To fuck or to cook?

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse
Rather than continue this on the PB, do you have any other barbeque-related recommendations? I have a brother who is hard to shop for, and his birthday and Christmas are looming ahead. Someone recently gave him a membership to the big barbeque association in Kansas City. We checked out a local barbeque contest a few months ago (that was pretty fun). He has a basic smoker. Our dad was pretty big into smoking foods and I think he's picking up the torch but isn't likely to be a full-time contest participant or anything like that.

GEt him a selection of hardwood smoking chunks. Pecan, cherry, and apple can be hard to come by, but they make the best smoke. I'm a serious smoker, and if someone got me something like that, I'd cook them a brisket.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
Do you have a preferred turkey brining recipe?

1 cup kosher salt
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 bay leaves
4 oz. dried apple rings or chunks
3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 fresh sage leaves
sprig fresh rosemary
5 gallons water
10 lbs ice.

Bring water to a boil, add all other ingfredients but ice. Let steep for 15 minutes to dissolve salt and sugar.

Put turkey in large cooler, surround with ice. Pour liquid over ice. Add more water to cover if needed, adding 1/4 cup additional salt and sugar for each additional gallon or adjust all ingredients for more than 3 additional gallons.

[Fugee]

Originally posted by Oliver_Wendell_Ramone
Do you have a preferred turkey brining recipe?

For turkey I just go with just kosher salt and water. I look to either Cooks Illustrated or Fine Cooking for the proportions of salt to water and the length of time for brining.

If you brine, make sure to tell your guests to taste the turkey before adding salt because it leaves a noticeable amount of salt behind.

I've only brined fresh turkeys so the comment about not needing to brine the frozen ones is probably right. Fresh free range turkey. Yum yum!

ETA: I put the turkey in one of those plastic turkey roasting bags and then put it in a plastic tub and pour the water inside the bag and tie it shut. Then I put the plastic tub (with turkey) in the refrigerator so I don't have to add ice or worry about keeping the temperature low enough.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by taxwonk
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 bay leaves
4 oz. dried apple rings or chunks
3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 fresh sage leaves
sprig fresh rosemary
5 gallons water
10 lbs ice.

Bring water to a boil, add all other ingfredients but ice. Let steep for 15 minutes to dissolve salt and sugar.

Put turkey in large cooler, surround with ice. Pour liquid over ice. Add more water to cover if needed, adding 1/4 cup additional salt and sugar for each additional gallon or adjust all ingredients for more than 3 additional gallons.

This looks good, but is it really necessary to bring all the water to a boil? Seems like it would be just as effective to dissolve all the stuff in maybe a gallon of water and then dillute.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by baltassoc
This looks good, but is it really necessary to bring all the water to a boil? Seems like it would be just as effective to dissolve all the stuff in maybe a gallon of water and then dillute.

If you use pickling salt instead of kosher salt, it will dissolve, but the sugar won't really dissolve without boiling. Of course, you can boil just one gallon and then add it to the other water for steeping.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by taxwonk
If you use pickling salt instead of kosher salt, it will dissolve, but the sugar won't really dissolve without boiling. Of course, you can boil just one gallon and then add it to the other water for steeping.

Sorry, I meant boiling just a gallon. Maybe steep then dissolve? Just five gallons of water - I don't think I've got pot even close to that big.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by baltassoc
Sorry, I meant boiling just a gallon. Maybe steep then dissolve? Just five gallons of water - I don't think I've got pot even close to that big.

I misspoke at first. Just bring one gallon to a boil, add the other ingredients, let them steep long enough to dissolve the salt and sugar, then add to the rest of the water. One more point to add, make sure you have plenty of ice in the cooler. You want to keep the bird at under 40 degrees until you're getting ready to pop it in the oven.

[Fugee]

Originally posted by taxwonk
One more point to add, make sure you have plenty of ice in the cooler. You want to keep the bird at under 40 degrees until you're getting ready to pop it in the oven.

This is why I like to do the brining in my refrigerator. That way I don't have to mess around with ice.

Another thing to note about brining turkey. The skin won't get as crisp when you brine. So the folks at Cooks Illustrated suggest taking the bird out of the brine the night before (we have our big meal at 1 pm -- if you eat it later that would change the timing) and letting it air dry in the fridge.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by Fugee
This is why I like to do the brining in my refrigerator. That way I don't have to mess around with ice.

Another thing to note about brining turkey. The skin won't get as crisp when you brine. So the folks at Cooks Illustrated suggest taking the bird out of the brine the night before (we have our big meal at 1 pm -- if you eat it later that would change the timing) and letting it air dry in the fridge.

I also just got an advert email from Williams-Sonoma offering turkey-sized brining bags . They look like ziplock bags made with heavy duty plastic. They're not cheap at $10 for 2 bags but they look ideal for storage in the refrigerator.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by Fugee
This is why I like to do the brining in my refrigerator. That way I don't have to mess around with ice.

Another thing to note about brining turkey. The skin won't get as crisp when you brine. So the folks at Cooks Illustrated suggest taking the bird out of the brine the night before (we have our big meal at 1 pm -- if you eat it later that would change the timing) and letting it air dry in the fridge.

That's an excellent point. Letting it dry, I mean. The cure will change the proteins as it dries, and form a sort of skin that actually enhances browning.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by taxwonk
That's an excellent point. Letting it dry, I mean. The cure will change the proteins as it dries, and form a sort of skin that actually enhances browning.

You guys are making me really really crave turkey.

[Flinty_McFlint]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
You guys are making me really really crave turkey.

Aw, that's sweet. You miss balt already.

[Fugee]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse
I also just got an advert email from Williams-Sonoma offering turkey-sized brining bags . They look like ziplock bags made with heavy duty plastic. They're not cheap at $10 for 2 bags but they look ideal for storage in the refrigerator.

I use plain old turkey-sized roasting bags from the grocery store. They aren't sturdy enough to use without some support so I put the works in a plastic wash basin and then the whole shebang goes in the fridge.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by taxwonk
One more point to add, make sure you have plenty of ice in the cooler. You want to keep the bird at under 40 degrees until you're getting ready to pop it in the oven.

Can't you just leave it outside where you live? I know that won't work for the southerners in our midst, but we've just set a large pot outside overnight. The worry is we'll have a turkey-sicle in the morning.

BTW, for crisp skin, I also like to cook it at high heat (450) for the first 1/2 hour or so, then reduce to 350 (or 325) for the balance of time. Even better if you start with it upside down to crisp the underside. Then flip.

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Can't you just leave it outside where you live? I know that won't work for the southerners in our midst, but we've just set a large pot outside overnight. The worry is we'll have a turkey-sicle in the morning.

And it's still there? Here, the critters would haul it away within minutes. By way of example, instead of putting a roast chicken carcass in the trash, I can put it outside and the whole thing is gone in the morning - nothing left to stink up my trash can.

I'm tired of reading about turkey. What do you all have planned besides the MP for side dishes?

Upon re-reading, this sounds like I live in some back-woods trailer park. I assure you this is not the case.