Brining food is the most crucial part and forms the initial step of the smoking procedure. It dehydrates the food and also locks in the flavors. In earlier times, this process was used to preserve food. It comprises of three fundamental ingredients salt, sugar and molasses in some recipes. The prime ingredient is of course the pure non-iodized salt as the iodized salt can spoil the taste of the brine and bring in a metallic flavor. Brining foods requires no extraordinary expertise and so is true for turkey as well. Brining a turkey is the best way to create the most succulent, appetizing thanksgiving delight and its taste is bound to stay on till the next holiday season. So, let’s check out the process for brining a turkey.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 2-3 hours
Resources Required:
- Turkey
- Cold water
- Non iodized salt – a cup of non-iodized salt for every gallon of water
- Brown sugar
- A non-reactive or a container which does not react to the salts and which is big enough to fit into your refrigerator and soaks the turkey entirely. A stainless steel, plastic or glass container can be used
- Various herbs and spices to be added to the brine (optional)
- Flavorings if required can be added
Instructions:
1. Making the brine:
- Soak the turkey in the salt water solution till it is fully immersed. This process helps in locking the flavors and moisture in the turkey and also decreases the protein content found in the meat and makes it more tender and juicy to bite.
- To start with, take the required container and add in cold water and salt in the right proportions, mix well till the salt is dissolved in the water. You can check this by floating an egg in the salted water. If the salt is completely dissolved, the egg floats. Thus, it is a good indicator of this process.
- Add brown sugar in it as this would help in giving the turkey meat that distinct sweetness.
- At this point, you can add the additional flavors and chopped herbs as required. If the salt does not dissolve, then you can try heating the water up a little but remember to cool it down to the room temperature before you begin the next process.
2. Soak The turkey in brine
- Once the brine is prepared with the help of the above method, it is time to take your turkey for a swim.
- Put in the cleaned turkey into the container. The turkey must be kept in a way that the breasts of the bird should be facing down. This ensures the flavors to seep in.
- Pour the brine over it slowly and ensure the brine stands at least 2 inches above the turkey. Keep flipping and rotating it in between the brining process to make sure that all the parts are well soaked. This can be kept in the fridge or any cooler place for the rest of the process as low temperature helps the turkey to soak in the brine better and keeps the temperature unchanged.
3. Find out the soaking time
- The approximate soaking time for a turkey would be an hour but the time varies with the weight of the turkey. You can also try experimenting with different concentrations of brine solutions to speed up the process of soaking.
- Once the soaking is done, take out the turkey and rinse thoroughly under cold water and pat it dry using a kitchen towel. Now the turkey is ready to be roasted in oven or it can be stored away in the refrigerator for using it later.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What are the benefits of brining?
Brining a turkey locks in the moisture even when the meat is overdone and retains its juicy flavor. This process also saves time as the water soaked into the meat helps in retaining heat and accelerates the cooking process.
2. Is brining turkey a time-consuming process?
You can brine the turkey for about 12â24 hours depending on its weight; approximately it is an hour for every pound of meat. So, the time can be calculated accordingly. Perfect timing is a necessity to get the right brined turkey as over-brining or under-brining the turkey would change it taste and quality.
Quick Tips:
- Make brine solution before and soak the turkey in the chilled solution for better results.
- Soak the turkey properly and make it swim to get that right yummy output.
Things To Watch Out For:
Cool the brine in case you heated it before soaking the turkey in it as warm temperature encourages the growth of harmful bacteria.
