Last year I was getting my turkey brine ready for the Thanksgiving bird, which I like the turkey to sit in for no more than 2 days before I cook it. I usually use one of the big ziplock bags (XL size, 16 gallon) to brine the bird in.
It occurred to me that air in the bag is one of the enemies of a good brine, so I cut a hole in the ziplock bag and installed an extra bicycle stem valve specifically for vacuum bags to be used with my press setup.
With the bird and the brine in the bag, I put vacuum on it until the bag was fully collapsed down. That turkey was the best turkey I have yet to cook and I think a significant reason was the fact that the brine more fully penetrated the meat prior to cooking because of the vacuum while it was brining.
Edited 11/22/2008 10:50 pm ET by Woodman41
Replies
You should post this over at cooks talk. They would love to hear about it.
Edited 11/22/2008 5:46 pm ET by Napie
That's a great idea. I usually brine mine in a joint cement bucket and struggle to keep the bird submerged.
Just in case you're interested, here's a link to a couple of brine recipes in the Cook's Talk forum. The maple one is delicious.
Brine_Recipe
PS, where do you get a zip lock bag that big?
Sorry, that link didn't work. Here are the recipes:
Apple Brine#23687
by MEAN CHEF (see my other recipes) posted on Mar 28, 2002(16 reviews)Mild brine for turkey, chicken or pork
2
quarts apple juice
1
lb brown sugar
1
cup kosher salt
3
quarts water
3
oranges, quartered
4
ounces fresh ginger, thinly sliced
15
whole cloves
6
bay leaves
6
cloves garlic, crushed
1.
bring apple juice, sugar and salt to a boil over high heat, skim foam, let cool to room temperature.
2.
Add remaining ingredients.
3.
Brine turkey for 24 hours.
4.
Quantity is sufficient for a 14 pound turkey.
OR
Maple Brine#23686
by MEAN CHEF (see my other recipes) posted on Mar 28, 2002(3 reviews)Great brine for turkey or chicken.
2
cups brown sugar
1
cup maple syrup
3/4
cup kosher salt
3
heads garlic, cloves separated,not peeled
6
bay leaves
1 1/2
cups fresh ginger, unpeeled,chopped
2
teaspoons dried chili flakes
1 1/2
cups soy sauce
5
sprigs fresh thyme
3
quarts water
1.
Combine all ingredients in large stainless steel pot.
2.
Bring to simmer, remove from heat and cool completely Remove turkey neck and giblets.
3.
Rinse turkey well.
4.
Put turkey in cold brine.
5.
Use a stainless, plastic or other non-reactive container.
6.
Add water if brine doesn't cover bird.
7.
Refrigerate 2- 4 days, turning bird twice a day.
8.
To cook: remove turkey from brine, pat dry, brush with olive oil.
9.
Either grill or cook in oven.
that apple brine is similar to my preferred recipe- apple cider
- brown sugar
- molasses
- bay leaf
- garlic
- peppercorns
- kosher saltBTW, I buy kosher turkeys as well and have never been disappointed. I've tried expensive and exotic turkeys but the kosher turkeys from Trader Joe's are cheap and very tasty.
Woody,
That's a good idea but been around a while. Those vacuum sealing kits at Wal-mart used for sealing meat and vegetables come with instructions for quick-marinating meat using the vacuum bags. The pressure of the vacuum forces the marinade deep into the meat, unlike having it just sit in a bag with the liquid.
Lee
I LOVE TURKEY.. Poor bird, but I have a great meal. I like the dark meat. Plenty left over for me to feast on...
Sounds great, love turkey done that way. Where do you get 16 gal. ziplocks? didn't know they came that big.
grocery store... "Ziplock Big Bags" I believe is the brand product name. They come is several sizes, large through XXXL.I also used a heavy duty poly bag for shipping rolled up rugs in once. Shaped like a tube, the bird fit perfectly in that one.
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