Turkeychicken Brine 2 Recipes

CAJUN BRINED TURKEY-TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Two days before cooking: Combine the Spanish paprika, New Mexican chile powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, chile de arbol and cayenne in a small bowl. Remove 1/4 cup for another use, such as the Eggplant Casserole with Red Pepper Pesto and Cajun Breadcrumbs. Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons cold water in a large (at least 16-quart) stockpot or a clean bucket. Whisk in half of the remaining spice rub, the garlic, bay leaves and onion. Add the turkey, cover and refrigerate or set in a very cold place (that stays somewhere between 32 to 40 degrees F) for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. Rinse well under cold water and pat dry to remove the salt. Let air-dry in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• In The Big Green Egg: Light a large chimney filled with charcoal briquettes (about 5 quarts) and allow to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. Empty the coals into the grill. Top with some of the soaked wood chips if using. Put in the ceramic plate, then the grill rack. Put the cover on and let the grate heat up. Brush the turkey with oil and rub the entire turkey (including the cavity) with the remaining spice rub. Tie the legs together. Adjust the grill vents to get and maintain an internal temperature of 350 degrees F. Roast the turkey for 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 165 degrees F. Remove from the grill, tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
• In the Caja China: Prepare the charcoal briquettes according to the instructions that come with the box. Put the roasting pan with its rack (comes with the box) inside, and put the turkey breast-side down on the rack. Put on the top and fill with charcoal. After 30 minutes, flip the turkey breast-side up and continue cooking for about 1 more hour, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 165 degrees F. Add charcoal as necessary according to the box instructions. Remove from the box, tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.

BASIC BRINE FOR JUICY, TENDER CHICKEN OR TURKEY

Steps:

• Mix brine together well with a whisk.
• Place 1 whole chicken (thawed or frozen- you may also use chicken parts.) in brine for 2 hours up to over night. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
• Remove chicken from brine and rinse chicken well. You are now ready to make a tender juicy chicken dish of your choosing.
• NOTES: You can do this with turkey, as well. Also, you will notice that your leftovers, even after refrigerated overnight, are so tender and juicy whether eaten cold or reheated. The moisture retention really helps to make a chicken meal morph into a second meal when it holds its moisture. If doing a whole turkey, use the recipe servings changer to up the servings to 6-10. Put your turkey in an insulated cooler with enough water to cover and add in a 5 pound bag of ice. Brine overnight.

THE BEST TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup salt, the sugar and 1 quart water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir until the salt and sugar are fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the peppercorns, thyme, sage and lemon strips. Let steep and cool to room temperature.
• Pour the brine into a large stockpot or bucket and add 3 quarts cold water. Remove the neck and giblets (reserve for gravy) from the turkey and put it into the brine, pushing it down to cover. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine; rinse and pat dry. Cook according to your favorite method.

BRINE FOR CHICKEN AND TURKEY

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine the water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, and allspice in a large stockpot. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.
• Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Allow the brine to cool completely.
• Add the ice and then immerse the turkey breast or whatever item being brined. Weigh it down if necessary.
• Transfer to a refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove the turkey breast and rinse it thoroughly, when ready to roast. Pour out the brine solution at this point. Cook turkey, per recipe instructions.

GRANDMA'S FARMHOUSE TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Stir the salt, poultry seasoning, onion powder, and black pepper together in a large stockpot. Pour in the vegetable stock, water, and cranberry juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• To use, submerge a turkey into the cooled brine and refrigerate 12 to 16 hours to brine. Drain the turkey and pat dry before roasting according to your recipe's directions.

BRINING AND COOKING THE PERFECT TURKEY WITH DELICIOUS GRAVY

Steps:

• Pour 4 32-ounce cartons of low-sodium chicken broth into a large stock pot and stir in kosher salt, savory, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook the brine for 7 minutes to blend flavors. Cool. Pour the mixture into a 5-gallon food-grade bucket, large cooler, or large brining bag. Stir apple juice and 1 gallon of water into the mixture. Place turkey, breast side down, into the brine and pour in more water if needed to cover. Place in refrigerator and brine for at least 36 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove turkey and discard used brine. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey with breast side down on a roasting rack set into a roasting pan. Stuff the bird with 2 onions, 4 stalks of celery, and 4 carrots; place remaining 2 onions, 4 stalks of celery, and 4 carrots into the roasting pan surrounding the turkey. Brush outside of the turkey with 1/4 cup melted butter and pour white cooking wine and 2 32-ounce cartons of chicken broth into the pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes; baste with pan juices. If skin begins to darken too quickly, place a tent of aluminum foil over the bird. Continue roasting for 1 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes. Turn the turkey over so it is breast side up; brush with remaining 1/4 cup melted butter. Continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads 180 degrees F (80 degrees C), about 1 more hour (3 hours roasting time in all).
• Remove turkey and set aside while you make the gravy. Strain all the pan drippings through a mesh strainer into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer. Whisk 2 cups water, 1 32-ounce carton turkey broth, and cornstarch together in a bowl until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the hot pan drippings and cook until thickened, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. Let gravy cool to thicken slightly. If desired, use a gravy separator to remove excess fat. Serve turkey with gravy.

10 TOP TURKEY BRINES (+ RECIPE COLLECTION)

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a turkey brine in 30 minutes or less!

BEST BRINE EVER (FOR TURKEY OR CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil.
• Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt.
• Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• For turkey, place the thawed bird into a food grade plastic bucket, pour the cooled brine over top, add ice water to completely submerge the bird (nothing peeking out).
• Place the lid on the bucket and keep cold overnight at least 12 hours.
• Remove from brine, take out any of the aromatics that may be hiding in the cavity of the turkey, pat dry and let the turkey come to room temp for a few hours BEFORE you put it in the oven.
• (For my turkey, I added a fresh lemon, one head of garlic and some fresh herbs to the cavity of the bird before roasting).
• For chicken brine the bird UP TO BUT NOT MORE THAN 12 hours, I've not used this recipe on chicken but I've read the warnings of people who have left chicken in this brine for too long and it comes out salty!