lhpfish185

Does bringing and injecting make sense? I brined last year, turkeys turned out nice - one smoked one oven. Is there any advantage to injecting + brine? Too salty? Just to much flavor?

Looking to try something different this year.

autobaun70

Only way it would make sense to me is if you are brining and then injecting with something like seasoned butter with no/little salt added. Wouldn't make much sense to inject anything salty.

YeOldeStonecat

Perhaps if you don't have enough time. Probably depend on ingredients also.
To me it's just another puncture hole for the meat to lose juices through. I'd rather start brining earlier. I like the usual stock with lots of fresh herbs and seasonings,, some white wine, some fresh local apple cider. Just careful when using wine and/or cider...the sugars in them can make the skin dark if you uncover early or do a quick heat flash to try to darken the skin.

Although this year I'm not brining, Going for old school tons of lightly herbed butter, including under the skin, and the butter soaked cheese cloth draped over for a while...frequent basting.

lhpfish185

Any reason you wouldn't brine first, then do the herbed butter + cheese cloth?

Chpsk8

If you brine make sure the bird you bought hasn’t already been brined. A lot of grocery store birds are already brined.
I smoke my birds and rarely inject. The ones I have done didn’t add enough to the flavor or moisture content so it wasn’t worth the effort.

pmichael

We cook two birds. Both are brined frozen in 5 gallon buckets with lids. We start Tuesday night and they defrost in the brine. We bake one without injection and fry one with a garlic butter little spicey sauce. Turns out great.

lhpfish185

How do you tell if a bird was prebrined?

autobaun70

Look on the package. Will say something along the lines of "XYZ % weight from ABC solution." Nearly all of them are mostly salt water.

clt_capt

I always brine. Helps to keep the turky juicy.

Las couple of years, I have been using a basic brine - Kosher salt, Brown Sugar, Garlic powder, Black Peppercorns for 1 bird, then Ham curing a second one.

The ham cure is the same base brine with cloves and Curing salt added

jtburf

Brine is Moisture.

Injection is flavor!!

LI_Nick

https://www.seriouseats.com/thanksgiving/turkey

Dry brine and spatchcock.

Only way I cook turkey anymore.

Fantastic website for the science behind cooking.

lugoismad

I beer brine mine in a 5 gallon bucket.

I buy about 10 tall boys of Honey Brown Ale. Mix that with 2lbs brown sugar, about a cup of sea salt, a whole can of peppercorns and some crushed garlic. Stick the turkey in that and then put it in the fridge for 48 hours.

lazyboi1212

Do you ladies make sandwiches for the men while your poking your poultry? Talk about feelings while cooking cranberries?

Thanksgiving is ladies work. Let them bitch and drink wine in the kitchen where they belong.
Stay away.

capcoe

I never brine or inject mine. Rub a little softened butter under the skin, salt and pepper the out side, stuff cavity with onions, carrots and celery leaves. Then smoke until done, always comes out juicy and tasty. I do put pan of apple juice under bird while smoking. Always use electronic meat thermometer to tell when done. Happy Thanksgiving All!

fishypete

Water, Apple cider, brown sugar, salt, cut up orange, peppercorns, garlic cloves and rosemary. One in the oven stuffed and one in the fryer (make sure that sucker is bone dry ).

YeOldeStonecat

Men do the big meat. You trust the ladies with a two and a half inch thick New York Strip on the grill?

YeOldeStonecat

Well....you have a valid question there. I may test that with a larger chicken first one day. To me...brining makes the meat great, but I miss the crispy skin....as brining tends to make the skin rubbery.
The old fashioned butter way...crisp skin...but more risk of dry meat.

I'm not sure if heavy butter esp with a drenched cheese cloth can overcome the rubbery skin from the brining...and bring it back to crispy, but I'll try on a large chicken for sure

autobaun70

rub mayonnaise on the skin.

waheero71

Guys, post some brine recipes please. I always cook ham for Thanksgiving (brisket a couple of years) but have never cook a whole turkey, I'm smoking one this year. I'm planning to injected with non salted butter and chipotle rub (The Bearded Butcher Chipotle seasoning) but I want to brine it for 24 hrs. What would be a balanced water/salt/sugar ratio you guys use. Thanks.

autobaun70

1-1.25 cups kosher salt and 1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar per gallon of water. I typically dial back sugar and use cheap concentrate apple juice for 1/2 of the liquid. I add pepper corns and bay leaves, but otherwise keep it simple.

to cook i stuff it with a mix of sliced yellow onion, red apple, rosemary, and a couple of cinnamon sticks. Cook at 400 on an indirect grill or oven until it hits 160. Rub skin before cooking with Mayo to make it crisp nicely.

after cooking I pull out the stuffing mix. Put about a cups or so worth in the blender (minus rosemary and cinnamon) with a can of jellied cranberry sauce (with chunky cranberries) and blend until smooth. Put that in a small pot and simmer for a bit to let flavors mesh. Basically makes a savory cranberry gravy.