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I brine chicken all the time; I think that for any white meat, it's critical in getting a result that people actually want to eat. However, brining turkey has n

I brine chicken all the time; I think that for any white meat, it's critical in getting a result that people actually want to eat. However, brining turkey has never been an option; we're typically running up to the day on thawing the meat properly, and I don't have anything large enough to brine it in. We inject and fry it anyway, so it's plenty juicy and the flavor comes from the injection. Which can be too much flavor sometimes, but I've never had complaints... especially when you compare it to the typical oven option. I'll definitely be trying the salting method next time, and on my chicken too. I do think this article is a bit misleading with all the bezier curves for weight loss; I imagine that came from 3 discrete data points, so buyer beware. But, if the end result is at all similar, it would definitely be the way to do turkey. I've also heard good things about rubbing the turkey down with mayonnaise and herbs while it cooks in the oven. This apparently creates a skin texture more like fried turkey, which helps in retaining juices. I imagine this method combined with salting could produce a very tasty oven-cooked turkey.

tptacek 14y ago
Won't mayonnaise just break in the oven? Wouldn't you be just as well off basting the bird in oil?
- WiseWeasel 14y ago
  I've got a great recipe for mayo/sour cream-covered halibut or other white fish, oven-roasted. Not sure how well it holds up for a 5-hour turkey roasting, but at least for 1-1.5-hour cook times, mayo seems to hold up ok.
obviouslygreen 14y ago
It's definitely not critical for consistency; for boneless poultry, a coating of oil and a relatively quick cook on a very hot grill or grill pan gets fantastic results. Pounding it out to even thickness first is important for breasts or other cuts that normally vary in thickness, but thighs work phenomenally well with this method. Brining is by no means necessary, but man, it sure can be great. It's just a matter of figuring out what your options are as far as cooking methods based on what it is you want to make.
VLM 14y ago
Interesting idea. Mayonnaise is more or less colloidal eggs -n- oil so a cool extension of the mayo experiment would be to discover if superior results come from what amounts to a baking eggwash or what amounts to oil basting or is it really the combo? Probably too early to plan experiments beyond that point without the results, but if it turns out the key is oil basting, rather than using more or less neutral oils like in mayo, it might be fun to try flavored oils. A "hot" jalapeno turkey? Maybe a nutty walnut oil basted turkey? Carotene butter basted turkey sounds weird, yet "for science" I might be willing to risk it. Of course you can make homemade mayos with the above non-neutral oils if experimentation shows the presence of eggs is required for the skin texture... Putting up a food story like this at lunch time is dangerous, making me hungry.
greyboy 14y ago
I bought my wife a five gallon bucket at the local home improvement store for a few dollars. It holds your average-sized turkey just fine. Around here, in the cooler months, it hovers around 40F over night around Nov-Dec, so we let it sit outside on the back porch in the brine until morning (with a secure top, of course).
- brechin 14y ago
  As mentioned in other comments, you should make sure it's a food-safe bucket. The orange Home Depot buckets, for example, are NOT food-safe.
  - greyboy 14y ago
    Thanks, you're right. Of course, I glossed over some of the gory details, such as a bag liner in the bucket. Or, the upgrade to a substantial sized stainless steel stock pot (which can be sourced at your local restauraunt supply store). OT: Not sure why I always look forward to these discussions on HN.

tptacek 14y ago

Won't mayonnaise just break in the oven? Wouldn't you be just as well off basting the bird in oil?

WiseWeasel 14y ago
I've got a great recipe for mayo/sour cream-covered halibut or other white fish, oven-roasted. Not sure how well it holds up for a 5-hour turkey roasting, but at least for 1-1.5-hour cook times, mayo seems to hold up ok.

obviouslygreen 14y ago

It's definitely not critical for consistency; for boneless poultry, a coating of oil and a relatively quick cook on a very hot grill or grill pan gets fantastic results. Pounding it out to even thickness first is important for breasts or other cuts that normally vary in thickness, but thighs work phenomenally well with this method. Brining is by no means necessary, but man, it sure can be great. It's just a matter of figuring out what your options are as far as cooking methods based on what it is you want to make.

VLM 14y ago

Interesting idea. Mayonnaise is more or less colloidal eggs -n- oil so a cool extension of the mayo experiment would be to discover if superior results come from what amounts to a baking eggwash or what amounts to oil basting or is it really the combo? Probably too early to plan experiments beyond that point without the results, but if it turns out the key is oil basting, rather than using more or less neutral oils like in mayo, it might be fun to try flavored oils. A "hot" jalapeno turkey? Maybe a nutty walnut oil basted turkey? Carotene butter basted turkey sounds weird, yet "for science" I might be willing to risk it. Of course you can make homemade mayos with the above non-neutral oils if experimentation shows the presence of eggs is required for the skin texture... Putting up a food story like this at lunch time is dangerous, making me hungry.

greyboy 14y ago

I bought my wife a five gallon bucket at the local home improvement store for a few dollars. It holds your average-sized turkey just fine. Around here, in the cooler months, it hovers around 40F over night around Nov-Dec, so we let it sit outside on the back porch in the brine until morning (with a secure top, of course).

brechin 14y ago
As mentioned in other comments, you should make sure it's a food-safe bucket. The orange Home Depot buckets, for example, are NOT food-safe.
- greyboy 14y ago
  Thanks, you're right. Of course, I glossed over some of the gory details, such as a bag liner in the bucket. Or, the upgrade to a substantial sized stainless steel stock pot (which can be sourced at your local restauraunt supply store). OT: Not sure why I always look forward to these discussions on HN.