who has a proven brine they'd like to share?


 
Brett-EDH

Brett-EDH

TVWBB Hall of Fame
i am researching a few wet brine recipes (24 hours wet and 12 hours exposed to dry overnight in the fridge). anyone have a proven brines they'd like to share and if so, what's the notes/flavor profile of your cooked bird post-brine?

curious what others have in their arsenals. always looking to learn and expand my horizons.

i don't do commercial brines as i like to control the salt in my own cooks but i'm still open to reading and learning about if you're using a commercial brine.

i'm making the turkey for 25 people this year. and there'll be other mains and side on the table too. thinking of a 26#+ bird or whatever jumbos Costco has in their case of fresh kill, unadulterated birds. this will be my larges bird i've ever cooked. but i will use my break-it-down-like-a-chicken prep method. it just works and allows me to pull each piece at its done temp.

tyia.
 
I have used "The Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Brine" for a handful of years, seemed to get the job done:

www.patiodaddiobbq.com

Patio Daddio BBQ: The Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Brine

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Brine - Patio Daddio BBQ
www.patiodaddiobbq.com www.patiodaddiobbq.com

This year I am going with this combo:

www.meatchurch.com

Turkey Combo - Brine + Honey Hog

All you need for the perfect turkey this Holiday season! Our Bird Baptism Brine adds moisture and flavor to your turkey and goes great when combined with our famous Honey Hog BBQ rub. The Brine - 1.25 lb re-sealable bag. 20 oz (667g)Ingredients: Salt, Sugar, Spices & Granulated Garlic. No MSG...
www.meatchurch.com www.meatchurch.com
 
The foundation I have used for years:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar or 3/4 cup honey
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 gallon or so of ice cubes (7 to 10 pounds)
(edit: some times I've used less stock and more water)

In addition to the foundation I've added:
- fresh herbs, rosemary, sage, bayleaf, thyme etc
or
- ginger, allspice berries
or
- ginger, allspice berries, cloves, bayleaf

I heat a quart or two of stock and dissolve the sugar and salt in it, then pull it off to cool. While cooling I add the peppercorns and the rest of the herbs or spices, then once cool I add the rest of the (cool) stock before dunking the bird in it and then covering it all with ice.

I've used a 5 gal food safe bucket and also used a 5 gallon water cooler as the vessel for the brine.
 
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BFletcher said:
This won't be helpful since you want to avoid a commercial brine but I'm fond of this and I've been using it for a few years:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O2ZXPEM/?tag=tvwb-20

View attachment 82007
Click to expand...
i'm willing to decode the commercial ones to make one so i can manage the salinity (5% is my target salinity from past experience). or buy a premade of the salt amount makes sense to me. my concerns is making a salt bomb bird. not eating out much anymore, we have found that when we do eat out most foods are too salty or sweet. not that we're health freaks. just conscious of what we consume.

this looks pretty simple per the ingredients:

1699913785209.png
 
Last edited:
DanHoo said:
The foundation I have used for years:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar or 3/4 cup honey
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 gallon or so of ice cubes (7 to 10 pounds)
(edit: some times I've used less stock and more water)

In addition to the foundation I've added:
- fresh herbs, rosemary, sage, bayleaf, thyme etc
or
- ginger, allspice berries
or
- ginger, allspice berries, cloves, bayleaf

I heat a quart or two of stock and dissolve the sugar and salt in it, then pull it off to cool. While cooling I add the peppercorns and the rest of the herbs or spices, then once cool I add the rest of the (cool) stock before dunking the bird in it and then covering it all with ice.

I've used a 5 gal food safe bucket and also used a 5 gallon water cooler as the vessel for the brine.
Click to expand...
very close to what i already do, sans the vegetable stock. i start with 5% salinity water and build from there with nearly identical herbs and citrus as listed above.
 
Chris Allingham said:
All-time TVWB favorite, originally from Weber:

www.virtualweberbullet.com

Whole Turkey - Apple Brine - The Virtual Weber Bullet

Apple brined whole turkey smoked to perfection on the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. Based on a 1999 recipe from a Weber cookbook.
www.virtualweberbullet.com www.virtualweberbullet.com
Click to expand...
this is solid on point. one recipe i am eyeing says to use apple cider (not vinegar) as the apple juice. not a regular bottled juice.

side note; for anyone doing a brine, you can use 2 gallon ziplock bags and substantially reduce the amount of brining liquid. this only works if you're making turkey pieces. i do as such. since the bird is going to get cut up anyway, i gave up whole-birding the turkey eons ago. the bird just cooks better as pieces (breast with wings, thighs and legs as pieces).

TY Chris!
 
Gib Gibson said:
This one has been good to me, been using it the past 3 or 4 years.

heygrillhey.com

Apple Spice Smoked Turkey Brine - Hey Grill, Hey

This smoked turkey brine will add moisture, tenderness, and amazing fall flavors of apples, fresh herbs, and spices to your smoked turkey!
heygrillhey.com heygrillhey.com
Click to expand...

We ended up testing this recipe from Susie Bulloch, and the one I linked from Michael Symon on spatchcocked chickens, and we settled on Susie’s for the big day.
 
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