Brining Turkey

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.