Turkey Talk
You’ve probably heard about brining, soaking meat in salt water to help keep it moist during cooking, or particularly during overcooking.
This is a useful extra step for roast turkey, because it’s hard to cook the awkward shaped beast so that everything is perfectly cooked at the same time.
Brining can be as simple as salt and hot water. A general formula is 1 to 2 cups of salt for every two gallons of water. (Note that 1 cup of table salt is equivalent to 1½ t o 2 cups kosher salt.)
Use enough water to cover the bird (unlike the photo above), keep it refrigerated, and soak it 8 hours. Make sure to remove it from the brine after that or it may get too salty.
A half-cup sugar in every 2 gallons is a popular addition to the recipe, and a brine can add flavorings, too, such as herbs.
Below is a brining recipe from Ocean Spray with a new flavoring perfect for Thanksgiving: cranberry juice. This one goes heavy on the sugar, especially considering the use of the juice. The sugar can be reduced if desired.
White Cranberry Brined Turkey
2 64-ounce bottles White Cranberry Juice Drink
1 gallon water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
8 cloves garlic, crushed
8 bay leaves
1 8- to 12-pound whole turkey, neck, and giblets reserved for another use
1. Mix all ingredients, except turkey, in a 13 1/2-quart stockpot until salt and sugar are mostly dissolved. Submerge turkey in brine. Refrigerate turkey in covered stockpot for 12 to 18 hours.
2. Discard brine. Dry turkey with paper towels.
3. Grill turkey over medium indirect heat with a drip pan under the grill. Grill an 8 to 12 pound turkey for 2 to 3 hours or until internal temperature of thigh reaches 180 degrees. Or roast unstuffed turkey in an open foil-lined roaster pan at 325 degrees. Roast an 8 to 12 pound turkey 2 3/4 to 3 hours or until internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees.
(Photo from Ocean Spray.)
