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Does anyone have a good simple turkey brine and what is the process

[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]We use this simple brine, in a 5 gallon bucket. make as many batchs as required to cover
1 gallon cold water
1 cup Kosher Salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
Use a pie pan with a weight to keep it submerged

We brine 24 hours.

For smoking we allow it to air dry and drain in the fridge for about 3 hours on a rack

For frying we will air dry and drain for 24 hours

We smoke with a little apple wood at ~ 325-350 and pull at ~ 165, let it rest ~ 1 hour and carve.
They come out pretty nice.
[/FONT]
 
I have used PDs and it is awesome Have also used Smokin Okies Holiday Brine google Turkey 101 It is also awesome Both are Brethren Both brines really keep the bird juicy I did one of each one year and 36lbs of turkey was devouered Dont forget to put a gallon freezer bag of ice on each breast for about 45 min before you cook This drops breast meat temp and it is done the same time as the dark You can see this on the naked whiz site under ceramic cookers under recipes- mad max
 
Thanks for the response!!!!!!! I knew people would come thru, now the hard part choosing which one. One more question does brining make a difference?? What does it do???
 
With cooking the theory of OSMOSIS can be your friend or faux.With brining it`s your friend as long as you dont over brine because it will turn your food to mush.
 
Smokin Okie and I think Pattio Daddio give the rationale for what occurs The salt is an osmotic agent Fluid is drawn out of the bird and fluid is put in My simple rationale is that it is a lot more juicy make sure the turkey you get is not enhanced I get mine from my butcher so I know nothing is added to it
 
do you guys think if I get a cooler wash it out good with Clorox and rinse well and put it in there I'll be good. Should I put in a big garbage bag then cooler???
 
I use a basic brine (Salt, Brown Sugar, Pepper Flakes, orange slices, crab boil) and have been adding Cranberry Juice the past couple of years with good reviews
 
Blu's Turkey Brine

1 gal water
1/2 cup salt (Pickle or table)
1/2 cup Honey
juice from 1 orange
juice from 2 limes
2 tbl Apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Hot sauce

Brine 1 hr per, lb rinse well
 
Call me a hippie, but I've read that simply liberally salting a bird(dry brine), covering it, and putting it in the fridge is just as good (if not better) than wet brining. Its a lot easier to manage than a couple gallons of brine!

Brining helps flavor the bird and protect it from drying out. If you can manage to get the thigh meat to 165 without getting the breast above 150, brining isn't needed, or so they say..

Source (lenghty read): http://seriouseats.com/2012/11/the-food-lab-the-truth-about-brining-turkey-thanksgiving.html

Easy. Use kosher salt. Salt your meat liberally (it should look like a light snowfall on the bird). Place the bird on a plate in the fridge overnight and loosely cover it with plastic or cheesecloth. Rinse if desired to remove excess surface salt (I skip this step because I like salty skin). Pat dry. Roast as desired. For even better results, carefully separate the skin from the breast and thighs and rub the salt directly on the meat, under the skin.
Click to expand...
 
rolfejr said:
[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]We use this simple brine, in a 5 gallon bucket. make as many batchs as required to cover[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]1 gallon cold water[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]1 cup Kosher Salt[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]Use a pie pan with a weight to keep it submerged[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]We brine 24 hours.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]For smoking we allow it to air dry and drain in the fridge for about 3 hours on a rack[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]For frying we will air dry and drain for 24 hours[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]We smoke with a little apple wood at ~ 325-350 and pull at ~ 165, let it rest ~ 1 hour and carve. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]They come out pretty nice.[/FONT]
Click to expand...


This is pretty much the brine I like... nice and simple.
I do place butter under the bird's skin before smoking and usually slather the bird in butter and sprinkle with cracked black pepper. (no salt).

Sometimes I skip the butter and put slices of smoked sausage under the skin for added juice and flavor.

Good luck with what ever you do Paul!
 
Thank each and everyone for the response!!!! Man they all look great!!!! Guess I need to buy some more turkeys!!!!! And yes I am saving this to my favorites!!!!I will post the cook. One more question How long will it take to smoke a 18# bird@ 250/275 degrees. Approx time. Just to give me an idea and to what internal temp, I am only an IT guy on birds!!!!!!
 
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