours. I've left turkeys in for longer than 24 hours before (although never for two whole days) with no adverse effects.

I would have to say, though, that if you're using an especially salty brine you should err on the side of caution.
 
Birds are on now. I'll get some pics and try to post here. I need to download some image re-sizing software.
 
boar_d_laze said:
It depends on how strong your brine is.

BDL

Exactly. However a 'brine' isn't a brine, unless it's a 'brine'. Meaning, 1/4 cup salt per quart of water. (yeah yeah, I hear the type of salt matters, ********) I've used non iodized table salt 90% of the time, used Kosher the other 10%, NO difference other than the cost of the salt.

DB, the bottomline is a turkey (or piece of meat can only absorb so much), so the time isn't a factor until you think aboutt the texture of the meat........the longer you leave the 'meat' in the brine, the more it will break down and you will have 'spongy' textured meat.

If your brine is less that 1/4 -1/4 ratio, it's not a brine, it's more of a marinade. So soaking longer won't affect the finished product 'texture' as much. The Honey Apple Orang BS, that is raved about on TVWBB and by idiots like Scotty here, is simply NOT a brine, it's a marinade. Yes, it may be good, but it's not a 'brine'. I taught this to Wittdog a long time ago about smoking hardboiled eggs......... :LOL:
 
Well have to somewhat agree with Mr. Buckethead here. I cut my teeth on what is called a curing brine which requires enough salt in the water to float a raw egg. Seems like that happens somewhere around 3.5 cups of salt per gallon..and it makes stuff salty salty..as in needing boiling before you eat it just to get the salt out of it..like a country ham or corned beef for example.. A brine of 1 cup per gallon is called a "weak brine". I used to think that anything less than that is not a brine..but then I ran into the 1/2 cup per gallon hot water brine as is used by the Homo Chef in Big D..and it changed my mind. Half a cup of salt and a 1/4 cup of your favorite bbq rub per gallon of hot water will brine the snot out of something in two hours. Now do go back to agree the type of salt dont make any difference that I can tell either.
 
I'm glad this came up....I'm no expert, but my understanding is that brine
is a scientific formula. The salt ratio is important in order to work. I follow
recipes, and adjust herbs. I don't add soy sauce or salt based rubs or spices
because I'm afraid it will affect the formula.
 
Captain Morgan said:
I'm glad this came up....I'm no expert, but my understanding is that brine
is a scientific formula. The salt ratio is important in order to work. I follow
recipes, and adjust herbs. I don't add soy sauce or salt based rubs or spices
because I'm afraid it will affect the formula.

Is your salt greater than 1/4 cup per gallon? Or are you just saying recipies in general? just curious..
 
two years ago I made this brine from the TVWBB...it was staggeringly good.

Apple Brine For Turkey
2 quarts apple juice
1 pound brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
3 quarts cold water
3 oranges, quartered 4 ounces fresh ginger, unpeeled and thinly sliced
15 whole cloves
6 bay leaves
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Substitute 3/4 cup Morton Kosher Salt or 1/2 cup table salt for Diamond Crystal.

Combine apple juice, brown sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve. Boil for one minute, remove from heat, let mixture come to room temperature, then refrigerate to 40°F.

In a large non-reactive container, combine the apple juice mixture with the remaining ingredients. When adding the oranges, squeeze each piece to release the juice into the container, then drop in the peel.

Put the turkey in the brine breast side down (Photo 4). Place a heavy plate or bowl on top to keep the bird submerged, if necessary (Photo 5).

Brine the turkey for 24 hours. You may wish to stir the solution 2-3 times during the brining process. I'm not sure if this is necessary or if it actually does anything, but I like to do it anyway.
 
I've done the brine Cappy just posted a few times. It never fails. And I don't care if you want to call it a marinade or a brine, the turkey always comes out moist and tasty!
 
That would be one cup salt per 5 qts of liquid. According to the buckethead formula that would not qualify as a brine because of one quart too much liquid. Sorry. Now you might pick up some salt from the applejuice or something like that so it balances out. Sweating in it adds a lot of salt too. I think one part of the brining equation involves temps. Hot brine does the same thing as cold brine only faster and uses less salt to accomplish the same goal.
 
Well, we're about to find out. I just went out to throw a chicken on the grill and was looking for my stock pot. I don't think I've grilled anything in a week and a half since I got sick and was surviving on microwaved taquitos and Rice Chex for the last couple days. Found the stock pot on the back porch where I left it, opened the top, and there were a turkey breast and another piece I can't rightly identify offhand, still soaking in brine.

I got sick halfway through cooking a turkey a while ago and asked my wife to finish it up for me. She burned it for me and forgot about the stock pot with the remaining pieces.

I took off the lid and immediately thought to myself, TOXIC WASTE, when I decided to check my Accu-Weather for the last ten days. Hasn't gotten above 40 degrees in the whole time... the meat smells fresh... it's been brining for about ten days or so and I'm throwing it on the grill tonight.

Whatever happens happens. I'm on unemployment already and my COBRA's paid up, so if this means a trip to the ER it's all in the name of science.

Nevertheless, I'm still throwing my first deboned chicken stuffed with pineapple spears and various spices on the grill very soon thereafter, and will have a plastic bag in my pocket just in case when I try the turkey.

Sometimes I think always having a stock of homemade wine lying around the house is a bad idea, sometimes I think it leads to glory. We'll find out soon. I'll probably check in around midnight.
 
I got sicker than shit one time after ordering the "fish" at Old Chicago.....go figure......

food poisoning is not fun!

be careful with that chickin'. ha.
 
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