The Holidays

[rayinreverse]

basting doesnt do shit.
but a brine works wonders. dont stuff the fucking thing either.

[yeezuz]

brined some pork chops and had them last night, i am a convert.

i have my fingers crossed for turkey egg rolls this thanksgiving.

[khoomeizhi]

since we make turkeys so often at work, we've been riffing on ways to keep turkey interesting. one of these days, we'll go ahead and do the old standby joke in those conversations: thanksgiving sushi. mashed potatoes, turkey, line of cranberry sauce, all wrapped up in the salt-studded skin. gravy for dippings.

[natehusky]

since we make turkeys so often at work, we've been riffing on ways to keep turkey interesting. one of these days, we'll go ahead and do the old standby joke in those conversations: thanksgiving sushi. mashed potatoes, turkey, line of cranberry sauce, all wrapped up in the salt-studded skin. gravy for dippings.

sounds amazing

[yeezuz]

since we make turkeys so often at work, we've been riffing on ways to keep turkey interesting. one of these days, we'll go ahead and do the old standby joke in those conversations: thanksgiving sushi. mashed potatoes, turkey, line of cranberry sauce, all wrapped up in the salt-studded skin. gravy for dippings.

sounds amazing

i love turkey skin. i would eat that til i busted out of my buffet pants.

[Chovie D]

where do I bring a whole turkey? the bathtub? I dont think I got a pot big enough

[Jor el]

Buffet Pants

[yeezuz]

where do I bring a whole turkey? the bathtub? I dont think I got a pot big enough

put it in the deep fryer first

Buffet Pants

yes you are correct, they deserve the respect of capitalization.

[Chovie D]

deep fry it before brining? methinks not 

also, no deep fryer here.

Ill just dunk it around in the terlit with some rosemary and salt water I guess, then roast-a-rooni

[Jor el]

You're finna travel all the way to the Tally-Ho just to dunk a turkey?

[Lumpy]

I think you can buy 'em pre-brined.

What about lining the sink with a garbage bag, and doing it in the sink?

[bitter]

Get one of those white food grade buckets that looks like mini garbage cans. I think they also sell bags you can seal the bird and solution in.

[khoomeizhi]

you need one of those big cylindrical drink coolers that work trucks frequently have mounted-on. do a brine that starts with ice in it. leave it all in the garage (or whatever) for 4-5 days (or more if starting with a frozen bird)...

[Chovie D]

its 1 hour per pound to brine, so ten hours for my bird which means refridgeration will be required, so my toilet brining  is oot.
IM gonna have to deconstruct the fridge (remove all the shelves)and put it in a 5 gallon bucket  

Mr. K has the rigth idea I think but I dont have one of those Gatorade coolers, plus Id feel a bit weird leaving a turkey on my back porch overnight, we got racoons and shit. From what I read the bird should be defrosted and cleaned BEFORE brining.

[Lumpy]

Put your brine bucket inside a garbage bag and fill bag/surround bucket with ice?

Also, with proper timing maybe you can get away with minimal cooling, and let the bird coast down to room temp. before popping into the oven (make sense?) People often say to start your meat at room temp. anyway.

[MadJohnShaft]

Yeah, nothing wrong with getting it to room temp a bit - sitting around a little dries out the skin so it may brown better as a bonus, especially on a wet brined bird....

[peoplething]

maybe I missed this earlier in the thread, but don't brine a store bought turkey. 'jenny-o' or 'the turkey shop' sorta birds.

those birds already have like a liter of 5M NaCl injected into them.

and yeah - defrost/clean before you do any kind of seasoning/maranating to any of your meat.

you probably could get away with a brine in the kitchen sink over night even with the bird thawed just keep it at 4C until you brine it. Then throw a bunch of ice in the sink before you got to bed.

[Chovie D]

"the turkey's temperature could climb above 41 degrees F, at which point the Salmonella and Campylobacter can begin to grow. "

-that doesnt sound good. but shit, doesnt it have to be at that temp at some point?
Cooler in the tub, lotsa ice ..... sounds aboot right.

surprise half day off tomorrow so i can fuck around with it then.

[RAGER]

It has to be above 41 and under 140 for a certain period of time for stuff to get bad.  also bad stuff can't quite get ahold in a low ph environment.  Don't worry too much.  But yes thaw it first.

[Jor el]

Soak it in my Salmonella Nog for extra salmonessity.

[Chovie D]

I stuck the trukey in a pot that just holds it, filed with brine, then stuck that in a cooler with ice. its been in there 12 hours, the temp say juts above 40. IM concerned aboot salmonella. rager..help qwell my fears or tell me to toss the bird!

[RAGER]

What does your meat thermometer say.  I would still go for it man.  Shit takes a while to get growing.  And remember, you will be cooking the bird to 165 degrees.  And also remember that bacteria can't grow in a low ph environment (brine).  Cook that bird!!

[peoplething]

maybe this will help too:

salmonella in a super rich liquid growth media at 98F and with a ton of oxygen (i.e. not muscle tissue) has a doubling rate of about an hour. it also dies at about 140F.

40F, in a salt solution, with next to no oxygen is no where near optimal. plus you're cooking it 25 degrees past where it can survive.

I think you'll live.

[RAGER]

What did i just say?

[Chovie D]

thanks brothers!

thermometer floating in the brine said 42 this morning. theres aboot an inch of bird floating above the brine tho...I couldnt fit the lid on the pot so i covered the pot with a domed metal bowl that seemed to seal it up failrly well.
whatdya think?

I'll probably spend the entire evening googling salmonella symptoms after i eat this thing "my tummy DOES feel a little weird"