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Brining a Turkey – for Beginners
If you’ve never done it before, brining a turkey sounds daunting, but the process is simple – think of it as an enormous pot of marinade for your bird, infusing it with flavor and moisture before it goes into the oven. When stirring up your brine, consider what flavors go well in a turkey dinner; onions, apples, herbs like sage and rosemary – as with any marinade, feel free to play around with the ingredients, adding what you like and leaving out what you don’t. Wine, sugar, and all sorts of herbs and spices (think cinnamon, coriander, black pepper, star anise) are common in a turkey brine – if you’re apprehensive, go for a basic brine first, then add ingredients as you get comfortable with the process. Here are a few tips for first-timers:
If you plan to brine your turkey, plan ahead – ensure the turkey is thawed (it’s OK if it’s still a bit frozen in the middle – it will finish thawing in the brine), and aim for about an hour of time in the brine per pound, or up to 24 hours. When you remove your turkey from its brine, toss it out (the brine, not the turkey), and pat the skin of the turkey dry with a paper towel to ensure it crisps up in the oven.
Basic Apple-Rosemary Turkey Brine
4 L chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups apple cider or juice
1 cup sea salt
1 onion, quartered
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
a few sprigs of fresh thymeIn a large pot, bring all the ingredients to a simmer; stir to dissolve the salt completely. Cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. Remove the innards from your turkey and rinse its cavity; put the turkey breast side down in the pot of brine and add enough water to bring the brine level up to just cover the turkey (you shouldn’t need more than another 4 L of water). Refrigerate for an hour per pound, or up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to roast your turkey, pull it out of the brine, drain it well and pat dry with paper towels in the roasting pan. Cook as you normally would, expecting to take about 30 minutes off the cooking time as the excess moisture will help conduct heat as it cooks.
Photo credit: istockphoto/photo4u2
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3 Comments
[...] Brining a Turkey for Beginners is a step-by-step guide that covers the basics of brining. [...]
Turkey Brining Recipes, Tips & Ideas | The Family Kitchen commented on Nov 23 10 at 1:08 pmLouise commented on Nov 23 10 at 5:06 pmBe careful if using a frozen turkey when brining – you can end up with a very salty bird! Frozen turkeys are often injected with a sodium solution and you are adding to the sodium content when you brine. Also gravy and stuffing become a bit more complicated. Here’s a great website that goes into a bit more detail: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/how-to-control-saltiness-after-brining/
Head Hunters en Mexico commented on Jan 29 12 at 4:34 pmBuscare el agregar este sitio si tienes un agregador rss , para estar al tanto de lo que se esta diciendo y opinando al respecto.
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