Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

Yes, it was slightly more moist than it might have been without the brining, but it didn't change the flavor of the meat much if it all. I was so excited to give this a try, but I'm not sure it was really worth the extra work.

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anniebanana

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: San Diego, California, USA

Living In: Post Falls, Idaho, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 28, 2008

Not to gloat, but I ROCKED the Thanksgiving table with this turkey! It was my first ever, and I don't need to look any further. After brining, I rubbed the bird down with melted butter, salted and peppered, then filled the cavity with a mixture of orange juice concentrate, cloves, 3 garlic cloves, celery salt, and onion powder (kind of an experiment). I'm not sure which, that or the brining, flavored the meat so beautifully. Regardless, it made the meat, even the white stuff, moist and chock-full of flavor. And the gravy? Don't get me started! Like I said, I'm the self-proclaimed hero, and everyone else agreed. Oh, and I roasted the bird in a Reynolds Turkey Bag and let it sit for 45 minutes before carving it.

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JAZZYMADDY

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Alpine, Utah, USA

Living In: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

The best turkey ever!!!! I used 1/2 gallon of vegetable stock and 1/2 gallon of apple juice. Everything else was the same. It made the juciest turkey and the best gravy. It did not cut my cooking time as stated in the recipe and other reviews...Thanksgiving was still on time though. Thanks for sharing!!!

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hebpo4

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

Mmm... Definitely made the white-breast meat more edible. My wife and I varied it by substituting vegetable broth with white cranberry juice. We also added 1 pack of peach jello and sliced oranges to provide extra citric sweetness. Oven roasting took much longer than in past (> 1.5 hrs, 375 deg). It took about 2.5 hrs. We used an electronic thermometer ($25, Oregon Scientific) to accurately cook the meat.

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RADIO

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

I think this improved the flavor but the comments were " Mom its not any juicer than your regular turkey" so I guess that the extra effort and work of brining it really didn't make a differance in the turkey. I most likely will not do again...

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DEB

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Rockford, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

My turkey was dry. I didn't overcook, but it just did not work for me. I was really hoping for a juicy turkey, this was not it. The taste was decent though so instead of one star I give it two. Turkey sandwich with plenty of mayo should cover up the dryness a bit.

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Nikitig

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Detroit, Michigan, USA

Living In: Lithia Springs, Georgia, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

This recipe was out of this world! I have only made the Thanksgiving turkey two other times in my life, and they never turned out this good. We had a hard time fitting a 5-gallon bucket in the fridge, so we simply put it in the car overnight since the temp. was in the upper 20's and lower 30's. Our 12lb. bird was done in a little over 3 hrs and it made some of the best gravy I've ever had. Thanks for this one - it's a keeper.

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Comotrekker

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Marietta, Georgia, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2008

This is the first time I have brined a turkey so I was a little nervous about it. But it turned out excellent! The meat was so moist and it literally just fell off the turkey! I didn't have enough fridge space, so I put the brine in a clean garbage bag inside of a cooler and put it in my garage for the night (we live in ND!). I had to turn the turkey about half way thru the night to brine the other side. After rinsing in the morning, all I did was slather it with butter and pepper. It was great and got rave reviews! Will definitely do every year!

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BUNKY482

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2008

I've used this brine before and it was wonderful! I'm using it again this year. For the person who claimed it ruined her 18lb turkey: it must have been user error because brining is a chemical process. Once the process has finished the salt is left in the brine solution not the bird. Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes. This leads salt ions to enter the cell via diffusion. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix which traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from drying out, or dehydrating.

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CarrieKA

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: White Lake, Michigan, USA

Living In: Waterford, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2008

I did it last year and will do it again and agian. If i could give it more than 5 stars, I would. Happy Turkey day to everyone.

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Cocina JNOTS

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Miami, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 25, 2008

Haven't actually made the turkey yet, just boiled up the brine.. and so far, the aroma is out of this world! It smells SO good. I can't wait to brine the turkey in it and finally taste it!

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Shollia

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Reviewed: Nov. 24, 2008

I just ruined my turkey, YOUR so called Out of this World Brine, made my 18 LB so salty, and I only used HALF the recipe, as I didn't want my bird to be too salty.......If You can't replace What you will waste using this recipe, don't do this....you'll be sorry!!!! I am!!! Just perhaps I can make soup out if it...AND I still have to buy another Turkey!

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Nefertiti

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Reviewed: Nov. 24, 2008

I used this last year and got raves. You can bet I will use it again and again.

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Joy

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA

Living In: Piqua, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2008

Makes for an absolutely fabulous, juicy turkey. I've been brining my Thanksgiving turkey for a few years now and will never make another turkey w/o brining. I usually make a 14-16 pound bird. I use fresh herbs in the brine (one sprig each of rosemary, thyme and sage, plus one cinnamon stick. I remove these after brine has boiled). When I'm ready to brine the turkey, I place the brine in one of those XL Ziploc bags (the huge ones used for storage, 10 gallon I believe), put the turkey in the bag in the brine, seal the bag, place the bag in a cooler in the garage and leave overnight. I always start brining with the breast down, then flip it half way through. There really isn't much effort involved and it makes a world of difference. The leftovers are just as amazing, too! Oh, and just a note, I've also used 1/2 gallon veggie broth and 1/2 gallon apple juice (veggie broth can be expensive) and it tastes just as amazing!! I don't know why the previous reviewer had problems, perhaps she brined too long...the bird does not taste salty at all when brined properly. You'll want to leave the bird in the brine anywhere from 12-24 hours or a good rule of thumb is 1 hour per pound.

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LRD1974

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 20, 2008

For all of you charcoal grill fans, this brine is great. I have been cooking both Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys on my Weber for the past few years and the results have been great. If you choose to cook your turkey on a Weber, watch it like a hawk! They really do cook faster (brined) than in an oven (un-brined). A digital thermometer is a must. I usually take the bird off of the grill at about 170 degrees and let it rest for about 20-30 min. MmmmMmmm-good!

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Greydog

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 17, 2008

I used this recipie last year for our thanksgiving turkey, and was so happy to be able to locate it again. No one in the family had ever had a brined turkey, and even grandma said it was one of the best that she ever had. Try it out - it's not as labor intensive as it seems.

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Teresa

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 16, 2008

I used this for my first turkey ever, and all I can saw is WOW. The turkey was the mose tender, juicy, flavorful turkey I have ever had in my whole life. I will never make one without brining it first ever. When I took it out that morning and rinsed it, I used another recipe that calls for rubbing a stick of butter all over the turkey, using chicken/turkey stock, and basting every 30 minutes. Rubbing the softened stick of butter all over the turkey was a bit challenging, considering the turkey was cold, and butter hardens as it gets cold, but it was well worth the work. This was an awesome recipe.

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Emily S

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Sheldon, Iowa, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 16, 2008

Excellent, need I say more!

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jelene

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2008

My comment isnt on this recipe in particular, just a tip on brining in general. Last year I brined for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, it they were the best birds Ive ever had. My tip is this.....place bird in an oven roasting bag with brine ingredients, then place in a cooler with ice. Slosh the bag around several times during the marinating process. This clears up MUCH needed refrigerator space during the crunch time before cooking!

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redamber

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Kenmare, North Dakota, USA

Living In: El Dorado, Kansas, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 7, 2008

For those of you worried about the safety of brining a turkey in a non-food grade bucket or trash bag, a brining bag may be a better alternative. I was unaware of brining bags until I stumbled upon them at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. The bags I found were safe, inexpensive, spill-proof, and worked great. When brining, I used half apple juice and half chicken broth, and fresh herbs. I placed the turkey in the brining bag which I then placed in one of my refrigerator vegetable drawers and left for twelve hours. I cooked the turkey using the Rosemary Roasted Turkey recipe from this site. I’ve never brined a turkey before (or cooked one for that matter), but I think I always will from now on! :)

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