| Anyone have a good basic brining recipe? |
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Alton Brown has a popular turkey one.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html Personally, I brine with just salt and sugar. There's really very little evidence that other flavorings like herbs and spices penetrate the meat, so I think its kind of a waste of those spices. I add salt by taste (until it tastes like the ocean) but the most common ratio I've heard is 5 ounces water to 1 oz salt). |
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Alton Brown has a popular turkey one.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html Personally, I brine with just salt and sugar. There's really very little evidence that other flavorings like herbs and spices penetrate the meat, so I think its kind of a waste of those spices. I add salt by taste (until it tastes like the ocean) but the most common ratio I've heard is 5 ounces water to 1 oz salt). |
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America's Test Kitchen has one.
Personally brining a bird is a headache b/c you need to be vigilant about the temperature being appropriately cold. Usually people do them in a cooler b/c they don't have space in their fridge. I would just buy a brined turkey. |
| Try a salt and sugar rub instead. Same thing, no vat of water to control. I think the LA Times had a recipe a few years ago, but I couldn't find it. |
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I do it in a cooler because I don't have space for a turkey (unbrined or not) the day before Thanksgiving. If I didn't brine the turkey, I'd probably still stick it in a cooler on ice so I had room in the fridge.
You can also brine a turkey in a garbage bag in the fridge. It takes up exactly the same amount of space as a pre-brined turkey. |
| All you need is equal parts sugar and salt plus water. As someone else's noted, I don't think the other herbs really change the flavor of the meat. The point of brining is to get salt crystal into the meat to hold moisture. |
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This year I purchased a mayo sized jar of already made dry salt/sugar/herb brine from Wegmans. all I have to do is add it to 2 gallons of water. I'm excited to give it a try. Looks promising.
They are displaying this all over Wegmans right now. |