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Turkey Day Turkey brine ???

Posted By: amick

Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/25/16 07:43 PM

So, do you brine your turkey for Thanksgiving Day? I am frying a turkey and looking for brine recipes or tips. Does it make a difference if you add extras to the brine, etc?
Posted By: bill oxner

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/25/16 07:54 PM


Originally Posted By: bill oxner
This is a14 pound turkey that I bought Friday and put in a cooler.



I like to save all the skin I can so I'm careful about cutting the skin high on the back and thighs before removing the wings and legs.



It's pretty simple to pull the thigh all the way over the back util it pulls out.




Next I cut under the scapula or shoulder blades and pull them up, leaving the neck and backbone mostly unattached. I then simply grab the neck and pull.




This gives me a whole bone in turkey breast.




I don't stop there. I take breastbone out giving me a boneless turkey breast. This is the most difficult part because the skin adheres to the middle bone.




There you have it. I'll boil the ones to make my stock, bone out the legs for gumbo, and freeze the wings for soup or chicken salad. This was a six dollar turkey. I'll male at least 20 meals from it.

This turkey breast will be done in under an hour and a half. They come out better than a whole turkey because you don't have to wait on all the dark meat to get done and you can slice it across the grain.
Posted By: PMK

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/25/16 10:03 PM

my SIL does fried turkey several times a year. He leaves them whole and uses an OTC injection like Tony Chacheres Creole Style Butter but does NOT brine. His always comes out great!
Posted By: MacDaddy21

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/25/16 11:40 PM

I fry all mine with one of those awesome Waring rotisserie fryers, love that thing. I usually just season the outside of the bird and inject with some melted butter and they always turn out awesome.
Posted By: skinnerback

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/26/16 01:09 AM

I cook a lot of turkeys, frying them is my favorite. IMO - if you're going to fry don't brine it, inject it well with a seasoned marinade. You can buy it or make your own. If you wanna step it up, inject it once and let the bird hang out in the fridge and inject again before frying. I have learned you turn out a better product with brined birds if you smoke them or bake them, I prefer to smoke brined birds. Oil & water don't mix. FME brined birds that get fried don't hang onto much seasoning, but the injected birds do especially if you let them marinate overnight. My 2cents
Posted By: Herbie Hancock

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/26/16 02:09 PM

Tony Chacheres Creole Style Butter is pretty good with frying your bird. Or you can do what we do, just do a breast to say we had turkey and grill steaks.
Posted By: bill oxner

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/26/16 02:12 PM

I think frying a turkey is more of an event.
Posted By: skinnerback

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/26/16 02:44 PM

Originally Posted By: bill oxner
I think frying a turkey is more of an event.


I fry turkeys because the crisp fried skin is delicious, and the meat is flavorful and juicy. It's not an event to me, it's goodness.
Posted By: Herbie Hancock

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/26/16 02:47 PM

Originally Posted By: skinnerback
I fry turkeys because the crisp fried skin is delicious, and the meat is flavorful and juicy. It's not an event to me, it's goodness.


BOOM!
Posted By: driedmeat

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/26/16 03:00 PM

Originally Posted By: skinnerback
I cook a lot of turkeys, frying them is my favorite. IMO - if you're going to fry don't brine it, inject it well with a seasoned marinade. You can buy it or make your own. If you wanna step it up, inject it once and let the bird hang out in the fridge and inject again before frying. I have learned you turn out a better product with brined birds if you smoke them or bake them, I prefer to smoke brined birds. Oil & water don't mix. FME brined birds that get fried don't hang onto much seasoning, but the injected birds do especially if you let them marinate overnight. My 2cents


This ^^^.

I have an "oil less fryer" that I use on occasion to roast turkeys. I do brine the birds to cook in that...

this is the brine recipe I use...

1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt (little less if table salt)
1/2 cup brown sugar
fresh garlic cloves
black pepper corns
use 1 quart per pound and 1 hour in brine per pound.

bring water to simmer, add seasonings and stir to dissolve salt/sugar.
Allow to cool and chill completely before you brine the bird.
Posted By: MacDaddy21

Re: Turkey Day Turkey brine ??? - 10/26/16 06:03 PM

Originally Posted By: skinnerback
Originally Posted By: bill oxner
I think frying a turkey is more of an event.


I fry turkeys because the crisp fried skin is delicious, and the meat is flavorful and juicy. It's not an event to me, it's goodness.


Also because its the fastest cooking method, at least with my rotisserie fryer. An 18-20lb turkey is done in a little over an hour. Cant beat it. If the turkey fryer comes off the shelf, it sees two birds each time. Thanksgiving leftovers are one of my all time favorites!
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