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Tell the Pack: Brine your turkey

dorndawg

dorndawg

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Turkey has always been pretty boring to me, but brining it before cooking really makes a difference. For years I've been using this wet brine for roasted turkey with good results; they gravy is outstanding as well.

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Brined and Roasted Turkey

Get Brined and Roasted Turkey Recipe from Food Network
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I hear plenty good things about dry brining as well, but haven't fooled with it. I keep meaning to snag a turkey breast to throw on the smoker for sammiches etc.
 
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macpappy

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It absolutely makes a difference(salt, brown sugar, and Montreal steak seasoning)! 2 other things
1. Don't overcook the poor bird. Breast at 165 and thighs at 160.
2. Pull it off at the above temps and stick in the oven(that is off but has been slightly warmed) to rest for about 20-30 minutes. If you cut the turkey when it's still piping hot all the juices end up in the pan.
 
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patdog

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macpappy said:
1. Don't overcook the poor bird. Breast at 165 and thighs at 160.
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THIS! As far as brining the turkey, it's really a matter of personal preference. I just mix up a dry brine of salt, pepper, garlic, and maybe some paprika or chili powder and rub it under the skin the night before cooking. But really, get yourself a good wireless meat thermometer and cook the bird to 160-165 temp and you'll have a good turkey almost no matter what else you do. Overcook it and nothing else will matter anyway.
 
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PooPopsBaldHead

PooPopsBaldHead

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Hungry National Lampoons Christmas Vacation GIF by Max
 
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patdog

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Lucifer Morningstar said:
Just fry it then there is no need to brine it. Just seems like a lot of extra work, but everyone has different tastes.
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I quit frying turkeys when I realized the cost of the oil was more than the cost of the turkey. A good smoked turkey is just as good, and a lot cheaper and easier. But yeah, fried turkey is really good. My brother in law air fried one last Thanksgiving and it was very good too.
 
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greenbean.sixpack

greenbean.sixpack

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Yes brining makes a big different, but don't roast, smoke or preferable fry. Either way, inject the heck out of it.

Brining chicken breasts makes a big difference too.
 
Lucifer Morningstar

Lucifer Morningstar

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patdog said:
I quit frying turkeys when I realized the cost of the oil was more than the cost of the turkey. A good smoked turkey is just as good, and a lot cheaper and easier. But yeah, fried turkey is really good. My brother in law air fried one last Thanksgiving and it was very good too.
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I have always thought I only fry 5 to 10 turkeys every year for this holiday so who cares how much the oil costs if it tastes better. But that is just one devil's opinion, and I am probably wrong.
 
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horshack.sixpack

horshack.sixpack

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patdog said:
I quit frying turkeys when I realized the cost of the oil was more than the cost of the turkey. A good smoked turkey is just as good, and a lot cheaper and easier. But yeah, fried turkey is really good. My brother in law air fried one last Thanksgiving and it was very good too.
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I've not seen an air fryer big enough to do this. Impressive.
 
Lucifer Morningstar

Lucifer Morningstar

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patdog said:
You're not wrong. That's a very valid opinion.
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Also, I have become the family contact point for fried turkey. Which I do not mind, but I guess I really stopped brining because I ran out of room to do so. I will end up cooking three turkeys for the actual thanksgiving meal plus I will have several extended family members and friends want me to do one for them and pick it up. I do not mind it as it buys me a chance to stand outside, and I use to drink beer but now water, while the family yacks on about whatever they have going on.
 
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PooPopsBaldHead

PooPopsBaldHead

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I'm going to dry brine that bird for 24 hours in the fridge and throw it on the rotisserie on my Kamado.

Pro tip: (If you are roasting not frying)
If dry brining, for every tablespoon of salt add a teaspoon of aluminum free baking powder to the brine. If you wet brine, dry it real good with paper towels and dust with baking powder and let it sit in the fridge overnight uncovered. Absolutely the best skin ever. It gives you those little crispy blisters that are so good
 
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seshomoru

seshomoru

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There is so much bad advice in this thread already.

1. Spatchcock it if you want, but that really only means you can cook it at a higher temperature. Don't worry about this if you have the time.

2. Dry brine overnight at a minimum. I prefer 24 hours. Use whatever you think tastes good, but it has to have salt.

3. Smoke breast up at 250 with a probe in the thickest part of the breast. Pellet smokers are great for turkeys if you have one. If you spatchcocked it you can cook it at 350 (but it'll get done in like one to one & a half hours).

4. Pull it off at 150 and let it rest. The legs and thighs should have reached a higher temp, hopefully 165-170, which they can handle because they are the fattier part of the bird. Whoever tells you to cook the breast to 165 has a family that lies to them about how good their turkey is every year.

5. Don't carve it like an idiot and don't use an electric knife. You just cooked the best turkey anybody at your table will have eaten. Don't chainsaw it to its second death.
 
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dorndawg

dorndawg

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seshomoru said:
I got to cook the breast to 165 and the thighs to 160 and had a mini stroke.
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165 is USDA recommendation for turkey, If you cook your breast to a higher temp, you are running the risk of drying it out, and it happens quick.

160 is low for dark meat but with a good 30-45 minute rest, residual heat will get you to 165-170. I prefer dark meat more like 175-180.
 
seshomoru

seshomoru

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dorndawg said:
165 is USDA recommendation for turkey,
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Nope. 165 is the temp at which all turkey with a fat content of 12% or less reaches lethality instantly. Lethality for salmonella, not the people eating your turkey (which won't be many if you cook the breast to 165).

You need just 3.8 minutes at 150 to hit lethality in 1% fat turkey. 4.9 minutes for 12% which won't matter because the dark meat will be 160+ by that time anyway if you cook it right.

FSIS cooking guidline
 
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PooPopsBaldHead

PooPopsBaldHead

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seshomoru said:
4. Pull it off at 150 and let it rest. The legs and thighs should have reached a higher temp, hopefully 165-170, which they can handle because they are the fattier part of the bird. Whoever tells you to cook the breast to 165 has a family that lies to them about how good their turkey is every year.
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Agreed... On a smoker anyway.

As probably the only idiot on the board who has put together an approved HCAPP plan for a food establishment in the last year that involved using a smoker, 165° is too far. All we are trying to do is pasteurize the meat.

Salmonella is killed in less than 10 seconds at 165° it's also killed in about 2- 3 minutes at 150°. If you are cooking above 225°, the carry overly after you take it off will definitely carry you past 150° for more than 5 minutes..

The sous vide folks have it figured out. Same would apply to a smoker. Faster methods such as frying are okay to go to 165°. It hasn't spent 2 hours slowly drying out and plenty of moisture will be retained, especially since there is nowhere for it to go.

1000016397.png

So smoke or slow roast to 150-155° or fry to 165° and enjoy.
 
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patdog

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seshomoru said:
Nope. 165 is the temp at which all turkey with a fat content of 12% or less reaches lethality instantly. Lethality for salmonella, not the people eating your turkey (which won't be many if you cook the breast to 165).

You need just 3.8 minutes at 150 to hit lethality in 1% fat turkey. 4.9 minutes for 12% which won't matter because the dark meat will be 160+ by that time anyway if you cook it right.

FSIS cooking guidline
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Just chill. I can assure a turkey cooked to 160 degrees will still taste delicious and moist. As long as you don't go over 165, you're fine.
 
dorndawg

dorndawg

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seshomoru said:
Nope. 165 is the temp at which all turkey with a fat content of 12% or less reaches lethality instantly. Lethality for salmonella, not the people eating your turkey (which won't be many if you cook the breast to 165).

You need just 3.8 minutes at 150 to hit lethality in 1% fat turkey. 4.9 minutes for 12% which won't matter because the dark meat will be 160+ by that time anyway if you cook it right.

FSIS cooking guidline
Click to expand...
If someone wants to flirt with medium rare turkey, it's a free country. As for me and my house...

All poultry: Cook poultry (ground or whole) to an internal temperature of 165 F as measured with a food thermometer. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2022/10/03/cooking-meat-it-done-yet
 
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Dawgbite

Dawgbite

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Butterball makes a Turkey roast. It’s basically the boneless turkey like you would see in a deli for slicing But raw. You can find different flavors from regular herb to Cajun. Since I discovered those I never cook a whole turkey or breast. It’s better tasting and zero waste. For those frying, when I did fry I would go to the local fish house and ask them for 5 gallons of their used oil. They changed the fryers ever day and we’re happy to give it to me. I even had a choice from the oil from the fish fryer or the fry/ hush puppy fryer.
 
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greenbean.sixpack

greenbean.sixpack

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Dawgbite said:
Butterball makes a Turkey roast. It’s basically the boneless turkey like you would see in a deli for slicing But raw. You can find different flavors from regular herb to Cajun. Since I discovered those I never cook a whole turkey or breast. It’s better tasting and zero waste. For those frying, when I did fry I would go to the local fish house and ask them for 5 gallons of their used oil. They changed the fryers ever day and we’re happy to give it to me. I even had a choice from the oil from the fish fryer or the fry/ hush puppy fryer.
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Saw those at Costco, but we were concerned "roast" as code for an amalgamation of turkey meat.
 
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