First Turkey help and brine

[roblox84]

I've read conflicting information on how long to brine a turkey, anywhere from 4 hours to 48 hours. Today I made my brine using approximately 2 gallons of water with 1.5 cups of salt, some garlic, brown sugar, pepper and worchestire sauce. The recipe called for the Turkey to sit in the brine for 48 hours but now I'm wondering if this is too long?

• Tweet
• 

[swthorpe]

I am no expert on brining times, but 48 hours sounds extreme.    When I smoked a 13# whole turkey, I brined it for 24 hours.

[DivotMaker]

I'm with Steve - 48 hours seems really long.  How much does your turkey weigh?  You have 3/4 cup of salt per gallon in your brine, so it's a little less than I use for poultry (1 cup per gallon), and I brine a 5 pound chicken for about 4 hours.  You have a lot thicker meat, and more mass, with a turkey, so I think Steve's recommendation of 24 hours should be sufficient.

Unless you're using an equilibrium brine, time is important.  I'd say try 24 hours, then adjust based on the results.

Here's a little something I put together about brines, if you haven't seen it:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1504.0

Let us know how the bird turns out!

One more thing... Did you notice if your turkey contains added solution?  Many turkeys are "pre-basted" with a salt solution, so be careful if it was.  If you brine an injected turkey, you may end up with a pretty salty bird.  I have a hard time finding turkeys that aren't injected, and I don't brine them.

[roblox84]

I threw the packaging out so I can't tell if it was sprayed with anything or how much it weighs. I think I'll leave it in there for 24 hours, that's what I was planning on. Is there anything else I should do to the Turkey after brining apart from rubbing it down with olive oil and applying a rub? Do most people stuff the inside with anything?

[DivotMaker]

Rob, you want to rinse it well with cold water when it comes out of the brine, rub with olive oil and seasoning.  As far as anything in the cavity, that's personal preference.  You don't want to use traditional bread stuffing, as it will be a breeding ground for bacteria.  I always stuff poultry with equal portions of chopped onions, celery and carrots.  This is called "mirepoix," in the fancy cooking world.  I just call it veggies.    I find this really helps to stabilize the cooking (like a heat sink in the bird), and adds a lot to the flavor of the meat.  You can also add some slice lemons in the mirepoix.  Discard the mirepoix after cooking.

[roblox84]

Thanks for the help everyone!

[DivotMaker]

No problem, Rob!  Put your thermometer in the thick part of the breast, and smoke to 165 internal temp. The last turkey I smoked was 12.6 lbs.  It took 5:15 @ 240, with 2.5 oz of cherry.  Mighty tasty, and not too smokey. 

[roblox84]

No problem, Rob!  Put your thermometer in the thick part of the breast, and smoke to 165 internal temp. The last turkey I smoked was 12.6 lbs.  It took 5:15 @ 240, with 2.5 oz of cherry.  Mighty tasty, and not too smokey.

I'm guessing my Turkey is in the 12 pound range, how many ounces of hickory wood would you recommend?

[rickne]

The amount of smoke is a personal preference.

My personal opinion is to go LIGHT on the hickory.  Hickory has a strong smoke flavor I think it's easy to over-smoke Turkey.  I wouldn't go more than 1 oz of hickory but that's just me.

I usually use a light wood with poultry.  Fruit or nut woods work well.  I prefer apple.  Even then, I still use less than 2 oz.

[DivotMaker]

For a 12 lb bird, 2.5 oz of cherry was perfect for me.  It just left a hint of smokiness in the meat, but more in the skin of course.  I like hickory on just about anything (traditional southerner, I guess), so I'd use the same amount.  It all depends on how much smoke flavor you like, as Rick said.