Brined Turkeys @ Trader Joe's


 
Thank you Chris. Brings up a question that I have been thinking about, and that is, how much time can pass between the end of the brine session and the cooking session? I assume that if TJ is selling already brined birds, then there is no deficit in waiting.

Mark
 
Stopped by TJ today to look at the brined turkeys. They are all covered in non see thru plastic. Hard to tell from the label but it seems that there is liquid in the package. Could it be that the brine solution is still in there? Would be interesting to know what their brining process is.
 
I just bought one that had defrosted in the fridge there. It's about to hop in the smoker. As for the brine, no way to know, it was flash frozen after being removed from the brine since there was no liquid in the bag. San some ice chunks, it's definitely no longer in the brine.

Since most of them were still frozen, my guess is that they keep them in the freezer and bring them to the fridge section as they need to.

I am definitely curious as to what the brine was. I know I can read the label, but whats the process and length of time?
 
So David, how did the bird turn out? All the turkeys at my TJ were soft to the touch. I didn't even realize that they had been frozen. Perhaps the liquid that I felt was just "turkey juice".
I decided to do my own brinning with the apple brine recipe listed on this site.
Hope all comes out well.

Mark
 
I was in early so they must have just added some frozen ones that were still defrosting. Since I had to dig in the display to find one that was soft. IMHO, they are worth it if you don't wan to do the brine or don't have time but the better birds are brined by the cook.

At any rate, it was delicious! However, the Thanksgiving version will be a cranberry juice brine that used last year and loved!

Here's a pic of the bird just before it came off the smoker. 3.5 hours at 225-250 (or so the built in thermometer said), done to perfection.

Turkey.jpg
 
David, thanks for the report. Just out of curiosity, how much did it weigh? Did the skin come out crisp at that temp or did you ramp it up at the end? It's been soooo long since I did a turkey on the grill and this will be my 1st in the WSM for the whole family. Don't want to screw it up!!!!!!

Mark
 
That was a 15 pound one. The skin was not crispy, but since I don't eat the skin I don't care and just threw it away. I would recommend cranking the heat at the end if you have people who "must have" the crispy skin. Or smoke it at a higher temperature the whole time.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DavidW:
That was a 15 pound one. The skin was not crispy, but since I don't eat the skin I don't care and just threw it away. I would recommend cranking the heat at the end if you have people who "must have" the crispy skin. Or smoke it at a higher temperature the whole time. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks, I was figuring 5 hrs at 270-300. May have to rethink my cook times.
 
I picked up a 13 lber to use for Thanksgiving. The fact that I don't have to brine is a positive for me. I can't wait. I LOVE doing thanksgiving turkey.
 
Oil the skin before rubbing and cook at 325' at 15 min./lb. and the meat will be juicy and the skin will be crisp. Of course, you'll want to check the temp. 3/4 through the cook.
You probably know this, but others may not.
 
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