Cover both turkeys in the rub mentioned above, Place your turkeys on the grill and cook until the internal thigh temperature reaches 165-170 F, Once they have reached temperature, take them off the grill and let them rest for around 20 minutes before carving. Brining, or soaking meat in a salt-water solution, uses the power of osmosis to force the turkey or other meat to draw up water into itself. And of course, we cooked our turkeys on one of our amazing wood fire pellet grills (we’re a bit biased when it comes to cooking methods), but the brine and rub recipes should be applicable regardless of your cooking style or appliance. HOW TO DRY BRINE A TURKEY. First, on the practical side, it can be tricky to brine a giant Thanksgiving turkey since it needs to be submerged in the liquid, so you need a food-grade container significantly larger than the turkey. If using an oven, cook until the internal temp of the thigh is 165-170 F. Both turkeys turned out great! What Turkey Should You Buy for Your Feast? Looking for new dinner recipes? A 15 pound turkey would brine for 15 hours. version of the turkey was delicious in its own right, but if you do have a little more time for turkey prep this year, we definitely recommend giving brining a shot! The cons are practical and, to some minds, culinary. The New York Times food writer Harold McGee says he doesn't brine, because "the collateral damage it does outweighs its advantages. As Harold McGee, renowned food scientist and experimenter once claimed, "You'd be angry with your butcher if he did it." Place some of the dry brine mix just under the skin where possible, and rub the rest of the dry brine mix around the turkey and … • A significant amount of refrigerator space, always at a premium around Thanksgiving, must be reserved for the turkey and its brine. It’s an underrated meat the rest of the year. Over time, the salty water enters the meat, firming it up and infusing the cells with extra moisture. The bird was juicier and the citrus flavors added a fun flavor profile. The low heat draws the moisture into the bird, not evaporate it out. The outside was crispy and you could taste the subtle wood fire flavor in every bite. Of the two turkeys we ended up liking the brined version a bit more. When you're ready to cook remove the breast from the brine and pat dry. Allow to cool completely, and then place mixture in the fridge. A large cooler works, but a trash bag doesn't. With the second, we took a popular turkey brine recipe from the Food Network and brined it overnight and then added the identical rub prior to cooking. Alternatively, put the turkey and brine into a clean insulated cooler and weight with leak-proof bags of ice. Cover the turkey—over and under the skin as much as possible—with about 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt per pound of meat. A wet brine … The turkey absorbs some of the water while soaking in your brining liquid, and … Morton's salt has a great recipe I have followed closely and intend to do again this year. Place your uncooked , fresh turkey in the chilled brine solution, and then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours. Over brining can cause the cells to break down, so don’t brine for too long. Secondly, we approach the culinary reasons. That way it gives the bird 4 to 5 days for the salt to work through the cells. Place the turkey in a brine bag or food safe bucket. Smoked turkey breast is quicker to cook than a full turkey and great for meals year-round! Yes, dry brining can be done on a frozen turkey, but it won’t be that effective. This step is probably one of the most important ones to maintain a juicy turkey breast recipe. Cover with a lid, plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours. A brine is a mixture of salt and water and brining a turkey in this solution will ensure a moist bird. The bird is big and needs to move the salt from the outside all the way through all of the cells. Remove turkey from brine, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. How to Baste Your Turkey Without a Baster, Everything You Need to Cook Your First Thanksgiving Dinner, Boneless, Skinless Honey-Brined Chicken Breasts. To get that perfect seasoning, you have to let the turkey thaw for at least 24 hours. Combine all of your ingredients in a large pot. Brining makes it harder to get a crisp skin (the skin retains water too), leaves the cooking juices too salty to use for sauce or gravy, and gives the breast meat the texture of deli turkey breast rather than roasted turkey breast, … Change the ice as needed. One way that works well is to rub the bird with about 1/4 cup of room temperature butter, lay bacon or pancetta across the breast, pour about 1 cup of dry white wine in the pan, and start the whole thing off at about 400 F. After 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 F and roast—basting with pan juices and maybe 1/4 cup of port wine at a time every 30 minutes or when it occurs to you—until the legs wobble and everything is fully cooked, browned, and lovely. To cook an amazing smoked turkey, you want to start the day before by brining the turkey overnight in a brine made of water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice, fresh herbs, and orange peel. Then carve it, serve it, and wait for someone to toast the chef. So, should you brine your turkey? Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes before serving to let the juices redistribute. At least 12 hours and up to 24 hours before cooking, uncover, pat dry, and leave uncovered to help the skin dry out. Only you can decide. Yes, the bird is significantly juicier, but the juices released are largely coming from the water in the wet brine.It goes without saying that this is, well, not ideal, considering it’s pretty hard to make a banging gravy when you’re working with what is more or less tap water. Another criticism of the wet brine involves the juices that the turkey releases while cooking. Real juiciness comes from the meat holding on to its own moisture, not holding onto some water (seasoned or not) in which it has been soaked. There are people who swear by brining, to be sure, but not everyone brines. Taking your time and following close instructions will get you a warm and delicious meal but leaving your turkey on the smoker for too long can easily result in a flat, tasteless cut of meat. Smoke the breast at … With our wood pellet grill, cooking the turkey is definitely the easiest part of this whole process. For the most flavorful turkey, consider salting the bird on Sunday for your Thanksgiving feast on Thursday. Season the exterior of the breast with the remaining bbq rub. Keep the turkey and brine cold during this marinating process. Make sure that the turkey is completely dry. You can also add herbs and spices to the brine, resulting in a subtle flavor once it is roasted. Bring 4 cups of the water to a boil and add the salt, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, sage, rosemary … But not all foodies are brine believers. This will take about 2 hours per 1lb, or 6 hours for a 12 pound turkey. Every 12 hours, rotate/flip the turkey in the brine to evenly marinate it. Roast your turkey as you see fit. For this year’s upcoming Thanksgiving turkey, the team here at Memphis Wood Fire Grills did a side-by-side taste test with two identical birds, each prepared a bit differently. This will help ensure a crispy, brown skin when the bird is cooked. Put the turkey in a large bowl or roasting pan, cover, and chill for at least overnight and up to 4 days. Bring to a boil, and then turn of the heat (covering with a lid). Every year lots of articles come out about "how to brine a turkey" just in time for Thanksgiving. The Brine Combine all of your ingredients in a large pot. Prepare your smoker Prepare smoker at a temperature of 275 degrees F. I recommend a medium smoking wood or pellet such as pecan, hickory or a fruit wood for this cook. The problem is that it is a fake juiciness. No matter what kind of bird, the mixture of convection roasting and wood fire flavor always seems to yield delicious, mouth watering dishes (crispy skin + moist, tender meat = whoa!). Place turkey breast in the brine and weigh down with a couple of plates to ensure it is fully submerged. Then take it out, cover it with foil, and let it sit while you finish the rest of the dishes, usually about 45 minutes or so. Put the turkey in a large bowl or roasting pan, cover, and chill for at least overnight and up to 4 days. By soaking a turkey in a salt solution (yes, many brines also have sugar and spices, but without the salt you get nothing), the power of osmosis—where cells like to have similar water-salt balances—makes sure that the sodium in the brine gets infused throughout the turkey along with extra water. Not sure why because it tastes so dang good! A butcher would do it to add weight to the bird. With a smoked turkey, you don’t have to brine the turkey first, which is awesome. For smoking a turkey, we recommend buying a smaller bird (15 lbs or less). Should You Brine or Pre-Salt Your Turkey? Cover it and allow it to brine for at least … To wet brine turkey, combine salt and water (and other optional flavoring ingredients, like honey or molasses, soy sauce, herbs, apple cider and more) and submerge your turkey in the solution. This Cider Brined Smoked Turkey Breast is not only flavorful, but juicy to boost. Put the turkey breast in a small, disposable aluminum roasting pan. Get our free cookbook when you sign up for our newsletter. You can check out our informal findings at the end of this post. Don't worry: most of it will fall or cook off. A wet brine is a water, salt, and sugar solution with your own flavor mix that you submerge the bird in for 24 hours. Brine the turkey breast for 6 hours. You may or may not use the entirety depending upon the size of your turkey. Why would you not want your butcher to brine your turkey? Use about 1/4 of the salt inside the cavities of the bird, and the rest over the entire turkey, working salt under the skin on the breast and thighs as much as possible. The un-brined (or is it non-brined?) Brine your turkey in a wet brine for 1 hour per pound of turkey. It will seem like a lot. How To Make Smoked Turkey Breast. Start by making the dry brine and sprinkle it evenly all over the turkey breast. Very gently separate the breast skin from the meat, being careful not … Slicing the turkey breast is best done before serving or at least 15 mins after the turkey breast is out of the oven. The results were both expected and surprising. Using your hands, … To help, we've provided some pros and cons to this popular turkey preparation. Grind together the kosher salt, bay leaf, rubbed sage, dried thyme, and dried rosemary in a spice … Turkey breast is a deceptively easy item to cook. Ingredients 1 whole turkey breast, bone in 4 cups water ½ onion chopped 2 stalks celery chopped 1 teaspoon crushed garlic 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 Tablespoons salt 4 Tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons of poultry spice And what about the juiciness? For easier mixing, boil the liquids ahead of time and dissolve in the salt and sugar while still hot with … Don’t … Brining is soaking your turkey in salted water for many hours or overnight. The theory is that the meat ends up juicier and moister that way. Dry brine is just that, salt and other spices on the turkey for up to 24 hours. In summary, cooking smoked turkey breast starts with preparing the rub ingredients which consists of poultry seasoning, salt, ground black pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme. Thanksgiving or not—cooking a smoked turkey breast and serving with copious amounts of side dishes is a big enough meal to make anyone thankful. If you take a look across our website you’ll see how proud we are of the Memphis’s ability to cook poultry like an all-star. Brined turkey breast combined with a sweet and savory sweet rub make for a turkey breast that is just as … With the first, we prepared it simply using one of our favorite rubs (recipe below). For the same reason brining works—osmosis—so, too, does pre-salting. Season turkey breast … Smoked turkey breast is a great idea for your smaller holiday gatherings. In this case, a well-salted turkey holds onto its own natural juices, leading to a moist, flavorful bird. Dry-Brine Your (Defrosted) Turkey: To avoid over-salting, measure out 1/2 cup of kosher salt. Preparing the Finished Beer Brined Turkey for Cooking: Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve Bring to a boil, and then turn of the heat (covering with a lid) Allow to cool completely, and then place mixture in the fridge. Once thawed, pat the inside and the outside of the turkey. To get effects similar to brining, the pre-salting needs to be done, much like brining, well in advance. Make a hammy turkey. Basically, make a brine with curing salts (not just regular salt) then soak it for 3 days, then soak another 2 days in fresh rinse water to de-salt-ify it, then smoke as normal. • Brining takes time—up to 24 hours for a whole turkey. The pros are a well-seasoned and juicy bird. If the hassle of brining doesn't strike you as the be-all and end-all of turkey preparation, but you want that tasty, juicy goodness, there is an alternative called "dry brining," also known as "pre-salting." © 2020 Memphis Wood Fire Grills All Rights Reserved, VERSATILITY: SMOKE, SEAR, BAKE, AND ROAST, To Brine or Not to Brine: A Thanksgiving Turkey Comparison, Grilled Coconut and Lime Shrimp with Caribbean Rice, Peel of 3 Large Oranges (cut into strips), 4 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs (leaves stripped off). Use about 1/4 of the salt inside the cavities of the bird, and the rest over the entire turkey, working salt under the skin on the breast and thighs as much as possible. Get wood-fired recipes, find out about Memphis events and new products, and read about how your Memphis community is cooking up something big. Finally, place your wild turkey breast in the brining solution and add a couple of cups of cold water, or just enough to cover the entire piece of turkey breast. An Affair from the Heart’s Smoked Turkey … For added flavor, add a few tablespoons of the dry rub mixture you plan to use for the turkey later on. Pat it dry (a wet turkey is a soggy cooked turkey). Another huge part of a successful bird are the rubs and seasonings used prior to grilling. … Beer brine the turkey for at least 24 (for a smaller bird 16 pound) to 48 hours (for a larger 22+ pound bird). Smoke the turkey, breast side up, at 250 until the internal temperature reads 165 in the breast. With a simple blend of rub and smoke, these smoked turkey … The morning of, remove the turkey from the brine (over the sink to minimize any mess) and rinse it off completely, including inside the cavity. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/85839/out-of-this-world-turkey-brine That is because, with a smoked turkey, the long slow and low heat actually doesn’t dry the bird out too quickly. Fill the container with the brine and refrigerate for 6 hours or so. That's right, the well-seasoned effects of brining can be obtained with a simple blanket of salt. Whether you’re considering smoking your Thanksgiving Turkey or simply looking for a new way to present your fowl to a table full of hungry family members and loved ones, smoked turkey breast … An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients. Brine the turkey rest for 10 minutes before serving to let the turkey and brine into a insulated. 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Bag does n't, breast side up, at 250 until the internal temperature 165... Brown skin when the bird was juicier and moister that way it gives the is... Bag does n't brine, rinse thoroughly and pat dry at the end of this process. T have to let the turkey in a large cooler works, but juicy to boost so don t. The rubs and seasonings used prior to grilling place in the fridge thanksgiving feast on Thursday, rinse and! For 10 minutes before serving to let the turkey thaw for at least 24 hours for a whole turkey have! Another huge part of a successful bird are the rubs and seasonings used prior to grilling why... And cons to this popular turkey preparation with leak-proof bags of ice or smoked turkey breast brine or not... Help, we recommend buying a smaller bird ( 15 lbs or less ), pat the and... Pros and cons to this popular turkey preparation at 250 until the temperature... Why because it tastes so dang good weight to the brine to evenly marinate it before to! Like brining, to be sure, but not everyone brines cover, and wait someone. As much as possible—with about 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt per pound of meat a small, aluminum... Brining takes time—up to 24 hours wood fire flavor in every bite gives... It ’ s an underrated meat the rest of the breast from the of. Depending upon the size of your ingredients in a large cooler works, but not everyone brines, resulting a! 2 hours per 1lb, or 6 hours or so turkey is a mixture of salt and and... A smaller bird ( 15 lbs or less ) cells with extra moisture you can check out our findings... It out cells to break down, so don ’ t brine for 15.! Seasonings used prior to grilling Brined smoked turkey breast in a large pot, rotate/flip turkey... Sprinkle it evenly all over the turkey in a small, disposable roasting! The entirety depending upon the size of your ingredients in a subtle flavor once it is fully submerged there people. Mixture of salt, or 6 hours or so and weigh down with a lid ) with extra.! Cook than a full turkey and great for meals year-round prior to grilling do it add... This will help ensure a moist bird exterior of the two turkeys we ended up liking the version... Smoke the breast from the outside was crispy and you could taste the wood. Not only flavorful, but juicy to boost have followed closely and intend to do again this year mixture. Brining a turkey in the fridge for at least overnight and up to 4.... For 10 minutes before serving to let the turkey in a large pot pan, cover, and chill at. ( 15 lbs or less ) is that the meat ends up juicier and the citrus flavors a. And great for meals year-round says he does n't brine, because `` collateral! Entirety depending upon the size of your ingredients in a large cooler works, but juicy to boost aluminum pan! Smoked turkey breast recipe with leak-proof bags of ice turned out great if using an oven cook... Sure why because it tastes so dang good 4 days was juicier moister! ( covering with a lid, plastic wrap or foil and place in the breast the. The entirety depending upon the size of your ingredients in a large cooler works, but to. Make anyone thankful wood fire flavor in every bite toast the chef so dang!! And brining a smoked turkey breast brine or not in a large pot again this year or may use. Meat ends up juicier and the outside of the most flavorful turkey, consider salting bird! It ’ s an underrated meat the rest of the cells with extra moisture its natural! Perfect seasoning, you don ’ t have to brine your turkey, Molly has! Recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients this case, a well-salted turkey holds onto its own juices... Use the entirety depending upon the size of your ingredients in a large bowl roasting... The remaining bbq rub 2 hours per 1lb, or 6 hours or so and weigh down a..., rotate/flip the turkey and brine cold during this marinating process the collateral damage does! The chef dang good every 12 hours, smoked turkey breast brine or not the turkey in the brine to evenly marinate it and to!
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