the last thing anyone wants to think about right now is turkey, but i've got some q's about brines.

W

wildwoods

Well-known member
first - what do you like to use? i've read about plain salt and water, as well as combinations of whole spices, garlic, oranges...i brined for the first time this year and was pleased with the results but i didn't find the flavor of the additions carried over to the bird at all. it brined for a good 14 hours.

second - do you still use the drippings for gravy? obviously they're super salty, so my gravy ended up saltier than i would have liked. any tips?

third - how long do you brine for? cooks illustrated stated maximum 14 hrs, but other books say up to a couple days.

i know alot of you brine, so i'm hoping you can enlighten me smileys/smile.gif

 
I do mine every year in water, honey, kosher and herbs.

Just rinse it before you roast it. You are probably putting too much salt in. I brined for 12 hours this time, but my recipe calls for up to 18. Once I finish brining, I rinse the turkey and I always use the drippings. I baste 1 cup per 1/2 hour or so (if I'm not distracted by pouring myself another drink) and I use the wonderful drippings for gravy.

 
Here is one that I have had success with

Brine
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 gallons cold water

I usually put the turkey in the brine the night before I am planning to roast it. I rinse and dry it before putting it in the oven.

 
I use this recipe every year, the gravy is not all that salty

I just make sure that I don't use any salt when making the turkey stock for gravy, so it sort of evens out.

Brine and turkey
1 18- to 20-pound turkey
7 quarts water
2 cups coarse salt (about 9 ounces)
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
2 bunches fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh sage

Combine 7 quarts water, salt, sugar, molasses, 1 bunch thyme, and 1/2 bunch sage in large bowl or pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Let cool. Pour brine over turkey
brine for 18 hours

martha stewart

 
My base brine is the same as rhowards2va's, but...

I always add to it. I've added pickling spices, roasted garlic, rosemary, sugar, bay leaf...just start with that basic brine of 1/4 cup salt to each quart of water. Turkeys do well brined 24 hours, however chickens need to come out after a few hours, say up to 8. After rinsing, we season the bird inside with additional celery, carrots, onions, garlic and rosemary and roast it unstuffed. The pan drippings are fine for gravy. I think you may have over-salted your brine as well.

 
thanks all, the rec called for 1/2c salt per gallon H2O for an overnight brine...

and that was a cook's illustrated rec (usually very trustworthy). we had a 13-14lb bird and used a good 2 gallons of water with 1 cup table salt, along with some seasonings. i'm canadian enough (and young enough smileys/wink.gif ) that quarts and gallons don't mean much to me...got dh to do the converting, maybe he fudged it a little?!

 
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