Beer brining a turkey?
Matthew Rudo
BEER would have been a natural. Emiril brined a chicken with beer, and lots
of other people do it to chicken, but I have not seen a turkey brined before
with BEER.
IS THERE A REASON??
Also if supermarket turkeys are already brined, can you brine it again? or
do you have to find an ubrined turkey to brine?
If so where can you get such a bird? Is the butcher the only place to get
one or does it not matter if a turkey hs been pre-brined as the supermarket
birds say they are.
Please reply to mr...@american.edu
Thanks.
Jack Curry
Yes, there is an excellent reason. IT TAKES TOO MUCH BEER. Who in their
right mind would waste enough beer to brine a turkey?
Jack Curry
Peter Aitken
news:are3oq$qo3$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
Brining always involves a salty solution (brine) so soaking in beer is not
brining, it is marinating. Brining is used to improve the texture and
moistness of meat, while marinating is more for adding flavors. I would
think you could combine the 2 processes, but have not tried it (salted
beer).
--
Peter Aitken
Remove the crap from my email address before using.
Cuchulain Libby
> Also if supermarket turkeys are already brined, can you brine it again?
or
> do you have to find an ubrined turkey to brine?
>
> If so where can you get such a bird? Is the butcher the only place to get
> one or does it not matter if a turkey hs been pre-brined as the
supermarket
> birds say they are.
You can do an overnight marinade with a pre-brined bird. At the supermarket,
just look at the label. If it says 'Natural' it'll say 'minimally processed'
and have no 'enhanced withan X% solution of...' sentence so brine away. As
for flavoring brines, it started as off-the-cuff joke a few years ago with
me and Fat Man but they both work:
[Here's my original post,just sub a turkey, all I did was add a brine to my
marinade] This is the one Emeril's staff swiped <G>
============================================================
Hound's Citrus Brine:
In a large stock pot, heat 1 qt water to not-quite simmering. Dissolve 1 cup
Kosher salt. If you stop right here and add 3 qts cold water, you have a
basic brine. You could add the chicken and soak it a day or 2 in the fridge
and you would have the juiciest chicken you've ever eaten. Or take your
brined bird and -then- do what the other guys suggest. But if you're lazy
like me you could flavor the brine.
Make the brine above but add:
Citrus juices and rinds
Garlic
White onions
Serrano chiles
Cilantro
Whole or lightly crushed, roasted Corriander and Cumin seed
White Tequila
Fresh cracked pepper
Don't worry about the salt. Kosher salt by volume is half the weight of
table salt.
You could cook this whole or split, indirect or direct. If cooking whole put
a bunch of the solids in the cavity. Either way put slices of the citrus
under the skin.
I use the chicken to make chicken burritos.
[And Fat Man's:]
====================================================
The Fat Man's Chicken Kickin' Brine(TM)
chicken, marinades, poultry, rubs and seasonings
2 gallons water
1 1/4 cups pickling salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground sage
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon Dave's Insanity Sauce; optional
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Some folks want to heat the brine to dissolve the salt and sugar faster. I
use a wand or stick blender and mix it cold. In either case, make sure the
brine is COLD before dunking the birds. Keep it well under 40º for the
duration of the soaking.
33º works just fine for me if the birds are completely thawed.
This brine was originally developed for turkeys. It's outstanding in that
application by itself. I like to inject them with a 50/50 mix of honey +
butter just before putting them in the smoke. The injection makes for a
"no-leftovers" bird.
The brine is equally suited for use on chickens with only one modification;
lessen the sage content.
Ricky
>Emiril brined a chicken with beer, and lots
> of other people do it to chicken, but I have not seen a turkey brined before
> with BEER.
>
So just do it already. Do a google search for "beer brine" and make
enough to cover the turkey. You seem rather obsessed with this!
:::shudder::
>
> Also if supermarket turkeys are already brined, can you brine it again? or
> do you have to find an ubrined turkey to brine?
Why would you want to RE-BRINE an already brined turkey? I have never
seen brined turkeys in my market anyway.
>
> Please reply to mr...@american.edu
>
NO.
>
> Thanks.
Yeah. Whatever.
jay
jay
Matthew Rudo
TheCatinTX
and it has been great if you don't mind everyone eating the skin while you're
trying to carve the bird. This year I am using beer and apple juice added to
the salt/sugar/herb brine solution instead of honey.
I have a fresh turkey this year, but I have used regular supermarket turkeys in
the past.
I also stuff the turkey. I have heard some discussion about the possibity of
the brining interfering with the stuffing, but we haven't had a problem. I
brine the turkey from Monday to Wed. On Wednesday I take the turkey out of the
brine, rinse it and let it set uncovered overnight in the refrigerator. This
rest dries it out inside so I can stuff it in the morning before roasting.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!
- TheCatinTX
Peter Aitken
"Matthew Rudo" <mr...@american.edu> wrote in message
news:as08et$1em$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
You cannot brine with beer. Brine is a salt solution, and brining is
so-called because it requires a salt solution. You can marinate with beer,
which might give a nice flavor, but it will not give the moistness and
tenderness benefits of brining. Maybe you can dissolve a lot of salt in beer
and do it that way - who knows?
sf
<pai...@CRAPnc.rr.com> wrote:
> Reply at bottom.
>
> You cannot brine with beer. Brine is a salt solution, and brining is
> so-called because it requires a salt solution. You can marinate with beer,
> which might give a nice flavor, but it will not give the moistness and
> tenderness benefits of brining. Maybe you can dissolve a lot of salt in beer
> and do it that way - who knows?
>
That honey/apple juice things sounds good. How about
marinating a store bought turkey that's been injected with a
sodium solution?