After using the Alton Brown brine for our thanksgiving turkey (the turkey was very good), I am thinking about smoking another turkey this weekend using the Apple brine. I am a little hesitant though since a sweet turkey doesn't sound appealing. Can someone please shed some light on the flavor of the turkey after sitting in the Apple brine. THis might sound stupid,but does the turkey still taste like turkey? How much of an apple flavor will it add? Anything else I should know? Thank you for all the help.
Apple brine
- Thread starter Erik G
- Start date
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Imo, the result is one of distinctive fruit notes but is not especially apple-y. There is a definite sweetness from the brown sugar which doesn't work for me so I cut the sugar entirely. The acidity of the orange helps balance the sweetness of the apple juice on its own but, imo, cannot handle the sugar as well--another reason I cut the sugar. I replace one sweet orange with one sour orange or, if unavailable, one half an orange with one half a lemon (grapefruit works well too). I add thyme as well because I like the way it works with the many of the brine ingredients as well as turkey.
The recipe as written is very popular for good reason, but is very tweakable. Try it as written or with variations that make sense to you and see what you think.
The recipe as written is very popular for good reason, but is very tweakable. Try it as written or with variations that make sense to you and see what you think.
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Yes, it's an abbreviation for 'in my opinion' (one hopes not an acronym yet!) and I do use it often to stress that what I am writing shouldn't be viewed in any other way. If you've read many of my posts you've likely noticed that I am quite opinionated. My writing often has a definitive tone and to soften that (I don't want to step on anyone's toes) I use 'imo' and other phrases to--I hope--achieve this.
Jane Cherry
TVWBB All-Star
I do it pretty much every year. Did one this year for a client for the first time, and they loved it. I usually rotisserie the bird which has been brined, but also spice rub it with a southerwestern type rub.
I have never varied the brine recipe, and if I ever need a recipe for anything, Kevin makes one for up for me. I've used his many times for many different things.
There is an underlying sweetness to the meat both in taste and aroma which to me is appealing. Since I cook it on the kettle, the smokiness of the wood adds a key element. As it may not be appealing to others, you have to consider that everyone has their own tastes, but I love this brine, and am now ready to experiment with something different for Xmas I think. I've been making this now for the five years I've been on this board.
A former nanny of a former client contacted me this Thxgiving for a recipe. She had never made a turkey before in her life, so I gave her one from CL which called for brining for 24 hours, and then using the some of the brine for the gravy. She told me it was outstanding. It was a very simple brine, and there are many to be found on Epicurious and Food TV.
So, if you think it may not be to your taste, do what many of us do, and use the recipe as a guide and tweak it to your own taste. I certainly do this many times in the many recipes I research for clients, and then again, dump way more spices in than called for. Kevin got me out of the habit of following a recipe. It's made me a much better chef. Baking is a different science.
I have never varied the brine recipe, and if I ever need a recipe for anything, Kevin makes one for up for me. I've used his many times for many different things.
There is an underlying sweetness to the meat both in taste and aroma which to me is appealing. Since I cook it on the kettle, the smokiness of the wood adds a key element. As it may not be appealing to others, you have to consider that everyone has their own tastes, but I love this brine, and am now ready to experiment with something different for Xmas I think. I've been making this now for the five years I've been on this board.
A former nanny of a former client contacted me this Thxgiving for a recipe. She had never made a turkey before in her life, so I gave her one from CL which called for brining for 24 hours, and then using the some of the brine for the gravy. She told me it was outstanding. It was a very simple brine, and there are many to be found on Epicurious and Food TV.
So, if you think it may not be to your taste, do what many of us do, and use the recipe as a guide and tweak it to your own taste. I certainly do this many times in the many recipes I research for clients, and then again, dump way more spices in than called for. Kevin got me out of the habit of following a recipe. It's made me a much better chef. Baking is a different science.
As Kevin said, this recipe is very tweakable. I'd suggest try it as is and then make changes based on your impression. I did the apple brine this past week and everyone thought it came out great. The only area where I could really notice some sweetness were the wings - but they still tasted great.
I finally smoked the bird yesterday and have to say, did not taste anything related to Apple juice and brown sugar. I was very afraid that the bird would come out sweet (therefore I decreased the amount of brown sugar), but that was not the case at all. Everyone also thought the bird could of used more salt, and was not as moist as my first bird (using the Alton Brown Brine). We did use a Free Range turkey for this smoke, could this be why is wasn't as moist? All in all, we'll probably stick with the Alton Brown Brine, thanks for all the advice.