Brining. Canning and Pickling Salt? Or go to other grocers

[Brandon (aka Hookem)]

I couldn't find kocher salt at my nearest grocer. Will this salt be ok, or should I go search other grocers?

Thanks,
Brandon

 

[Larry Wolfe]

Brandon the pickling salt will work, but I think there is a different measurement for it compared to kosher salt. Someone will pop in and tell you what the difference is. Or you can do a google search.

 

[K Kruger]

Pickling salt is the same as canning salt but is more dense than Kosher. Roughly 1 c plus 2 T of Morton Kosher = 1 c Morton Canning salt. It is fine to use in a brine, just use less.

 

[Chris Allingham]

Brandon,

Do you have a kitchen scale? If so, 10 ounces of your pickling salt will be equivalent to 1 cup of table salt or 1-1/2 cups of Morton Kosher Salt or 2 cups of Diamond Kosher salt.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Brandon (aka Hookem)]

No scale. I guess I will wait an hour or so for traffic to die and go look for kosher, since I shouldn't start brining until like 12:00 tonight
(to finish up tomorow evening)..

Thanks for the input.

 

[Chris Allingham]

I don't think you need to make a special trip for kosher salt.

From my readings, it is my understand that canning or pickling salt is a lot like table salt--a fine grain salt--but without any additives or anti-caking agents. So I would feel pretty confident that you could use it just like table salt, meaning use 1/2 cup pickling salt instead of 3/4 cup Morton Kosher or 1 cup Diamond Kosher.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Brandon (aka Hookem)]

1 more question about the brining. Since I'm doing all of this (the apple brine), should I just cook 2 20lb turkeys?

Since I got this thing, I hate to have a rack go to waste.

The brine recipe was for a 12lb bird. I bought stuff to at least double it. Should I triple it and brine another bird? Would that add more than an hour or 2 to my cooking time?

Thanks,
Brandon

 

[Chris Allingham]

I know that two 12-14 pound turkeys will fit, but I don't know about two 20 pound turkeys. The space between the top and bottom grates is 7-1/2", so measure those turkeys!

Adding another turkey shouldn't add more than 30-60 minutes to the overall cooking time. Just make sure you have plenty of hot coals to maintain your target cooking temperature.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Morgan Sziraki]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
Brandon,

Do you have a kitchen scale? If so, 10 ounces of your pickling salt will be equivalent to 1 cup of table salt or 1-1/2 cups of Morton Kosher Salt or 2 cups of Diamond Kosher salt.

Regards,
Chris <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for that Chris, I tend to weigh things that can vary in density, and have never gotten around to actually weighing the amount of salt that I use, so I have never calculated the concentration (grams/litre) of brine. Fortunately I can switch my scale from modern (grams) to archaic (ounces)

so when I do my turkey in a few days I'll post the amount back to here ... I'll use 10oz for a rough guide and we'll see how close it is to the one I use ...
... I use a time tested method (Escoffier: Le Guide Culinaire), a peeled potato will float in the proper strength brine. BTW: I recommend that book to anyone who is interested in French Cuisine, it is amazing.

morgan