My mom bought me a jar of William Sonoma turkey brine mix. I've not used a brine mix before. It looks mighty salty, which I guess is the point, but I don't want to make the bird too salty. Any tips, pointers, or stories about brining? What's the point of it, to make the meat more moist? If so, is that really needed for a turkey, which is already pumped full of liquid and salts? Thanks,
Alton Brown has a fantastic brined turkey recipe on the food network website. I have done it several times and it is great. Use a cheap turkey they work best and I have used frozen birds each time I have done it. Thaw bird completely and follow directions exactly. It is not nearly as much trouble as some make it out to be.
I throw a frozen turkey in a bucket of salt water and let sit until it is thawed out and I am ready to use. It hasn't killed me from Salmonella yet. Not much trouble.
I'll third Alton's recipe - it always turns out great and is pretty easy to do. Definitely a lot more to it than throwing the turkey in some salt water.
Brining is well worth the effort. Moist and tender white meat is the result. This topic was covered thoroughly last year around this time and probably the year before that so do a search. aTm prof Alan Sams has actually studied it and has a scientific explanation for why it works if you want to google him, too.
If you cook your turkey in a bag it will be just as good and juicy as one that has been brined. I have had both and the one in the bag is actually better in my opinion.
I agree w/ Drag... If you're cooking in the oven you should just use the bag. I've heard brining is pretty necessary for smoking though. If you do brine, keep an eye on the thermometer... mine cooked faster.