Brining and high temp turkey ?

[Dave S.]

I plan on smoking a turkey this weekend using the high temperature method (330 degrees for crisp skin). Will brining a turkey help much in the high temp., fast cook method?

Dave S.

 

[Doug D]

Brining will help in any case. It also seems to allow a margin of error of about 5° or more if you fail to pull the turkey off the cooker at the desired internal temp, as regards dried-out white meat.

 

[Keri C]

Brining is EXCELLENT insurance, especially when cooking at higher temps.

 

[Vernon N]

You should DEFINITLY brine. I just did a 6 lb chicken over the weekend as a test for the thanksgiving turkey using the Rob O. recipe and the high temperature method. The results were the most moist yardbird that I ever remember. You can bet that I will be brining the turkey. The skin was a different matter. This time I will probably take the turkey out of the brine, dry it and then let it dry in the fridge until about noon or one when he goes in the smoker. I probably will then run at a lower temp to start out looking for 3 hours to 140F in the brest (plot the temperature rise and adjust the smoker temperature). Then I will run it up to 350 and finish. Based on the skin condition, it may get a little crisping in a 400-450F oven for 10-20 minutes.

Yardbird (first guru cook) if you are interested in the recipe and cooking comments.

 

[K Kruger]

Drying it helps as does gently separating the skin from the breast meat by sliding your hand in as far as you can, all the way to and including the thighs. Mix some of your rub with oil or unsalted butter and work that in between the skin and meat.as well.

 

[Shawn W]

I loved the WSM smoked/honey brined turkey I made for Canadian Thanksgiving, and I will brine again, though I'm not completely sold on the idea that brining produces the juiciest poultry.

Salt drives out moisture doesn't it?

I know I've made even more juicy turkeys in the oven without brining; buy fresh free range, never frozen and cook hot, breast down, forget the stuffing. For 20lb turkey start at 450F for one hour, then down to 375F until done.

Maybe I just got lucky with the roasted birds or the next brined/smoked turkeys will be better.

I do have to say the smoked one was 28.5 lbs, the roasted ones were all right around 20 lbs.

 

[K Kruger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Shawn W:
Salt drives out moisture doesn't it?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not when mixed with water and when a protein source is added. Osmosis explains some of it. But the main reason is that salt contains both a sodium ion and a chloride ion that are oppositely charged. Proteins (as in meats)contain both positive- and negatively-charged ions. When you put protein in a salt solution the protein molecules rearrange themselves because of the way sodium and chloride are charged. This creates little pockets which allows the salt and water in more effectively. The salt in the meat also allows less water to evaporate when cooking.

 

[Morgan Sziraki]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by K Kruger:
Drying it helps as does gently separating the skin from the breast meat ... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have found that I can get crispy skin on a chicken by pouring a litre of boiling water on the bird just before cooking. You can see the skin seize up and pull away from the breast meat. When you pat it dry, it's *really* dry. I get the smoker fairly hot (170*C). I had to lift the lid to get the temp down after 30 minutes, and the skin was puffed up and bubbly.

morgan

 

[Doug D]

Never heard of that before, but-- now that it's been brought ot my attention-- I find that it's not all that uncommon a technique. Will have to give it try.

 

[K Kruger]

In restaurant kitchens we usually mass-roasted chickens in pizza ovens. But because we were also cooking other things at various times in the same ovens while the chickens were cooking we used the boiling water trick to assure crisp skin (the constant opening of the oven door and the addition of cold, moist food to the oven would prevent the skin from crisping before the chicken was done).

The boiling water works. I have used a dry or paste rub on every piece of meat or fowl I've cooked for so long now I'd forgotten about it until now.

 

[Rita Y]

Morgan, do you brine the birds? How do you handle the rub? Rub overnight, before pouring the water on the skin? And then re-rubbing?

Thanks,
Rita