Too often, roasted turkey meat is dry and tasteless, rendering leftovers unattractive.Fortunately, more people now are aware that brining a turkey before cooking it yields great results.Brining increases moisture content in the meat.This ensures that the bird stays moist throughout cooking.Most people roast their turkeys, and it is this long exposure to dry heat that causes non-brined turkey meat to dry out while it cooks.Brining also serves to lock in natural moisture in meat.A basic brine solution is 1 cup of salt dissolved in 1 gallon of water.Variants include sugar, garlic or herbs and spices.Your turkey should be completely thawed and cleaned.Don't use self-basting or kosher turkeys! Place the turkey in a large, covered stock pot or clean bucket and fill it up with the brine solution.Completely submerge the bird with an inch or two of liquid above it.One of the tips for brining a turkey is to ensure the whole thing is kept cold.Brining is basically a flavoring process and does not preserve the meat at all.Therefore, be sure to keep the turkey and its brine solution in a cool place such as your refrigerator.If it's cold enough, you can leave it outside the house, but beware of scavengers!Cold temperatures aside, time is your ally when you brine a turkey.Most advocates recommend brining a turkey overnight or 12 hours before cooking it.Spending 24 hours in brine is more than adequate for any turkey.Subsequently, rinse the brine solution off your turkey in cool running water, inside and out.Rub the turkey to ensure all salt comes off and pat it dry before cooking.This ensures the end result isn't too salty.Finally, the last thing you would want to happen after taking all that trouble to brine your turkey is to cook it in a slapdash manner.Cover the breast of the bird with foil during the first half of roasting to ensure it doesn't dry out.After that, remove the foil and baste it every half hour till the bird is done.Cooking turkey is a real event because it's not done very often.The size of the bird and work involved tend to discourage novices from trying it out, but the effort pays off in the end.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Tips For Brining a Turkey
Too often, roasted turkey meat is dry and tasteless, rendering leftovers unattractive.Fortunately, more people now are aware that brining a turkey before cooking it yields great results.Brining increases moisture content in the meat.This ensures that the bird stays moist throughout cooking.Most people roast their turkeys, and it is this long exposure to dry heat that causes non-brined turkey meat to dry out while it cooks.Brining also serves to lock in natural moisture in meat.A basic brine solution is 1 cup of salt dissolved in 1 gallon of water.Variants include sugar, garlic or herbs and spices.Your turkey should be completely thawed and cleaned.Don't use self-basting or kosher turkeys! Place the turkey in a large, covered stock pot or clean bucket and fill it up with the brine solution.Completely submerge the bird with an inch or two of liquid above it.One of the tips for brining a turkey is to ensure the whole thing is kept cold.Brining is basically a flavoring process and does not preserve the meat at all.Therefore, be sure to keep the turkey and its brine solution in a cool place such as your refrigerator.If it's cold enough, you can leave it outside the house, but beware of scavengers!Cold temperatures aside, time is your ally when you brine a turkey.Most advocates recommend brining a turkey overnight or 12 hours before cooking it.Spending 24 hours in brine is more than adequate for any turkey.Subsequently, rinse the brine solution off your turkey in cool running water, inside and out.Rub the turkey to ensure all salt comes off and pat it dry before cooking.This ensures the end result isn't too salty.Finally, the last thing you would want to happen after taking all that trouble to brine your turkey is to cook it in a slapdash manner.Cover the breast of the bird with foil during the first half of roasting to ensure it doesn't dry out.After that, remove the foil and baste it every half hour till the bird is done.Cooking turkey is a real event because it's not done very often.The size of the bird and work involved tend to discourage novices from trying it out, but the effort pays off in the end.
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