Turkey Time...Brining?

If you have done any research in any current of the food publications, you have noticed that this year, it is all about brining. I'm a bit of a newbie to brining, but I know it works. Why is brining all the rage? It's because it's the best way to maintain the moisture and infuse flavor into your dish. 

Brining is similar to marination, but is centered around a strong salt solution: the brine. It uses osmosis to penetrate the food to lock moisture in by hydrating the molecules. If you want a more scientific explanation, go to the best food scientist himself Alton Brown, see how he does it here and here. 

To brine you need salt, water, and a container large enough to hold your turkey. It's recommended that you brine one hour per lb of turkey, however if you have a recipe for a specific timing for the brine, please follow those directions. However, we know that a normal brine isn't good enough for us. Here is what Food Network says about brining:

"The purpose of brining is to tenderize the meat while adding flavor. A solution of salt is dissolved in water and meat is then submerged for a set amount of time, changing the cell structure and making it more moist and, often, more flavorful. The basic formula for a brine is 1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups kosher salt for every gallon of liquid (whether water, juice, stock or beer). You can also add sugar and any other seasonings to taste; try herbs, garlic or peppercorns. Brining saturates the meat with the flavor of these seasonings. Unlike marinating, which flavors the outside, brining gives you deeper flavor and increased moisture.

The larger the meat, the longer it should brine; while shrimp only need about half an hour, a whole turkey takes 6 to 8 hours or so. Add ice to the brine to keep it under 40 degrees Fahrenheit in case you don't have room in the refrigerator.

Once you're done brining, remove the meat from the brine, pat it dry and cook it the same way you would otherwise."

 We need to add something, like a spice or flavor beyond salt and water. Here are a few brines that would work great for you whatever flavor profile you're looking for. 

Turkey Brine
courtesy of Sheri Gailey via allrecipes.com

ingredients

• 1 gallon vegetable broth
  
• 1 cup sea salt
  
• 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
  
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
  
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  
• 1 tablespoon dried savory
  
• 1 gallon ice water
  

directions

1. In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
   
2. When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.
   
3. Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.
   
4. Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine.
   
5. Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.
   

Out of this World Turkey Brine

courtesy of allrecipes.com

ingredients

• 2 gallons water
  
• 1 1/2 cups canning salt
  
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
  

directions

1. In a large bucket or container large enough to hold your turkey, mix together the water, salt, garlic, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. 
2. Store in a refrigerator, and soak turkey for 2 days before smoking or roasting.
   
3. Roast turkey as you normally would. 

Finally, here is a start to finish turkey recipe with a gravy.

Brined and Roasted Turkey

courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

ingredients

• 1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey
  
• Brine, recipe follows
  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths
  
• 1 large orange, cut into 8ths
  
• 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 2 sprigs thyme
  
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting

Brine:

• 1 cup salt
  
• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 2 oranges, quartered
  
• 2 lemons, quartered
  
• 6 sprigs thyme
  
• 4 sprigs rosemary
  

To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary.

Turkey Broth:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• Reserved turkey neck and giblets
  
• 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 large celery stalk, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 small bay leaf
  
• 3 cups turkey stock, chicken stock, or canned low-salt chicken broth
  
• 3 cups water
  

Gravy:

• 4 cups turkey broth
  
• 1 cup dry white wine
  
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 1/4 cup flour
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

directions

1. Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve for the gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.
2. Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
4. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. 
5. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan, and rub on all sides with the butter. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and thyme. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.
6. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.
7. Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

[For the turkey broth: 

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard to the pan and saute until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. 
2. Add the chopped vegetables and bay leaf to the pan and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Pour the stock and 3 cups of water into the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the stock is reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour, adding the chopped liver to the pan during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
3. Strain the stock into a clean pot or large measuring cup. Pull the meat off the neck, chop the neck meat and giblets, and set aside.]

For the pan gravy: 

1. Pour the reserved turkey pan juices into a glass-measuring cup and skim off the fat. Place the roasting pan on 2 stovetop burners over medium heat add the pan juice and 1 cup turkey broth and the white wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining 3 cup of broth and bring to a simmer, then transfer to a measuring cup.
2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux. Add the hot stock, whisking constantly, then simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved neck meat and giblets to the pan and adjust seasoning, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Pour into a gravy boat and serve.

Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.

Happy Brining Everyone!