Chef’s Table
By: Michael Formichella
To brine or not to brine?
(The views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly those of the author.)
As we approach one of my favorite holidays there is always a spirited debate amongst my fellow colleagues about the best way to cook our turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. You don’t have to be a chef to have strong opinions on food and methodology of cooking — especially when family traditions are involved!
Let’s stop for a minute and think about that last statement. From my point of view that could be the single biggest challenge for product developers, chefs and manufacturers when it comes to replicating a simple common dish. Most of us remember the way mom, dad or grandma made the dish. So we have a set point. Sometimes the bar is high and sometimes not so. Either way, everyone has an opinion about how it should taste for him or her. That was just a little side note for those contemplating entering into the world of cooking, or, as I like to say, “a little food for thought.”
Back to the bird, we are pro-brine in our home. A very simple solution of salt and sugar, adding in crushed garlic and whole peeled shallots, lots of fresh herbs like rosemary, bay leaf and thyme, whole black peppercorns and a large cup of Vermont maple syrup.
We place this in a large garbage bag in a cooler with ice and place the birds in for a 24-hour soak. We use smaller birds because one is slow-smoked on the grill for hours to a deep golden brown and the other is carefully deboned and stuffed with a mixture of Italian sweet sausage, soaked bread, sage and raisins that have been plumped in Earl Grey tea till they look like little juicy grapes again and stuffed inside the deboned cavity.
It is rolled and tied like a big Mortadella and placed in the oven with the usual other suspects you would expect to accompany this type of holiday meal. Both methods, either slow hot smoke or oven roasted, produce juicy flavored tender meat. Some chefs swear by the fresh bird, while others choose from the mounds of frozen birds piled high in the grocery store.
What do you use, fresh or frozen? Do you brined or not? What is your set point for this simple meal, good or bad, dry or moist?
This year will be my 34th year straight to smoke two previously frozen (like butter pumped)turkeys in an upright smoker with hardwood (perfer Hickory). I thaw them at least two days in the ice box (refrigerator for you new-be’s). Stuff them full with quartered small onions, cup of celery leaves, coarse salt, & pepper. Dry and rub outside with a generous coating of Crisco. We normally have 3 other family’s of neighbors over and they all love me. Turkey, it’s what’s for dinner, at least one day each year. Thanks for the brine idea. I may try it this year.
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November 12, 2010 2:39 PM Posted by Smoker Boy Too
Always brine the bird
We compared fresh and frozen, brined and not, in head to head competition years ago. Frozen is fine, as long as it is brined first, and we let it thaw out in the brine as well. As long as there is ice floating in the cooler, we know the birds are cold enough. We put the birds in the spare fridge for 24 hours, and then unwrap them and put them in the brine still basically frozen for 3 days. We do a traditional stuffed and baked bird, a smoked bird, and what has become the favorite, a bird cut up like a chicken and fried. We re-assemble the fried bird on the platter, less the backs which went raw into the freezer for stock later. Really could not tell any difference between fresh and frozen on the brined birds.
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November 12, 2010 1:48 PM Posted by harold t. hodges
Smoking is the way to go!
Chef, I concur that a smoked turkey is the best and most flavorful method I have tried. Forget this modern frying garbage and spending more on oil than the food! We brine the turkey overnight in a cooler filled with ice water, usually just kosher salt and maple syrup and then apply a dry rub before smoking resulting in a very moist, fall off the bone, well seasoned bird. I’m going to try your approach to the brine this year and add garlic, onions and fresh herbs – can only make it better I assume. If anyone has never smoked a turkey you must try it. Charcoal grill, foil pan under grate with H20 in between the coals and indirect heat of course. You have to add charcoal about every hour and soaked hickory chips to the coals every 30 minutes. It’s labor intensive but I guarantee the best bird you will ever have. Oh yeah forgot the delicious crispy skin smoking produces!!
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November 12, 2010 12:46 PM Posted by smoker
Brining is awesome Reply
I use the brine formula that is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that I got several years ago on the Food Network website. It is awesome, the citrus fruits involved along with the fresh herbs really is a crowd pleaser. I prefer fresh bird but I always look for a very large bird so sometimes I have to use the frozen. The five gallon bucket method works great and if it is going to be warm outside I add some crushed ice and cover it with a towel for the 24 hour cycle. The key is to remove it from the brine and allow it to come up to at least 50 degrees before putting it in the oven and don’t forget to put some of the fresh herbs inside and under the skin to get the flavor going. The fresh herbs sold in most grocery stores come in a poultry blend work great, I usually use two, one for the brine and the other for the oven. If you have a mortar and pestle, crushing the herbs for the brine really helps the flavor. Just a few little tricks, but it makes a big difference. The slow smoked smaller bird makes a regular appearance also. I use a secret family dry rub recipe for pork/poultry and some folks won’t touch the briney bird if the smoked is available. I oven cook in a bag with breast up and slow smoke at 200-225F for as long as it takes to get to 170F with the breast down. PS.- a good remote controlled temperature monitor makes the smoking much more convenient and keeps an accurate temperature reading so the bird is really moist. Baste at least hourly, Budweiser works great and it makes the smoked bird taste good too.
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November 12, 2010 12:41 PM Posted by Greg Roepka
Brining Reply
I’ve brined a turkey for several holidays and it is well worth the effort, I purchased a 5 gallon plastic bucket and lid at the local hardware store as opposed to a plastic bag. Another thought that 1st time turkey briners might want to consider is to pay more and get an all natural or unbasted turkey as if you read the ingredients for the basting you will find sodium is a large component so if you brine you’re adding more salt.
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November 12, 2010 12:01 PM Posted by Mike Westbrooks
Garbage Bag Reply
I hope you are not using a garbage bag for real — they are not food grade and some are treated for odors, pest and other reasons. I know it might be hard to get a food grade bag large enough for a turkey in the grocery store– Maybe those really large Ziplock bags are still available — They were like 2 ft x 3 ft or use one of the cook-in bags.
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November 12, 2010 10:31 AM Posted by Stewart Sundholm
[No Subject] Reply
This makes me hungry. Come on Thanksgiving!
