November 22, 2009

Brine Your Turkey To Keep It Juicy [Life]

MSDNALA EC025The big Turkey Day is this Thursday, and this year is the first time I’m hosting Thanksgiving at my house.  Though my mom will still be doing the honors of baking the lil’ gobbler, I know that she will brine the turkey to keep it from drying out.

Over at Serious Eats in their food lab, they’ve put together a very complete guide to keeping that turkey juicy for your holiday feast. The idea is to soak the turkey in salt and water to help the meat keep its moisture while cooking.  They even compare turkey that was soaked in brine, soaked in water, and not treated at all to see which turkey came out juiciest. **SPOILER ALERT** The turkey in brine wins!

If you’re into the why stuff works, they explain the science behind it all; which is pretty cool!  It’s a great tip for your family table this Thursday, and happy eats!

[Serious Eats]

20091103cooked-brined-turkey

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5 Responses to “Brine Your Turkey To Keep It Juicy [Life]”

  1. Kyle Reed November 22, 2009 at 11:15 pm #

    This is way more info then I wanted to know about my food, actually it is cool, I an not much of a turkey guy, I am a honey glazed ham guy myself.

    • Brett Barner November 23, 2009 at 2:15 pm #

      lol You can actually do this for both chicken and pork as well. (any low fat meats)

  2. MaureenTA November 23, 2009 at 5:02 am #

    Good tips!!! This is also my first time doing Thanksgiving at my house!!! We weren't going to do anything, since it isn't even a holiday here, but then a friend found an actual turkey in the market and we knew we should go for it. I'm nervous but excited too :)

    • Brett Barner November 23, 2009 at 2:17 pm #

      I'm sure you're going to do great! Have fun, and good luck this year!

  3. David B November 25, 2009 at 7:23 pm #

    Another secret that we have used for years is placing the turkey into a brown paper bag (or two usually!). Even my Mom who hates turkey because it is always so dry, will eat it when prepared this way! Delicious, succulent. Oh, man, is it Thursday yet?

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