to brine or not to brine, that is the question

if you brine, what do you put in your water?

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

I am still a newbie at cooking turkey, and since it's just DH, DD and I, I get a bone-in breast. Last year I roasted it with compound butter. It was easy and really good.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

I always brine our turkey now. I started doing it a few years ago and everyone seemed to like it better. I also butter it before it goes in the oven so the outside gets nice and browned.

ETA: LOL at the poll choices

Message edited 11/19/2016 10:59:10 PM.

to brine or not to brine, that is the question

lmao at the choices!!!!!!!!
hahaha I always brine.
Cold water, a ton of kosher salt (super salty), 4 whole peppercorns, light brown sugar, a sliced orange, a sliced lemon, bay leaf and fresh sprigs of rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

I did brine my turkey one year with Alton Brown's recipe. Never again. It was a mess and the turkey was dry anyway after all that.

to brine or not to brine, that is the question

We brined one year and it wasn't any different and it wasn't any better so we gave up.

to brine or not to brine, that is the question

Always brine. We find it more juicy. Rachel Ray did a blind taste test and most people prefer brined.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

Never brine. I slather with butter (under the skin too) and salt and pepper it well. I cook it breast down covered at first then take it off to brown. So simple. So good.

I think the secret to a juicy turkey is don't over cook it, don't put it in the oven ice cold and let it rest for a while before cutting. We rest it for about 45m - 1 hr

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

I never brine, I make a compound butter and slather the turkey both under and over the skin and it's always moist and delicious!

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

Always brine, Bed Bath and Beyond has this apple sage brine that works really well. I believe it's about $10.00. I tried a few different brines and this works best by far. It includes apple cider which gives it a touch of sweetness.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

I voted "brine," but wanted to let you know if you buy a kosher turkey it's already brined. My mother always buys Empire.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

I never brine. I am not a huge salt fan though.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

spatchcock instead. cooks WAYYYYY faster and evenly, so the turkey will not be dry

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

Never brined....the turkey has always been juicy and flavorful.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

My first time was last year and we didn't brine and it came out juicy. I was reading that brining makes the meat more rubbery, not sure how true that is.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

I've never brined a turkey, so I was considering trying it since I actually found a turkey here.

I came across this article:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/the-food-lab-the-truth-about-brining-turkey-thanksgiving.html

I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with Kenji, but he looks into the science behind cooking. I really like what he has to say.

I'm not going to brine. I'm just going to use a lot of butter.

I brined chicken cutlets a few times and it was watery tasting. Now I know why.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question

DW has been brining for years, after she learned the technique from Alton Brown. After seeing the science behind it, it makes a lot of sense. It's a huge difference in flavor and moisture when she does it.

Re: to brine or not to brine, that is the question