Recipes > Poultry

Turkey Selection and Preparation

(1/4) > >>

deestafford:
I think it would be good to share ideas on how we selected, thaw, and prep our turkeys since I'm sure we have some folks here who are very new at this outdoor cooking and could use the information...as well as some of us who have been around the horn a few times. 
Last year I bought a Publix store brand turkey after talking with the boys who work in the meat department who said they are as good as the Butterball and less expensive.   I have found the Butter Ball injection and rub sold as a combo in the stores is pretty good also.
What method and how long do y'all use to thaw and brine your turkey.  If you can't get it in the icebox for thawing what alternative do you use?  When do you inject and rub?

Throw in any tips y'all think may help. Thanks.

Dee

pz:
I've never brined before, but plan to this Thanksgiving, so this is a great post for me - can't contribute to the brining part of the question though.

As to thawing, Thanksgiving time in my area is when it is cold enough in the garage to do my thawing there - refrigerator temperatures (typically about 35 degrees or so)

RAD:
I'm like pz on this one. I am thinking about doing a brine for the first time this year.

muebe:
I really like the Butterball Turkeys! They really taste good IMHO!

They are a really good prepared Turkey. When you open them up the neck & innards are vac sealed and packaged into the bird cavity for easy removal. They also come with a package of gravy inside.

But they are pre-basted(brined) so if you try to do a high salt brine it may become too salty.

A fresh un-frozen Turkey is the best if you can locate one. Perfect for injection and brining. The problem is they are much more expensive and not always readily available.

And as far as thawing a frozen Turkey the best way is in the refrigerator. A small bird can be thawed in just 2 days while a large bird can take up to 6 days so planning ahead is important.

You can speed things up in a cold water bath or even combine the brining process with the thawing but I would use very little salt so as to not create a really salty bird.

There are many different brining recipes out there that create a great flavor using herbs and spices in combination with the salt. The salt content does not need to be very high. The salidity of the solution just needs to be slightly higher than the bird so that the fluid levels exchange.

veryolddog:
I am having dinner with my son this year, so I don't have to cook on Thanksgiving day. However, we like turkey and the leftovers, so the wife and I are going to make a 12 lb bird on Saturday. I like to brine poultry for a day or two. Then I inject a butter based garlic and herb mixture and place butter under the skin. It goes in the oven at either 325 or 350 and I figure about 20 minutes a pound. So, a 12 lb bird should take 240 minutes or 4 hours.

The juices make a terrific gravy mixed with the broth that I make with the giblets.

I just do what my Mom did many years ago.

Ed

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page