Brining Turkey (Why the Heck Am I Considering This Again?)

on November 11, 2009 at 5:03 PM

holiday entertaining guide

thanksgiving turkey Do you remember last Thanksgiving when I wrote about brining my roast turkey? It was one of those experiences that seems like a good idea at the time, but turns out to be a total complete and total disaster...

Brining is a process by which you submerge a turkey (or other poultry product) in a sugar-salt-water bath for up to 24 hours. People say that brining a turkey produces the tenderest, most flavorful, most juicy turkey they've ever had.

But it's a messy, time-consuming process. And at the end of the day, I had gallons of water on the floor and a bunch of guests who couldn't tell the different between the brined turkey and a regular one.

So why am I thinking about doing it again this year? Because brining gives the turkey that something extra. You know how we always remember the good things about the past and tend to forget the bad and the watery? I think that's happening this year with the Thanksgiving bird.

But I'm going to learn from my mistakes and try a dry brine (instead of a water bath). The New York Times has an easy recipe for Dry-Brined Turkey: You simply rub the bird all over with 1/2 cup of salt two days before serving, wrap the turkey in plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator.

No water, no baths, no swear words are involved.

Do you brine your turkey?

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About the author Kim Conte

has shoes that make people stop her on the street and ask "Where did you get those?" but it doesn't work for taxi cabs as she was hit by one ... and lived to tell the tale. She has more freckles than Lohan but way less attitude. And she's a fierce cook with tons of recipes to share -- and wishes she could share some with Bourdain.

Filed Under: entertaining, food, holiday entertaining, recipes, suggestions

Comments (5)

CM.Ult.Cookbook

on Nov 11, 2009 at 6:13 PM

LOL!! Yep, I brine my turkey, but I let it sit in it's marinade in an oven bag, in it's roasting pan. It'll help save on the mess, if you ever want to use a wet brine again. angel mini XXOO

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LuminousMom

on Nov 11, 2009 at 10:39 PM

yes! I use a cooler, fill it with ice and my brining liquid, and place it in the (unheated uninsulated) laundry room. It stays no more than 40* in that room so the ice never really melts and its the perfect temp to keep the turkey safe. (Alton brown suggests leaving the cooler outside if you live somewhere cold, but my dogs would make quick work of that.) I can tell the difference... I know my mom could, she makes DRY turkey and she was raving about mine last year! I think its worth the extra step. PLUS.. if your turkey isnt 100% thawed it helps with that too.

Cafe Kim

on Nov 12, 2009 at 8:11 AM

Ohhhh, brining in a cooler is a great idea!

MybabyKisses

on Nov 13, 2009 at 9:56 AM

I brined my turkey last year and it was wonderful. I did not experience a mess but I used a cooler as well. I dont know about the dry brine seeing that I really dont have room in my fridge for the turkey anyways...the cooler is great!

Nonmember comment from Q-holic

on Nov 18, 2009 at 12:13 PM

Something to consider if you are thinking about using a wet brine is to get a natural turkey you do not want a self basting turkey. Look for the words "natural", "no additives", and "minimally processed" on the label.