That time of the year... turkey brine

[smokeisgood]

Over all the years I've been smoking beef, chicken and pork, I have never done a turkey. So I'm doing one this year. What is the best brine to use, a homemade brine or a brine mix from someone like Kosmos? I was also looking at Kinder's Butchers' Brine because I can get it at Wally World instead of ordering it. Anyone ever use it? Suggestions are appreciated... I am going to go with Heath Riles Everyday Rub with some honey and pecan rubs lightly over that. Or should I skip the brine and just inject the heck out of it?

 

[ssv3]

Had great results with this one from brethren John.

http://www.patiodaddiobbq.com/2009/11/ultimate-thanksgiving-turkey-brine.html

This year I'm trying this one

 

[SirPorkaLot]

 

[sudsandswine]

For a more "traditional" turkey, I really like the Urban Accents turkey brine kit. It's available a lot of places - I pick it up at Costco for about $7 which is a good bit cheaper than I've seen it anywhere else.

https://costcocouple.com/urban-accents-gourmet-gobbler-turkey-brining-kit/

I normally don't like messing with wet/immersion brines and typically employ dry brines for poultry and pork, but the Urban Accents kit comes with a heavy duty brining bag and all the brine spices and turkey seasonings needed. I really like the flavor and juiciness I get on the bird.

For dry brines I've used Harvest Brine mentioned above, that always gets good reviews from guests. One year I used Oakridge BBQ Smokey Chile Lime on a turkey I took to a Tday gathering and it worked well too. Smokey Chile Lime isn't really a "brine", but it has salt in it and my experience is a healthy coating left on a day or two gets me similar benefits.

 

[rque]

I did a test smoke a couple weeks ago on some turkey thighs with a simple apple cider brine and it worked well so I think I’ll be trying some homemade brine. Interested to see what else people are doing, I’ve never smoked a whole turkey either.

 

[frognot]

How hard do you want to work and how big a mess do you want to deal with?

I'm old, fat and lazy and a big believer in Harvest Brine.

Naturiffic Harvest Brine (see above) is the fastest, easiest and tastiest way I know to brine a turkey.

 

[WilliamKY]

I also recommend Harvest Brine but I do have a brand new Ace Hardware 5gal bucket and lid for when I want to get nostalgic. Good luck.

 

[smokeisgood]

Dry brining is something I've never done.

 

[Jlems]

Did a test run on a 14 pound bird last week, simple overnight brine of even parts salt and sugar (2 C each) and I can’t say if a more complex brine adds much, but this brine along with a fair amount of seasoning and butter under the skin resulted in an incredibly juicy and tasty meal. White breast meat was just insanely tender.

 

[oldgfbbq]

I am an advocate for wet brines in spite of the mess they can create. We have settled on two at our house and there are untold numbers of others to use as a guide. One suggestion for wet brine newbes, determine how much brine you will need by measuring with the actual container and turkey you intend to use/cook. (ie. put the turkey in bucket, cover with water, measure how much it took) Then, scale the brine recipe accordingly to ensure you have enough.



I like to use these buckets from wallyworld because they are cheap, can be recycled easily or kept for next year. I usually line the bucket with a garbage bag to aid the clean up.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/United-S...-PN0149-Comfort-Handle/407475628?athbdg=L1600


This is from Emeril though posted by someone else. Have used this since 2006.
https://www.food.com/recipe/southwestern-turkey-in-brine-funky-bird-335138


This one is from Guy Fieri. Have used a modified version since 2010.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/mean-green-turkey-machine-recipe-1920774
My mods are: Have used pablano rather than pasilla peppers; use triple the tequila (a cheap one) and let the alcohol burn off, leaving a little more of the flavor; don't make the gravy; cook mine in the smoker rather than oven.


My last suggestion is to cook an experimental recipe if you have room in the smoker/oven. It's a little more work, but can be great fun trying something radical. The Emeril recipe above started as experimental and has been enjoyed since.

 

[tom b]

this is all i use any more

 

[oldgfbbq]

When dry brining, do you put any of the goodies inside the bird, or only on the outside?

 

[tom b]

^^^ under skin and on top also

 

[oldgfbbq]

Had great results with this one from brethren John.

http://www.patiodaddiobbq.com/2009/11/ultimate-thanksgiving-turkey-brine.html

Thanks, now I have new brine recipes to try

 

[93_confirmed]

I have been doing a salt only dry brine for the past few years and the turkey is awesome. I follow Meathead's process.

 

[mike243]

A bird that's already been injected when they processed it will have a lot less flavor when brining, a injection will get it pumped into it. just got to watch the salt

 

[redchaserron]

I do a wet brine, just under a cup of salt per gallon of water, same with sugar, I also toss in some satsumas cut in half and squeezed just because I have a lot of them on my tree. I'll also toss in some sprigs of rosemary. I make an ice/water slush in either an ice chest or a 5 gal water cooler. Everything stays cold and icey.

 

[Jwhitt]

I'm trying Harvest brine for the first time as per a thread I was reading here several weeks ago. It also discussed cooking the turkey upright, beer can fashion but I cant find it at the moment. One of you bumped a turkey thread link with pictures and all but I forgot to save it.

 

[smokeisgood]

Well thanks for the responses, UI'll keep them in mind to try later on, but I think with evverything that is going on that day in my household, I'm just going to inject. The wife is doing an 18 lb bird in the over, and I'm doing a 17lb. bird on the smoker. Still haven't figured out the temperature differential between my CyberQ and Maverick XR50, 2 grill thermometers side by side in the pit have a 20-25 degree variance, so my new Fireboard 2 drive is arriving today to replace them.

 

[93_confirmed]

Dry brining is something I've never done.

Dry brining works really well and it's clean and easy. That's what Ive been doing for the last few years and get rave reviews on the turkey. I follow Meathead's process. I also use an herb/garlic butter baste during the cook.