Brine turkey like a pro
Tasty stuffing is great, but if you fill a turkey with it the white meat will be overdone long before the inside of the bird warms up and the stuffing starts cooking. Covering the bird with butter, both over and under the skin, is also great for crispy skin, but it is a superficial remedy and most of the tasty fat will run off and end up in the tray.
Brine + turkey = true
If you ask – many, but not all – professionals, nothing brings more flavor and juiciness to a whole turkey than immersing it in brine before it goes in the oven. The technique is very straight forward, but takes a little time (and a BIG pot, unless you are okay using a clean bucket...).
How to brine a turkey:
For smaller cuts of meat that absorb the brine faster and from all sides you would go for a 10% brine solution, that is 1 dl of salt in 1L of water (about 1/2 cup in 1 quart of water). But for a large bird like a turkey you need to think more time and less salt to get the best, juiciest result.
First turkey secret
Before you even start, the most important secret of them all when cooking whole turkey in the oven is this one: Don’t buy a turkey that is too big for your oven. The biggest birds can weigh over 10 kilos/22 pounds, but the limit for what you can fit in an ordinary household oven is about half of that, 6 kilos/13 pounds.
Go for a smaller bird
A 3 kilo/7 pound “mini” turkey will feed 6 to 8 people, a 6 kilo/13 pound turkey will feed 12 or more, depending on what else you are putting on the table. Too much is better than too little, and there is almost no end to what you can do with cold turkey (no pun intended) for days after.
The basic overnight brine formula:
A period of 6 to 8 hours will give the brine time to penetrate a medium-sized turkey. Make as much brine as you need to cover the bird and make sure all salt/sugar has dissolved, the basic formula:
- 1 liter/1 quart of water
- 1/2 dl/1/4 cup salt
- Optional: 1 or 2 tbsp of sugar
- Optional: Spices...
Spice up the turkey brine
A good idea is to do it with a flavorful liquid that will penetrate the meat along with the salt. Almost any tasty liquid will do, but here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Beer brine
- 1 L/1 quart beer
- 1/2 dl/1/4 cup salt
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
Apple brine
- 1 liter/1quart apple juice
- 1/2 dl/1/4 cup salt
- 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
Whisky and chipotle brine
- 5 dl/1/2 quart water
- 2 dl/2/3 cup bourbon whisky
- 3 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 smoked chipotle chili, crushed
Rum and fruit brine
- 5 dl/1/2 quart water
- 2 dl/2/3 cup dark rum
- 3 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 – 2 dl/1/2 to 1 cup exotic fruits, peeled and coarsely chopped
Dry before cooking
Don’t overdo the brining (you can always add more salt when cooking and at the table) and let the turkey dry before cooking.