Clever idea: brine your turkey in a cooler

M

marilynfl

Moderator
This may be a no-brainer for most of you, but living down here where it's still 90 degrees during late fall, I couldn't imagine a scenario that involved brining outside of a refrigerator.

This also helps if your turkey is large, because the weight of it PLUS gallons of brining liquid are a strain on your refrigerator's shelving support.

Pick a cooler that is slightly bigger than your turkey. Place a brining bag inside another bag, insert your turkey, add your liquid and twist shut, removing as much air as possible. Pack the rest of the cooler with ice. Replenish ice as needed. Brine 12-24 hours, depending on size.

From "Real Simple" magazine, Nov 2014.

 
Brilliant! I have never brined a turkey...

because my daughters always insisted on a kosher bird (pre-brined, really, no fuss), because they said it tasted so much better. This year I have no daughters at home for Thanksgiving. This technique might just persuade me to brine. Perhaps.

 
Lana, I found the dry-brine on a spatchcocked turkey to work the best.

It doesn't weight as much (no water) and the baking time is ridiculously short when the backbone is removed.

Of course, you can't display the traditional whole roasted turkey.

I wet-brined for years...usually it helps, but once or twice the meat ended up a bit too mushy. I think it depends on what type of turkey you start out with. The ones that have worked the best are free-range natural turkeys...NOT Butterballs...I think those may be pre-brined.

 
Brining Turkey in Cooler

For the last 5 or 6 years my husband & I have hosted Thanksgiving for extended family (40+ people ) and have used our chest type cooler to brine. It works wonderful and really is much easier than large buckets and big pots. There is so much more room in cooler for ice. Even with larger coolers you just tighten your brine bag and liner garbage bag so that turkey is surrounded with brine solution. Depending on temperature , we place the cooler in mudroom or garage or outside ( cooler is covered with lid secured).

 
Oh, now that's an even better idea!

I love the dry rub chicken, and a flat turkey would be so much easier to deal with. I think that;s what I'll try this year. Thanks!

 
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