• working on DNS.. links may break temporarily.

Do I really need to brine?

H

Hozman

Take a breath!
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
522
Reaction score
140
Points
0
Location
Grain Valley, MO via Big Sky country
Big difference between brine or buying bird with the 12% solution?

I have always brined in the past but thought maybe just buy a enhanced butterball.

Will I notice a big difference? I thought maybe inject instead.
 
i've brined store bought and fresh-killed, i'e gone with kosher birds and i've cooked butterballs. with the exception of the fresh killed bird, the cooking technique was more important than the bird itself in the final outcome. the fresh-killed birds smoked or not were just better.

i would still marinate a butterball and sometimes i inject (rasberry vinagrette salad dressing) and sometimes i don't. you can taste the diffrence, but i can't tell you it's better.
 
I brine . Then i put my rub on it and put it in the smoker to an it of 160. (wash it befoe i rub it ).
 
I brine non enhanced but don't always brine enhanced. Juiciness really has to do with cooking...this year i might inject though, just haven't decided.
 
think this year i will deep fry it . I have a injestion i want to try
 
Most of the turkeys I've cooked over the last decade were not brined. All turned out great.
 
This is just a matter of taste and moisture.... If you brine an enhance bird I don't see the benefit or difference, if you brine a cheap grocer bird its probably a good idea to brine as you don't know what they will taste like or if there will be any flavor, if you brine a well raised and fed bird you will likely have a nice moist bird with some encouraged flavor but with a bit of a rubbery skin due to the moisture and holding temp in a smoker if you don't air dry w/salt for awhile, if you don't you likely will have a richer tasting bird but a bit drier white meat if you don't add butter or the like to the breasts during and before cooking, so all in all you have a choice....but if your not concerned with presentation but rather would like a far faster and more importantly improved skin coverage you could spatch-cock the bird, lube it up and smoke it hot and fast..... cooks even, tastes great and you get more crispy skin....
 
I usually always brine my turkey these days except if it has been pre-brined.

If it is a pre-brined bird, I'd skip brining it and just inject it or smoke it as is.
 
I'd prefer to brine it myself. That way I have control of what exactly is going into the brine. Also gives you the opportunity to add flavour.
 
Doing my first turkey this year, I was wondering the same thing. I'm gonna do two and the obligatory brisket.
 
The last 4 years I've cooked 20+ 22 pound+ turkeys. I cook them the day before, rest and slice. Put them in pans with turkey stock and cool down. Nexy day (Thanksgiving) I just reheat in the oven and serve. The first 2 years I didn't brine and the last 2 years I did. The brined turkey were far juicier and more flavorful than the first 2 years. I use salt, brown sugar, fresh bay leaves, fresh thyme and peppercorns in my brine. IMHO, it's always better to brine, especially for better leftovers. Just make sure you do it correctly.
 
There is no hard yes or no to this. Brine or not, both OK, both make fantastic eats
 
popeye said:
think this year i will deep fry it . I have a injestion i want to try
Click to expand...

I usually do butterball and do not brine. Also, last year I had deep fried and smoked turkey and 95% of people preferred the smoked to the deep fried.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
Who likes Chick Fil A?
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
bonz50
bonz50
BuffettFan
Harvest Brine, do I still season as usual?
Replies
12
Views
591
Big George's BBQ
Big George's BBQ
T
Pitts & Spitts adjustable charcoal grill. Reviews?
Replies
7
Views
1K
Nuco59
N
J
turkey: Meat Church brine or butterball prebrined???
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
CaptainQ
C
D
What to do with beef rib (lifter, wedge, blade) muscle
Replies
2
Views
364
Jordan5
J
Back
Top