Just did my first one, kosher salt, fresh rosemary, some little Cajun seasoning and apple juice. Gonna smoke er up tomorrow. Curious to see the outcome. Anybody brine? Is it worth the extra step? Thanks
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
I have used Alton Brown's brine several times and have been very pleased. Bird was moist and very flavorful. My all-time favorite brine is a bourbon, maple brine. But to get good maple syurp in Kansas makes it expensive. Good luck with your cook.
bkraft
"Four things greater than all things are, Women and Horses and Power and War."
Yes. 1 cup Morton’s Tenderquick 2 cups Brown sugar to 4 cups water. Stir until dissolved and make as many batches as it takes to cover the bird in whatever container you’re brining him in. Leave it in the reefer or an ice chest for 24 hours. Rinse several times in cold water before putting it in the smoker. About 4 to 6 hours at 185-200 with some pecan or oak splits.
PS I use the 12ish pound young turkeys with the indicator button in them. It’ll pop in the smoker just like the oven so you don’t have to poke and cut a bunch of holes in your bird checking if it’s done.
Yep fats, wet brine, got some food safe buckets/lids from work, got it in the beer fridge in the shop now. Smoke tomorrow mornin’.
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
I do a brined and spatchcocked turkey for Thanksgiving every year. It's the best dang turkey any of my family has ever had. By spatchcocking it, you can rub it inside and out with your favorite rub and grill it at 250F in 2- 3 hours with a little bit of smoking too. Use a thermometer and some foil to monitor temps and shield parts that are cooking too fast.
I have used Alton Brown's brine several times and have been very pleased. Bird was moist and very flavorful. My all-time favorite brine is a bourbon, maple brine. But to get good maple syurp in Kansas makes it expensive. Good luck with your cook.
We've used the Alton Brown recipe and the Maple/Brown Sugar/Bourbon recipe. I prefer the M/BS/B recipe, but my family perfers the Alton Brown recipe.
The M/BS/B recipe that we used was this:
2 quarts of distilled or reverse osmosis water 2 cups of dark brown sugar 2 cups maple syrup 1 1/2 cups bourbon 1 cup low sodium soy sauce 3/4 cup sea salt 8 cloves of peeled crushed garlic 6 bay leaves 4 sprigs of fresh thyme 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns
We've used good quality bourbon like Wild Turkey and just barely drinkable bourbon like Cabin Still and didn't find a noticeable difference in the flavor of the turkey.
Combine all of the above and bring to a boil, stiring so that the sugar and salt dissolves.
Remove from the heat and add 2 more quarts of distilled or reverse osmosis water. Allow ot completely cool before putting it into the brining bag with the turkey.
It’s the only way to go man!! A brined smoked turkey is going to amaze you. Once you get the color you want on your bird at least tent the breast with foil.
I never did one myself but I always helped my mom brine the Thanksgiving bird. She got her brine in a bag from somewhere. She boiled up the mix in a big pot then let it cool. She put the turkey in a big bag and set it in a cooler then poured the brine into the bag. She had me put the cooler in the garage frig overnight. Myself I would just get a five gallon food safe bucket and put everything in the bucket. That bag was a PIA.
Thanks guys. 👍 pulled er outta the fridge, dog approves. 😂
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.