That is because, with a smoked turkey, the long slow and low heat actually doesn’t dry the bird out too quickly. The low heat draws the moisture into the bird, not evaporate it out. The bird was juicier and the citrus flavors added a fun flavor profile. version of the turkey was delicious in its own right, but if you do have a little more time for turkey prep this year, we definitely recommend giving brining a shot! Then take it out, cover it with foil, and let it sit while you finish the rest of the dishes, usually about 45 minutes or so. • Brining takes time—up to 24 hours for a whole turkey. The cons are practical and, to some minds, culinary. Get wood-fired recipes, find out about Memphis events and new products, and read about how your Memphis community is cooking up something big. It will seem like a lot. The problem is that it is a fake juiciness. Brining, or soaking meat in a salt-water solution, uses the power of osmosis to force the turkey or other meat to draw up water into itself. The morning of, remove the turkey from the brine (over the sink to minimize any mess) and rinse it off completely, including inside the cavity. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve Bring to a boil, and then turn of the heat (covering with a lid) Allow to cool completely, and then place mixture in the fridge. A wet brine … Roast your turkey as you see fit. Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes before serving to let the juices redistribute. Brine the turkey breast for 6 hours. For the most flavorful turkey, consider salting the bird on Sunday for your Thanksgiving feast on Thursday. Brining makes it harder to get a crisp skin (the skin retains water too), leaves the cooking juices too salty to use for sauce or gravy, and gives the breast meat the texture of deli turkey breast rather than roasted turkey breast, … If the hassle of brining doesn't strike you as the be-all and end-all of turkey preparation, but you want that tasty, juicy goodness, there is an alternative called "dry brining," also known as "pre-salting." You can check out our informal findings at the end of this post. A large cooler works, but a trash bag doesn't. Cover with a lid, plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Yes, the bird is significantly juicier, but the juices released are largely coming from the water in the wet brine.It goes without saying that this is, well, not ideal, considering it’s pretty hard to make a banging gravy when you’re working with what is more or less tap water. Make sure that the turkey is completely dry. Get our free cookbook when you sign up for our newsletter. By soaking a turkey in a salt solution (yes, many brines also have sugar and spices, but without the salt you get nothing), the power of osmosis—where cells like to have similar water-salt balances—makes sure that the sodium in the brine gets infused throughout the turkey along with extra water. The theory is that the meat ends up juicier and moister that way. Brining is soaking your turkey in salted water for many hours or overnight. Secondly, we approach the culinary reasons. The bird is big and needs to move the salt from the outside all the way through all of the cells. Every 12 hours, rotate/flip the turkey in the brine to evenly marinate it. For smoking a turkey, we recommend buying a smaller bird (15 lbs or less). As Harold McGee, renowned food scientist and experimenter once claimed, "You'd be angry with your butcher if he did it." At least 12 hours and up to 24 hours before cooking, uncover, pat dry, and leave uncovered to help the skin dry out. Combine all of your ingredients in a large pot. You can also add herbs and spices to the brine, resulting in a subtle flavor once it is roasted. How To Make Smoked Turkey Breast. In summary, cooking smoked turkey breast starts with preparing the rub ingredients which consists of poultry seasoning, salt, ground black pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme. This Cider Brined Smoked Turkey Breast is not only flavorful, but juicy to boost. Don't worry: most of it will fall or cook off. Smoke the turkey, breast side up, at 250 until the internal temperature reads 165 in the breast. If you take a look across our website you’ll see how proud we are of the Memphis’s ability to cook poultry like an all-star. To wet brine turkey, combine salt and water (and other optional flavoring ingredients, like honey or molasses, soy sauce, herbs, apple cider and more) and submerge your turkey in the solution. Over brining can cause the cells to break down, so don’t brine for too long. Place the turkey in a brine bag or food safe bucket. Change the ice as needed. The un-brined (or is it non-brined?) Using your hands, … To cook an amazing smoked turkey, you want to start the day before by brining the turkey overnight in a brine made of water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice, fresh herbs, and orange peel. Not sure why because it tastes so dang good! To get that perfect seasoning, you have to let the turkey thaw for at least 24 hours. No matter what kind of bird, the mixture of convection roasting and wood fire flavor always seems to yield delicious, mouth watering dishes (crispy skin + moist, tender meat = whoa!). To get effects similar to brining, the pre-salting needs to be done, much like brining, well in advance. © 2020 Memphis Wood Fire Grills All Rights Reserved, VERSATILITY: SMOKE, SEAR, BAKE, AND ROAST, To Brine or Not to Brine: A Thanksgiving Turkey Comparison, Grilled Coconut and Lime Shrimp with Caribbean Rice, Peel of 3 Large Oranges (cut into strips), 4 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs (leaves stripped off). This will take about 2 hours per 1lb, or 6 hours for a 12 pound turkey. Very gently separate the breast skin from the meat, being careful not … Bring to a boil, and then turn of the heat (covering with a lid). Smoked turkey breast is a great idea for your smaller holiday gatherings. The outside was crispy and you could taste the subtle wood fire flavor in every bite. Dry brine is just that, salt and other spices on the turkey for up to 24 hours. First, on the practical side, it can be tricky to brine a giant Thanksgiving turkey since it needs to be submerged in the liquid, so you need a food-grade container significantly larger than the turkey. Smoke the breast at … One way that works well is to rub the bird with about 1/4 cup of room temperature butter, lay bacon or pancetta across the breast, pour about 1 cup of dry white wine in the pan, and start the whole thing off at about 400 F. After 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 F and roast—basting with pan juices and maybe 1/4 cup of port wine at a time every 30 minutes or when it occurs to you—until the legs wobble and everything is fully cooked, browned, and lovely. Grind together the kosher salt, bay leaf, rubbed sage, dried thyme, and dried rosemary in a spice … Keep the turkey and brine cold during this marinating process. Cover the turkey—over and under the skin as much as possible—with about 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt per pound of meat. Brined turkey breast combined with a sweet and savory sweet rub make for a turkey breast that is just as … The pros are a well-seasoned and juicy bird. A wet brine is a water, salt, and sugar solution with your own flavor mix that you submerge the bird in for 24 hours. The Brine Combine all of your ingredients in a large pot. Pat it dry (a wet turkey is a soggy cooked turkey). Make a hammy turkey. And of course, we cooked our turkeys on one of our amazing wood fire pellet grills (we’re a bit biased when it comes to cooking methods), but the brine and rub recipes should be applicable regardless of your cooking style or appliance. Looking for new dinner recipes? Allow to cool completely, and then place mixture in the fridge. Turkey thaw for at least overnight and up to 4 days be obtained with a simple blanket salt! Through all of the year fall or cook off about 1/2 teaspoon of sea. So don ’ t brine for too long we 've provided some and. 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