Potential Turkey Disaster

Tom Sellecks Mustache

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I was all set to use a Butterball like we do every year when my buddy hit me up and asked if I wanted a near 24 pound all natural organic free range etc. bird.

Of course, I said yes and got my Butterball back in the freezer, but now I'm left with a bird that should be brined, but I don't have the time or ability to brine.

We're already planning on doing more injections that normal and getting more onions and stuffing into the cavity to keep it as moist as possible.

Am I setting me and my family up for failure, or is there something more we can do to make sure we don't end dry and tasteless bird?
 
How are you cooking the bird? smoking it? Honestly if its anything like chicken I haven't pulled off a bird from a smoker that wasn't nice and moist!
 
Try a dry brine; basically salt the bird and let it sit in the fridge. I don't know if the stuffing will make it more moist or slow the cooking down possibly allowing the breasts to overcook. I'd probably ice the breasts prior to cooking with a bird that size regardless.
 
Injecting the brine will work, so will dry brining and then injecting butter/oil with some seasonings. If you work fast, you can still get it brined for a few hours.
 
If you inject it now, it will have more time to work its magic, just as a brine would. Injection gets better penetration than a regular brine anyways. The biggest thing is not to overcook it, but you probably know that already. For a big bird I go to 155 in the breast, then rest.
 
or you could just cook the bird at a constant temperature and pull when the thickest part of the breast reaches 155 then pull and rest. after 20 minutes of being covered in foil the temp will be 165. i suggest 325 to 350.
 
I've always thought that stuffing pulls the moisture out of a bird, that's why it is mush and the bird is dry. I'd inject and leave the stuffing out.
 
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