Brine a Turkey

Have you ever ordered roast turkey when dining in a really good restaurant with a great chef? If you have, then you’ve probably wondered how they manage to keep the meat so tender and moist. Is it a secret ingredient, or perhaps some amazing piece of hugely expensive, professional cooking equipment? Actually, it’s neither. It’s all done by brining!

Brining is the very simple and inexpensive process of “marinating” the bird in a salt solution infused with aromatic herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables. The salting process encourages very deep, cellular moisture penetration, which basically means less drying out during roasting...resulting in a moister bird.

Ingredients

 * 9-11 lb (4-5 kg) turkey
 * 10 pints (6 litres) cold water
 * 4 oz (125 g) Kosher salt
 * 7oz (200g) light brown sugar
 * 1 pint boiling water

Steps

 * 1) Make the brine solution two days before roasting. Dissolve the salt and brown sugar in the 1 pint of boiling water. Allow to cool and then refrigerate overnight.
 * 2) Mix the brine solution and cold water (and any other brining ingredients you want to use) in the container you are using. You can add spices and seasonings according to your own preferences and availability. You can even substitute some of the water with cold tea, fruit or vegetable juices, stock, cider, wine or even light beer. The choice is yours! Just have fun and experiment!
 * 3) [[Image:Brining the Turkey 7207.jpg|thumb]]Untie and remove any string or trussing that is attached to the turkey and then wash inside and out under cold water. Now sink the bird into the liquid, adding more water if necessary to completely submerge it. If the turkey keeps floating up, you'll need to find a way to weigh it down, such as a tray with something heavy placed on top of it.
 * 4) To cut down on the size of the container, try doing it without a pot or bucket so you can put it in the refrigerator. Try this simple step. Take two clean, fresh kitchen trash bags just off the roll or out of the box. Put one inside the other to make a double bag. Put the turkey inside the double bag and pour in the brine. squeeze the double bag until all the air is expelled. Tie off the top so it won't leak. Now, no matter which way you lay the turkey down it will be covered with brine. It will fit anywhere much easier and you won't have to worry about turning it half way through the process in the middle of the night. Just be careful when lifting it to pick it up from the bottom.
 * 5) [[Image:Bird + brine 4447.jpg|thumb]]Refrigerate or put into a cool place and leave it for at least 10 hours. Turn the turkey over at least once during this time. Ideally, the turkey should be kept refrigerated during the brining. If that isn't possible, keep the container (like a cooler box) somewhere cool such as in a basement. Ice packs or reusable gel packs may be used to maintain the temperature (but do not put ice directly into the brine as this will dilute the solution). The turkey and brine solution must be kept below 40° F /4° C.
 * 6) [[Image:Turkey_702.jpg|thumb]]Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse inside and out under cold water. Dry thoroughly using kitchen towel. Allow to come up to room temperature for an hour before you plan to roast. This helps to ensure proper and safe heat penetration.

Tips

 * Begin the process the day or night before as the turkey needs to soak for at least 10 hours.
 * You will need a container large enough to hold the turkey with enough brine to cover it.
 * If you are using a frozen turkey, it must be fully defrosted before the brining process begins. See How to Defrost a Turkey
 * Do not use a self-basting or Kosher turkey as both already have salt added.
 * One way of telling if you have enough salt in your brine is that a raw egg will float in it.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Defrost a Turkey
 * How to Roast a Turkey
 * How to Deep Fry a Turkey
 * How to Brine Meat

Sources and Citations

 * http://www.gourmet-food-revolution.com/index.html Original source of article. Shared with permission.