brining turkey
Let’s be honest…a natural turkey can be very dry and bland, especially the white meat. [1]
Rinse turkey under cool running water, inside and out (remove giblets from body cavity). [2]
A turkey can be a serious investment in time so you want to make sure it is perfect, especially if you’re entertaining. [3]
This topic explains how brining works, which cuts of meat benefit most from brining, and concludes with a couple of recipes to get you started. [4]
She said, “I will never, ever roast a holiday turkey without brining again. [5]
Traditionally we’ve used gravy to address this problem, but recently people have been turning to flavor brining to add moisture and flavor to whole turkey. [...] The brine I’ve used here couldn’t be simpler–just water, kosher salt, and brown sugar. [1]
You will need at least 10 to 12 hours (plan on 1 hour per pound of turkey), a container large enough to hold your turkey and enough brine to cover it. [3]
They’ve created a brine with sugar, salt, and just a few seasonings that infuse loads of flavor into the meats. [6]
In my opinion, turkey always tastes best with a dab of cranberry sauce on it, so I decided to to include that wonderful taste in a brine. [7]
Brining or salting is a way of increasing the moisture holding capacity of meat resulting in a moister product when it is cooked. [8]
Brining is a popular method for improving the flavor and moisture content of lean meats like chicken, turkey, pork and seafood. [...] This is important when cold smoking brined meat at temperatures below 140?F or when smoking a large brined turkey that might not reach 140?F internal temperature within the first 4 hours of cooking. [4]
Because the turkey sits overnight in a tub of salted water, brining also ensures that all parts of the turkey are at the same temperature. [5]
The mixture adds flavor and moisture to the meat, but does not make the meat taste overly salty or sweet. [1]
Sources:
[1] Whole Turkey Basic Brine
[2] Brine: Ultimate Brine for Turkey
[3] Brining Turkey - About.com
[4] All About Brining
[5] How to Brine a Turkey - The Pitmaster
[6] Brine for Pork, Chicken, and Turkey
[7] Turkey With Cranberry Brine Recipe
[8] Guidelines for Brining Chicken and Turkey - What’s Cooking …