Rookie Question - Thawing/Brining

[Tommy B]

I have never smoked a turkey before. I purchased a none injected 13lb frozen bird last night. I am planning on cooking Turkey Saturday for dinner. I would like to brine for at least 12 hours. Based on internet my turkey should take 3+ days to thaw which I don't have....

1. Can I brine a partially frozen turkey? If yes, will it speed up defrosting time?

2. If I defrost turkey using the sink and water method I have read you must cook bird immediately. Can I thaw using sink and water then brine in the fridge for 12 hours?

Advice is much appreciated.

 

[ChuckO]

Can I brine a partially frozen turkey? If yes, will it speed up defrosting time?

This question I can answer. Yes you can brine a partially frozen turkey and yes it will speed up the defrosting time. By how much, is hard to say, but if I had to guess. If it takes 3 days to safely defrost a turkey in your fridge, doing it in the brine will probably knock one of those days off. Make sure when your brine your bird, you brine in something that won't transfer it's taste to your bird. I think they call it "non-reactive container." When you pull your bird from the brine, it's best to let it sit for a day (in the fridge) after the brine

 

[Tommy B]

So my 14 pound turkey was 95% thawed in two days. I brined for about 14 hours and the bird was 100% thaw. thanks for the help ChuckO!