So, when you brine a turkey, do you drain it before you eat it?

Last year, we just left it in the brine and we used our fondue forks to pick off pieces. It was so moist! And so fun! Instead of bog plates of food, I made all the food into small chunks, and we ate off small plates, picking up whatever we wanted from the serving bowls. Kind of like that Japanese thing, but without the cauldron of hot broth.

But we all got sick later, and I'm wondering if we should have drained it first, and maybe even rinsed it to get the brine off? I would't think that brine could make one sick, but then, I'm no doctor.

I don't think you should do that.

Drain it, and pat it dry before you cook it. The brine should make it moist without any excess fluid.

To what internal temp are you roasting it?

juices are contaminated with raw bird juice.

Not good.

After the turkey has been brining at room temperature for a week, heat up the turkey fryer. Be sure to place said fryer in a convenient location like the middle of the dining room. When the oil is hot dump the turkey and brine directly into the fryer.
:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

All your dinner problems will be solved.
}(



On edit: note to the gullible: don't try this at home.

make sure ems is standing by.

I'm thinking of getting the oil to about 1100 degrees, and then, just for more drama, pouring the turkey and brine from the balcony down into the living room where the 55 gallon barrel of oil is.

I want to use a good oil, like WD-40, but that's gonna be pricey - do you have another suggestion? I want an oil that will roll out magnitudes of smoke like it's supposed to when it's cooking.

Like my ma used to say, if the cooking oil ain't filling the house with smoke, it ain't good oil and it ain't hot enough.

and what is drama these days without big explosions?


Personally, I'm thinking of trapping a few dozen turkeys in a box canyon, and just napalming the shit out of them from an aircraft of some kind. I figure that'll cook 'em pretty good.

on the canyon wall to watch it, with Stingers and Martinis in hand, to enjoy the moment of cooking triumph. Hell, you might even want to give them grenades.

Aviation fuel would give you a steady burn and you could get it for free if you have a five finger discount at the local general aviation field.


:P

You'll get that thick black smokey flavour you're after. And make sure a turkey family member of the one you are about to dump in the oil is there to watch, food cooked with a good amount of suffering and sense of loss nearby always tastes better.

and enhances the dining experience. Even the suffering of animals.

:silly:

my mom always buys brine soaked herring for Christmas so we can celebrate the Lithuanian Kucios ...

so for about 2 days she has to soak that herring in plain water to "debrine" it a bit to make it more palatable...

She then sautes onions and adds tomatoes and then adds the cut up chunks of herring to that mix....

Our basement always smelled so "festive" after she would start that process...

Here's the instructions from just ONE recipe;

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

:D

I was wondering if the cooking method (500 for the first 30 minutes) would work just as well even if I don't brine the turkey. I don't want it to dry out.

Although I've done it more in the 400-425 range. I think 500 would be too much for an unbrined bird. You must turn the heat down to a normal roasting temperature after about 1/2 hour ( 15 minutes for a small bird.)
I haven't been in charge of the roasting in a while so I don't have precise instructions handy. Check epicurious.com, there's probably instructions for a hybrid roasting temp there.

I may go somewhere in between.

I have always done it the "old fashioned" way at about 350 the whole time, but I'm intrigued by Alton's recipe.

A woman I know on another message board also told me of a method whereby the turkey is cooked at 450 the whole time (1-1½ hours for a 14-lb bird), and she swears it works perfectly.

:yoiks:

:o

:P